“Don’t feel silly. Imagine how difficult it would have been if you’d gone through with it and were actually stuck with the guy.”
Her seriousness makes me laugh, and I’m overwhelmingly glad to be surrounded by such good friends. Even with them here, though, my mind keeps wandering to someone else I wish were here.
“I know I hurt him, but he was so horrible earlier. I’ll have to go get an STD test now that I know he was cheating.”
“I’m sorry, Liv. You didn’t deserve to find out that way.”
“But at least it wasn’t after you signed the marriage certificate.” Natalie clinks her glass with my tequila-soda.
“I should have punched the bastard in the face,” Thea says with conviction, downing her drink.
“You’ve never hit anyone in your life,” I giggle, and she shrugs.
“Listen, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Jo starts. “But, I need to know what you want to tell Hayes…”
Hearing his name out loud is like a record scratch. “What?”
“As of right now, Hayes thinks that you’re married.”
“So?” Thea speaks for me after our eyes lock, and she sees my distress.
“I mean, you know, he was upset?” Jo asks in confusion.
“It was awkward the last time I talked to him… But he didn’t tell me not to go through with it. He only asked me if I was happy.”
“What did you say?” Callie asks, and everyone leans in, locked onto this conversation.
“I think I said yes, I don’t remember. I was feeling prettydefensive at the time.”
“I’ve been trying to stay out of it because it isn’t my business, but he’s a mess, Liv. He has been since that first day he saw you at the sanctuary,” Jo admits. “He and Lochlan got into a… Physical altercation this morning,” she adds delicately.
“About what?” I panic, imagining Hayes hurting someone he holds in such high regard, but Lochlan is a large man… I don’t want to know how ugly things could get between them.
She hesitates but relents when she sees my worry. “You need to know that Lochlan loves Hayes, and he sees him as a brother. He’d never do anything to hurt him on purpose.”
“What happened, Jo?”
“He was trying to get to you.”
My lips part. After all this time and not saying a damn word about it… “He wanted to stop the wedding?”
She nods. “Lochlan knows how important you are to him, but he also knows how serious Hayes was about not interfering in your life. Hayes had already said he’d never put you in the position to choose, and he didn’t want to upset you on your special day.”
“So, he was going to let me get married?”
“Well…” She wipes her hands nervously on her legs. “I think the plan was to let you get married, but this morning it’s like a switch flipped, and he went off the deep end. He was acting crazy.”
I stare at her, dumbfounded. We all are. But I know exactly what type of crazy she’s referring to. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
“He tried to leave, and Lochlan took his keys. He ordered everyone on the property to hide the keys to the work trucks… Hayes destroyed the garage. He destroyed the bunkhouse.
“I mean, they’re hot-headed men, and sometimes they take their aggression out on each other, but this is nothing like I’ve ever seen. Normally, if Lochlan and Hayes get into it, it ends with a couple of bloody towels and beer… This wasn’t that.”
“Tell me, Jo.” I’m sitting on the edge of the couch, staring at her as she hesitates to finish the story.
“Lochlan locked Hayes in a bear cage.”
“What?!” A chorus of surprise rings out among all of us.
