“You don’t believe that, do you?” Leo murmured so low no one else heard. The look of concern on his face would have been laughable if Tripp wasn’t actually starting to worry that Wendy was right. Leo braced his hand around the back of Tripp’s neck and brought their foreheads together. “Everyone is capable of finding love, Tripp. Even you.”
“And you don’t sound as sure of yourself as you might think you do,” Tripp pulled back. He didn’t want to show this weakness. He didn’t want his family or friends to start feeling bad for him.
Tripp wasn’t the kind of guy who wanted more. At least not for a while. So why did he suddenly feel like he wasn’t doing something right? Why did this gnawing ache in the pit of his stomach threaten to put him into a tailspin.
Wendy wasn’t right. Whatever she’d heard. Whatever she knew. She was wrong. How had she heard of his reputation anyway? It wasn’t like he’d already gone through the population of Rocky Ridge. Up until a couple years ago, he’d been at college.
He dragged a hand through his hair, mussing it out of style. “Of course I know I’m capable of finding love, Leo,” he bit out. “I just… I wanted to know if…” He could feel the embarrassment of this whole situation start creeping up his spine, preparing to show on his face. “How did you know you were in love with Kat?”
At that, Leo lifted a single brow. “Are you in love with someone?” He looked over his shoulder as if he could see where Wendy haddisappeared and then he stepped even closer and whispered, “Wendy?—”
“What? No! I’m not in love with her. She’s the devil incarnate.”
Leo smirked.
“I mean it. Have you seen the way we are with each other? There’s something inherently wrong between the two of us. We can’t help but go at it like cats and dogs.”
“Are you sure that’s how you want to describe it?”
Tripp’s lip curled with irritation. “Will you knock it off already? You saw me. I tried to be nice.”
“Sure. That’s exactly what I saw. You complimented her then you said she wasn’t worth the trouble.”
Right. He’d said that. Dang it all, he really should have kept his mouth shut. What was wrong with him?
Leo must have noticed his grimace, because he laughed and clapped Tripp on the shoulder. “It’s fine. I don’t think she would have wanted your attention anyway. It’s like you said. You guys are like oil and water. I don’t think thetwo of youare going to end up together.” He glanced up at the ceiling for a moment then brought a reassuring smile back to Tripp. “But I do think that you’re capable of love. I do think that you will find love. When you’re ready.”
Tripp nodded absently. Yeah. He would. That was the big part. He’d find love when he was ready and he was looking for it.
“Go ahead and change out of that suit,” the seamstress called out to him. He nodded and headed toward the changing rooms. By the time he got back, most of the women had left. The only onewho’d stayed behind was Kat. She sat on the edge of her seat as she stared up at Leo dreamily.
There was no denying just how in love they were with each other. She’d given up a lot to be with Leo and he’d been willing to do the same.
A twinge of longing and maybe a little jealousy filtered past Tripp’s defenses. His jealousy wasn’t even about Kat as a person. There was a small part of him that had finally acknowledged that something felt like it was missing from his life.
He had a good job. He had a strong family unit. He had friends and women who cared for him.
But looking at Kat and Leo? Serenity and Reese?
He didn’t havethat.
And by golly, hewantedit.
Tripp lost track of how long he sat there, deeply lost in his own thoughts. He’d allowed himself to indulge in so many scenarios in his own mind. Finding love. Having that love returned. Starting a family like so many of his cousins. It wasn’t something that had appealed to him up until this moment.
Why?
Why now, of all the most inconvenient times? Why couldn’t he have wanted something more when he’d had the attention of a woman who actually wanted him back?
Because none of those women truly wanted him.
The closest he’d come had been Olivia. And even he had been able to see just how hung up on another guy she’d been. Sure, she’d cared for him. And yes, he’d heard through the grapevinethat she’d been a little broken up about their relationship ending.
She’d been young. She’d had only a handful of serious relationships. She wasn’t ready to settle down and she certainly hadn’t been ready to settle down with him.
“Earth to Tripp,” a woman’s voice sang, lassoing him from those dark recesses of his mind.
Tripp’s head snapped up and of course there were several pairs of eyes on him. It wasn’t Serenity who had said his name. It was Kat. There was humor in her eyes but there was also something else. Their friendship had grown a little more with each passing day. Leo didn’t like that very much, but it probably had more to do with the fact that Tripp had goaded him on when he’d been interested in Kat. From the beginning, Tripp had seen it. He’d noticed the way those two looked at each other. Even when Leo wanted to toy with the woman, Tripp saw it.
