When I was finally decent, I stepped outside. Josh stood by one of the horses, stroking its nose, the sunlight catching in his messy blonde hair. Nick trailed behind me, and I shot him a glare over my shoulder—don’t be an ass.
Josh didn’t notice me at first. I reached out, grazing his shoulder. “Hey.”
“Shit!” He flinched and spun around, tugging his earbuds out. “Oh. Hey.”
I tilted my head, smirking. “Listening to music?”
He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah. I was gonna check on you, but… well, the sounds told me you were just fine. So I figured I’d let you guys finish….”
“Talking?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Exactly.” His grin was boyish, endearing. Looking at him now, I realized how much older Nick was—how much had changed. Maybe that’s why Josh and I never worked. By the time Josh started noticing girls, my innocence was already stolen. Josh and I were the same age, but mentally, I was years ahead of him.
I sighed. “I’m sorry, Josh.”
He shrugged. “Nah. It’s fine. I’m just glad he finally stepped up.”
“It’s not fine.” I took his hands in mine. “That shouldn’t have happened. We got caught up in the moment. And… we can both be impulsive.”
“I get it.”
“Still. Thank you.” I squeezed his hands. “You’re an amazing friend. And an even better guy. I really hope one day, someone sees that and treats you the way you deserve.”
Josh looked down, kicking at the dirt. Despite his jokes, his charm, and his easy-going nature, I knew he was soft at heart. Probably because of how much he respected his mom, because of what he went through as a kid.
“Thanks,” he said finally, lifting his gaze. “I’m really happy for you. You guys…You look good together.”
My stomach twisted into a bittersweet symphony. I was happy that Josh accepted Nick, but sad because the kiss he gave me earlier told me he thought there was still something there between us, when I’d moved on a long time ago.
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. He hugged me back, squeezing me tight.
“Easy there, Snatchquack.”
Nick’s voice cut through the moment, and I turned to see him striding toward us, my suitcase in one hand, Loco trotting beside him.
I raised an eyebrow. “How are we supposed to take that on a motorcycle?”
“I’ll make it work,” Nick said.
“And Loco?”
“Oh. Yeah.” He ran his free hand through his silly black hair.
Josh laughed. “I can follow you guys and drop it off. I don’t mind.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said.
“I insist.”
“Great.” Nick clapped a hand on Josh’s shoulder, dropping the suitcase to the ground. “Appreciate it, man.” He turned to walk away, then paused, walking backward with a smirk. “And sorry for fucking my wife in your house. But, as you can see, she’s hot as hell, and make-up sex is phenomenal.” He threw in a wink for good measure before heading off to strap Loco into the dog carrier.
I sighed and turned back to Josh. “Sorry. He’s… territorial.”
Josh smirked. “I think he’s worse than your dog.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
55
