I shrug him off, stepping back as far as the bar will allow me. “You knew?”
My head rears back, and I know he’ll see the hurt in my eyes that I don’t bother to hide. He at least has the sense to look sheepish, even if for only half a second. Wyatt drops his eyes to the worn wooden floor, looking up under his lashes at Autumn and Gracie, a sly smirk pulling at his mouth.
I fucking hate them all.
Okay, so not really, but they test my last nerve constantly. They’re like meddlesome children, despite all of them being over the age of twenty-eight.
“Someone gonna clue me in? Who are we fighting?” Kade asks, looking around the room as he rolls up the sleeves of his blue plaid shirt.
At least I was right about one of my siblings thinking there would be a fight.
Ignoring Kade’s question, Wyatt pulls me in by the shoulder, shouting to be heard over the noise of the crowded bar. “Look, Gray, we’ve only ever wanted what’s best for you. If that is being with Avery, then we’ll help make it happen.”
I pull back and level him with a stare. One that I’m hoping speaks volumes about how fucking stupid I think that sounds. He, of all people, knows what I went through when Avery and I broke up.
At my worst, he was there to help me pick up the pieces. For him to stand here, telling me I should be with a woman I haven’t forgiven, let alone seen in over a decade, is wild. Almost as wild as the horses that roam the pastures on the outskirts of town.
His face grows serious, and he turns us away from Gracie and Autumn. “You’ve either got to get over her or fix whatever went wrong between you. You can’t keep shutting yourself off, especially if it’s going to mean you end up dying an old, grumpy man. You’re halfway there, brother. Let love in.”
Shrugging him off, I stand taller, grinding my back teeth. “You sound like a damn hippie, and if you think I’m stupid enough to give Avery another chance at breaking my heart, you don’t know me.”
We stare at each other. I have nothing more to say that I haven’t already said. Avery broke me, and I have no intention of letting her have another chance at shattering me completely. I just need my family to get on the same page as me and understand that I’m fine being alone. I’m happy to make sure they get whatever it is in life that will make them happy, and they don’t need to worry about me.
5
AVERY
I stand on the sidewalk outside The Wildflower, staring up at its worn sign. Ever since I left Autumn’s coffee shop, I’ve been questioning if coming out tonight was a good idea.
Deep down, I know there’s a possibility that I’ll see Grayson while I’m in town, but at The Wildflower? Yeah, going out and socializing was always more of a Wyatt thing.
I’d bet my Gibson Hummingbird on seeing Kade out for the night before I saw Grayson, and that’s saying something. No, I’m sure I won’t see him out tonight, and even if I do, I doubt he’ll talk to me.
It’s not like me to be nervous. Even playing in front of twenty thousand people, I keep my cool. So why is it so nerve-wracking to walk into a bar? I inhale deeply, square my shoulders, and head for the door, half convinced that I’m right about not seeing Grayson. If the tabloids could see me now, I’m sure they’d have a field day.
The sounds inside are muted as I approach, but when I open the door, they hit me like a crashing wave of comfort that I haven’t felt in such a long time. A sea of familiar faces greets me, but in reality, too much time has passed for me to consider these people anything but strangers.
My attention is drawn to the stage across the room. Even through the crowd, my eyes linger on it as memories flood my mind. I did my first public performances in this place. I remember having to beg and plead with Titan to give me a shot. Eventually, he caved, setting up a makeshift stage and getting a microphone and speaker set that he said he’d been wanting for trivia nights.
Not much else has changed about the place. The tables dotted around the room are still the same worn hardwood, probably sticky from spilled drinks. And in the large alcove is the pool table where, if you’re new in town, you’ll probably be grifted out of some change.
And then, across the bar like a bee drawn to pollen, I see him.
Grayson.
It’s like being thrown back in time, when we were still kids, and all I ever needed or wanted was my music and him. Walking away from what we had was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’d hoped and prayed he’d follow me, but he never did. And over a decade later, after selling out arenas and having my face plastered across billboards in Times Square, I’m still not sure I made the right decision that night.
As if he can sense me, Gray lifts his head. I feel the heat of his stare as I drown in his deep blue eyes. His hair is short but messy on top, like he didn’t run a comb through it before coming out. He looks the same but older and more rugged, with a dusting of stubble covering his jaw, worn by the land he loves.
Has he found love with someone else?
The question settles in my mind, surging through my chest with emotion. I feel everything all at once. The loss of him from twelve years ago and the regret that settles on my chest in the most painful way.
I should leave.
He turns away, and I pull in a breath, shaking my head as I smooth my hands over the white spaghetti strap sundress I’m wearing. I feel like a fraud in my western boots, as if they can all tell that I don’t belong here. Not anymore.
I’m turning away, ready to leave and hide away at my parents’ for the rest of my stay—however long that is—when a high-pitched squeal stops me in my tracks. It’s loud enough to be heard over the chatter of the busy bar, and I turn, scanning the room.
