He seemed so sincere, but part of me still had my guard up and fully intact. This man hurt me, broke my heart, and lied to me for a long time. It was hard to forget that pain and betrayal. “I don’t know, Noah. It’s hard to forget what you did. I think maybe at some point we could get there, but right now I still need time.”
Noah sat up straighter, and I saw the annoyed, irritated look that quickly flashed across his features before he settled back into an easy smile. “All right. I get it. I’ll give you time.” He cleared his throat. “But like I mentioned, there are some things that you don’t know about your new boyfriend.”
Patty walked over with our food and set it on the table, flashing me a smile before leaving us to eat. Noah’s comment hung in the air between us, killing my appetite. This was the whole reason I was here. I honestly didn’t give a shit about what Noah had to say concerning us because that didn’t exist anymore. All I cared about was what he had to say about Dean. Noah grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite. I just watched him, waiting for him to continue.
He grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the corner of his mouth. “Remember when I was on the phone with Trent discussing our guys’ trip to the Cape?”
I nodded, recalling the conversation.
“Well, Trent doesn’t exist.” I narrowed my eyes at Noah, waiting for him to continue. “I mean, I figured you knew that because I changed Jessica’s contact information to say Trent.”
I interrupted. “No, I thought Trent still existed because I spoke to him. I figured you just changed Jessica’s contact information to Trent to hide your conversations and phone calls, since I knew him.”
Noah shook his head. “No. Trent doesn’t exist. The person that you were talking to on the phone was Dean.”
My stomach dropped. I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath.That can’t be true. I would have recognized his voice, right?Why wouldn’t Dean just tell me that? Why would he hide that too?I felt sick.
Noah continued, “As mentioned, Dean’s mom and mine are sisters. I asked Dean if he could do me a favor. He agreed, and, well, you know the rest.” He grabbed another slice of pizza, seemingly enjoying his dinner as if he didn’t just drop another atomic bomb on me.
I was still sitting in stunned silence when Noah looked back up at me. “I assume that you didn’t know that either.”
I just nodded, still silent. My brain was a jumbled mess. My heart hurt, and I rubbed absentmindedly at the ache.
“Well, there actually is something else about my cousin that you should know.” He leaned over and dug into his pocket for his phone. After a moment, he found what he was looking for and turned the screen toward me. “Here,” he said, and I took the phone from him, unsure if I could handle much more.
I looked down at the screen and read the text thread. My already aching heart shattered into a million pieces. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think straight. Tears pricked the back of my eyes, but I clenched my jaw and refused to let them fall. Notin front of Noah. I would not cry in front of Noah. I glanced back down at the screen and read it again.
Heard that you were playing animal doctor in a small town in Texas? You planning on staying there?
Dean:
Nah, man, I just need a year of running this practice to set me up for the lead doctor position over at the polo fields in Cali.
Nice. That seems more your style. How are things with Margot? Are you guys back together or what’s the deal?
Dean:
Yeah, I can’t take much more of this small-town life. Six more months and I’m gone. We’ve been talking again, and I’ve realized a lot since being away. I’m still in love with her, and when I get back, I’m planning on telling her.
Congrats, man. Happy for you.
I put his phone down and slid it across the table to him. Noah took it and put it back in his pocket. “I’m sorry, Addi. I hate to be the one to break the news to you, but Dean has no interest in staying here. His life is back in California, and he’s still in love with Margot. This was just a detour to get what he wanted, and you were just collateral damage. If it makes you any feel better, he lied to me too. He never mentioned you two were…involved.”
He wasn’t fucking sorry. I saw the smug look on his face as my heart shattered and my world was turned upside down yet again. But this time it hurt more, this time it felt different. I needed to get out of this fucking booth, away from Noah. I needed to be home, in my bed, where I could fall apart. Alone. How could this be happening again? Was I really that blind? Was I really that stupid? Could I even really trust that what Noah was saying was true?But he has text messages to prove it.
I got up out of the booth and walked to the door without saying a word to him. I could hear Noah calling after me, but I ignored him and made my way straight out of the restaurant to my car.
I couldn’t even make it home. The minute I shut my car door, a loud sob escaped my throat. I laid my arms across the steering wheel, leaning my forehead against them, and just allowed the tears to fall.
When I woke up the next morning, my eyes stung, my throat felt like sandpaper, and my muscles ached from crying myself to sleep the night before. How could I let this happen again? I should have stuck to my plan and just focused on my business. I should never have gotten involved with another guy so soon after Noah. I clearly didn’t know how to pick them, but something just felt so different with Dean, or so I thought.
With a heavy sigh, I forced myself out of bed. As much as I wanted to hide away from the world, I needed to be with the one thing that brought me clarity and solace—horses. I threw on my riding pants, boots, and jacket before grabbing my keys to make the drive to my farm.
Once I got to Mountain Laurel Farm, I stopped into my office to make a quick coffee. As I was waiting for the cup to fill, Levi walked in. “Hey, boss.”
I turned around to face him, and once he saw me, his brows pinched in concern.
“You look like shit. Everything okay?”
