“It may be too late pal,” Carson commented solemnly.
Rob refused to believe that.“I hurt her, there’s no doubt about that, but I think with time and persistence, I can win her back.”
“You should be trying to win her friends first,” Jack remarked more to himself but spoke it out loud.“What?”he asked when everyone was staring at him.
“What do you mean her friends?”Rob inquired, afraid to sound too hopeful.
“I’m sure June has talked smack about you to her friends, and they are going to be loyal and take her side, but if you can convince them you’re not a bad guy and you do feel bad, then maybe they could talk you up to June so she might consider giving you another chance.”
It wasn’t a horrible idea.“But if they know what I did, they probably won’t talk to me.”
“Oh, they’ll talk.”Jack chuckled evilly, which did not inspire Rob’s confidence.“But if you want to get to June, you’ll have to go through what I call the gauntlet—aka her friends.If you can pass through them, you’ll be safe.”
But how would he get to her friends?They didn’t work at the same place.Then he remembered.“There’s a bar they all go to every Friday night.”
“There’s your window then.You go up to them.The girls with block you from getting to June and let you have it, and then you lay it all on the line to them.”
“What?Tell them what we do too?”He wasn’t going to tell these women what he did in a bar full of strangers.
“No,” Jack venomously denied.“Tell them you love June and you’re really sorry, blah, blah, blah all that heartfelt shit.”Jack waved his hand in the air dismissively.
Tell them you love June.
Rob had never been in love.He didn’t even know what it was.He knew the love of his family, but that was different.Love June?He cared, sure.Enjoyed being with her, but love?
“You do love her, don’t you?”Jack asked, sensing Rob’s inner turmoil.
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
Luke spoke up.“Do you enjoy being with her?”
“Yes,” he answered easily.
“Think about her first thing when you wake up and the last thing before you fall asleep?”Greg asked.
“Yes.”He’d had to shut down his brain more than once on the mission because he kept thinking about her.Not just morning and night, but throughout the day.
“Can’t imagine a day without her in it?”Luke and Greg alternated questioning Rob.If anyone knew what love was, it would be these two.Rob answered yes to all of them.The more he thought about each question, the answer was right there.
“I love June.”He chuckled.
“Duh,” Jack grinned ear to ear, “Now you just have to convince her friends and then her.I can’t wait to be there for it.”Jack rubbed his hands together looking giddy.
What?“You’re not going to be there.”He didn’t want anyone to be a witness to him groveling to June’s friends.He’d never live it down.What if it still didn’t work in getting June back?The guys would tease him about it until he died.Hell no.He was going solo for this mission.
“Hell if I’m not.I want front row seats to watch this MMA fight.”Jack clapped his hands and rubbed them together gleefully.
“I second this.”Drew raised his hand.Everyone else joined in.
Rob wasn’t excited about witnesses to what was going to happen, but there was no way to get out of it now.Maybe if things went sideways, someone would buy him a beer.
Chapter 34
“What about that one?”Casey pointed to a guy walking past their table with her beer bottle.
June didn’t even look at the man in question.“No thanks.”She didn’t want another guy to replace Rob.For now, she didn’t even want to think about men.Men were a complication she didn’t need in her life.
“You’ve turned down every guy I’ve pointed out.You have to get back on the band wagon at some point.”
