William tapped his watch. “It’s after ten o’clock. You need to leave in the next hour if you’re going to the opening of Willow’s exhibition.”
“I’m not traveling to Bozeman.”
“Of course you are. You could have flown with Megan, but the plane is full. Driving is your only option.” William pushed past Zac and headed toward his bedroom. “You’ll need a suit. Jeans and a cotton shirt won’t be good enough.”
Zac jogged after his friend. “Willow won’t want me there.”
William stopped so suddenly that Zac nearly ran into his back. “Living in Kabul has warped your brain. I’m no Romeo, but even I know you have to fight for the woman you love. Especially when you’re the idiot who told her you don’t love her.”
Zac ran his hands through his hair. “I never told her I don’t love her.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be standing in your hallway, trying to figure out how to get rid of me.”
“Has anyone told you you’re annoying?”
William pretended to think about his answer. “Not recently, although Megan has had a few interesting things to say about my personality.” He kept moving toward Zac’s bedroom. “You’ll need something to wear on Sunday, too. Bozeman is a city, and city-slickers notice when the country bumpkins come to town.”
Zac snorted. “Bozeman is in Montana, not Los Angeles.”
“It makes no difference. While you’re there, you’re representing our town.” William walked into Zac’s bedroom.
“You’ll need to live here for a few more years before you’ll be recognized as a resident.”
“Mabel has already given me her blessing.” William held up a pair of boxers. “Do you have any underwear that doesn’t have a picture of Mickey Mouse on the front?”
Zac snatched the boxers out of his friend’s hand. “My brother bought them for me as a joke.” When another pair of boxers landed on his bed, Zac sighed. “I haven’t spoken to Willow since last Wednesday. She’ll be upset if I suddenly walk into the gallery.”
“You don’t know that.”
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize I’ve messed up a great relationship.”
“You’re not the only person who’s walked away from the best thing that’s ever happened to them. Megan could easily have left me to wallow in self-pity, but she didn’t. And now look at us.” William pulled out a shirt from Zac’s closet and threw it beside the boxers. “Where are you hiding your best suit?”
“It’s on the left-hand side. How did you know Willow and I broke up?” Zac hadn’t told his friends for a reason. And that reason was holding the black suit he wore to funerals in his hands.
“Emma spoke to Willow after you dumped her. When Willow went home in tears, Emma spoke to Megan, and Megan told me.” William scowled. “There are no secrets in a small town.”
If William had come here to make him feel better, it wasn’t working. Zac’s life was a complete disaster and he only had himself to blame.
William threw another shirt onto the bed. “If you stand there watching me, you’ll be late.”
Instead of helping to pack his clothes, Zac sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m not going.”
For a few seconds, William simply stared at him. “Do you love Willow?”
“You know I do.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
With eyes full of unshed tears, Zac looked up at his friend. “I can’t give her what she needs.”
William sighed and sat on the bed. “Have you asked Willow what makes her happy?”
“No, but I know her. She needs someone she can trust, someone who will always be there for her. I can’t guarantee that person will be me.”
“That applies to most of us. You can’t be strong all the time, especially if you have something like PTSD. Willow knows that, and she still fell in love with you.”
Zac’s greatest fear was that one day his symptoms would spiral out of control. That the rainbow of drugs he took would stop working. If that happened, he didn’t want to be responsible for hurting anyone, least of all Willow.
