I flick my gaze to his. “He’s been gone since I was a kid, Luke. Isn’t there an expiration date on grief?”
“No.”
I shoot him a second look, but he blinks, and I can’t tell what’s behind the mask.
“I’m about to go grab a drink with the boys. Come with me.”
He stands up, flicks off the dim light over his desk, and gestures me to follow him out of the barn.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Emery
“Cheers.” Leleila and I click glasses where we sit on bar stools at Lucky Cowboy.
“To a night out,” Mia says. “And for those of us who are mothers, a night to unwind and relax.”
Savannah laughs, her green eyes sparkling. “I love my daughter so much, but I do love a night out with my girls.”
“Same.” Leleila flips over her phone and shows us an adorable photo of Ashley and Abigail waving and laughing. “Brayden just sent this to me. They’re refusing to get into their pjs right now. I have to admit—I’m glad he’s handling bedtime tonight.”
Next to me, Jasalie laughs. “I remember that when my kids were younger. Now they’re all teenagers and pretty self-sufficient.”
Jasalie is intimidating in every way—gorgeous, tall, confident, and she holds a wisdom in her gray eyes that tells me she’s been through a lot and come out on the other side. She and Dylan make quite the couple visually, but she also strikes me as a strong woman and a good person.
She smiles at me warmly. “I’m glad you could join us, Emery.”
“Me too,” I say. “Thank you for including me.”
I haven’t had a true girls’ night out in a while. I used to do Friday Night Wine with several women from work, but we didn’t talk about much outside of office gossip. The group I’m out with tonight is eclectic, and I’m enjoying getting to know all of the ladies.
Alyssa has to work, but Mia’s bestie, Jamie Beth, is here, and Leleila brought her best friend, Sophia.
Sophia jumps up and down, her curly blond hair bouncing. “I’m planning to get drunk off my ass tonight. Who’s in?”
Jamie Beth smiles. “Shots?”
Sophia holds up her glass of whiskey. “As soon as I finish this, I’m in.” She turns to me. “Emery? You want another drink?”
I glance at my empty glass of wine. “Sure.”
“So you grew up in the area?” Sophia asks me.
“I did. Recently, I’ve been staying on Wild Ranch. I gave myself a vacation after getting dumped and then losing out on a job promotion.”
“Ouch.” Jasalie frowns. “That sounds rough.”
“It was. And then I quit my job on top of it. But you know, silver linings and all.” I smile. “I was offered the promotion after all. And I met a hot guy who happens to be a Wild and is also staying on the ranch temporarily.”
Leleila smiles. “Michael seems smitten.”
Sophia gasps. “Michael Wild? I’ve met him a couple of times. He’s so grumpy!”
“He does tend to be that,” Savannah agrees. “But not with Emery.”
“He’s still grumpy sometimes,” I say. “But he’s also super sweet.”
Sophia downs her glass of whiskey and calls to the server for a round of shots.
