Ford grinned. “A Kiss to Remember, A Moonlight Kiss.” He pressed a hand to his heart. “The Stolen Moment.” He snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it. Scorched Love: The Homewrecker’s Revenge.”
I bit back a laugh. They didn’t need any encouragement. “All three of y’all should get a job with Harlequin. The kiss wasn’t even that good. Certainly not good enough for a title.” Lies. It was the best freaking kiss of my entire life. Infinitely better than I’d dreamed it would be. And I’d dreamed of it a lot in the last nine years.
“Not that good.” Ford snorted. “Holdie and I saw it, remember? Hands were everywhere. Lips frantic. It was twenty-seven degrees outside and you’d created your own steam bubble it was so hot. If that thing had lasted another sixty seconds there would be another baby Dupree on the way.”
“Mhmm.” I scratched my brow. “It doesn’t even matter.” Tally and I hadn’t spoken since. Correction. We’d “spoken” once. When she sent me a text right after that said,I’m so sorry. I made a horrible mistake. That can never happen again.
A horrible mistake? It’s what every man wants to hear after he puts everything he has into a kiss.
I was her freaking professor and I had to stand in front of her three times a week and pretend that kiss didn’t happen. Pretend her telling me it was a mistake didn’t kill me every day.
Holden propped his hands on his hips. “Matters to Madden. He got traded to the Stars this week. From what I read, it sounds like he requested the trade.”
My head snapped up and it felt like I’d been bucked in the ribs. Madden left Richmond? That news dug the spike in even deeper. He was collateral damage in a moment that I regretted more than any other in my life.
Did I regret kissing Tally? No. Did I regret kissing Tally when she was engaged to Madden? With everything in me.
I didn’t do things like that. Ever. I was the Dupree Golden Boy. The one who always did everything right. Who never gave my parents a moment’s worry. Not anymore. I couldn’t even look my mom in the eye.
The thing was, I would not have gone looking for that kiss. The woman had suckered me. Lured me in with her tears, vulnerability, and Disney princess eyes.
“You should talk to her,” Holden said. “Take her someplace where she can’t run and tell her how you feel.”
“Here we go.” Silas folded his arms across his chest. “Holden’s answer to everything. Bear your whole soul even if it might get swatted away. No big deal.”
Holden cocked his head. “You know full well if Lemon hadn’t sat in your lap and made you see sense, you’d still be single. And if you hadn’t made me see sense with Christy, I would be too.” He looked at me.
Ford guffawed. “Nah. Silas would be married.” His face broke into a coy grin. “To Christy.”
The three of us shut him up with a glare.
Holden looked at me. “You’ll never get to the other side of things if you don’t talk it through.”
Ford shrugged. “It doesn’t always work. I’ve been trying that with Peyton and?—”
“That is not what you’re doing,” Silas interrupted. “You’re badgering the woman. And you don’t even love her. You just can’t take no for an answer. You’ve never been able to. The minute you get her, you’ll move on to someone else.”
Silas must’ve struck a nerve because Ford swore at him. “How would you know how I feel?”
Silas pursed his lips. “You don’t even know her.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay. What’s her favorite color?”
Ford’s face was flat but then he thought a second. “Purple.”
“That’s too easy,” I protested. “Everyone in Seddledowne knows that.” Peyton had painted her house a light lilac, she loved the color so much. Lemon had been so worried it would turn out hideous but it was quite nice.
“What’s her kid’s name?” I asked.
“Cash,” Ford snorted like I was an idiot.
“Hisfullfirst name,” I amended, delighted at the way his face went blank.
“Cash isn’t his full name?”
I shook my head.
