“Maybe you and Cam could . . .”
“No.” I hold up one hand to hopefully stop the trajectory of that sentence. “He’s married. Married, Sarah. He’s moved on.”
She shrugs. “Marriage isn’t always permanent. You can’t tell me he really loves his fancy husband all that much. I mean, he’sfrom the city.” She makes a fake gagging noise, and damn it, I laugh. I can’t help it.
“Really? You love love, and you love marriage, and now you’re like, well, maybe those two won’t get their happily ever after?”
She just shrugs. “I don’t trust that hoity-toity city boy.”
I snort. Cam was on Oakley’s Crew. We met right after high school when we both joined the crew and had an instant connection. We were inseparable, but we fought. A lot. We were young and stupid.
Hot-headed.
And it became too much. We broke up and got back together over and over. It was toxic as fuck. And during one of our breaks, Cameron met Michael, who had a huge fancy house but wanted a pool put in.
The rest is history.
As are we.
“Cameron does,” I say, my heart aching, thinking about his post I saw this morning. Michael and him, sitting in their living room with a huge tree all decorated with their dogs. All of them in matching sweaters.
It’s so not him.
He’s as country as they come.
Who is he trying to impress?
“Hey.” I look over at Sarah, realizing I’ve zoned out a little. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
I know she feels guilty, and I can’t have that. “It’s okay. I know your nosiness just means you care,” I tease.
She shoves me playfully, but I pull her into a hug and kiss the top of her head. “I just love you, you jackass. I don’t want you to be lonely.”
“I’m really not. I’m happy. I’m happy for Missy and you, and I cannot wait to meet this kid.”
She’s beaming now, looking over at the love of her life, who’s talking to Oakley and Travis about baby names, I suspect. Oakley is, of course, pushing for the name Oakley. I grin and turn back to Sarah. “I can’t wait to meet them either. I guess that’s why I want to see you settled.”
I laugh but not cruelly. “It’s hilarious you think if I’m with someone, you won’t worry anymore.”
“Shut up.” She chuckles, and I squeeze her a little tighter in a side hug. I know she worries. She always has. It’s been like that since we were kids.
Our parents were fine but always working and usually working opposite shifts, so we mostly just saw one at a time, and they were exhausted when we did get to see them. Sarah was my rock. She was the one who made sure I woke up on time and got to school. She was the one making sure I had a hot meal here and there.
But she can’t fix this for me.
No one can.
10
THATCHER
I’m late.
Like really, really late. Why am I even here?
My thoughts nearly overwhelm me as I cling to the bottle of wine I’m holding against my chest.
I’m sure they’ve already assumed by now that I’m not going to show up. I already have a great excuse—Thatcher Langley, the permanently sad widower. Grumpy-as-hell, cold-as-ice, doesn’t-want-any-friends Thatcher Langley.
