Page 49 of Colt

Taking a deep breath, I attempt to get back to work.

CHAPTER 11

Deep Cuts

COLT

My pulse blares inside my head as I stare down Billie and Ryder.

“Together,” I manage. “As in⁠—”

“We’re dating. I wanted—we wanted to tell you sooner, but you’ve been kinda hard to track down these days.” Billie’s voice shakes. “I’m sorry we didn’t have this conversation before, but we wanted you to know because we’re happy, Colton. Really happy. And we’re having a good time together⁠—”

“A great time,” my best friend adds. “Billie—she’s brought out a side of me I thought died when my parents did. Neither of us were expecting this to happen, Colt. But it did, and we hope you can be happy for us.”

The afternoon sun slants into my eyes, making them water. Billie and Ryder cornered me after a baby shower over on Lucky River Ranch. Ryder’s twin brother, Duke, and his girlfriend, Wheeler, are expecting twins in December. So Mollie Luck and some friends hosted a shower for Wheeler. Ryder, Duke, and the rest of the Rivers brothers and I hung out and watched football during the shower. Then we helped load up all the gifts into Duke’s old pickup.

There were a lot—a lot—of gifts.

I’m still on Lucky River Ranch now, standing in the driveway leading up to Mollie’s studio. It’s nearly November, but the heat of the afternoon still seeps through my shirt. When the hell is fall gonna be here?

I try to take an inhale, but my lungs aren’t working. There’s a two-ton weight on my chest that’s crushing me to death. The heaviness spreads through my veins and gathers in my arms and hands, making them tingle.

Shit, am I having a legit heart attack?

Billie and Ryder are together.

My baby sister and my best friend, who’s never, for as long as I’ve known him, treated a girl how Billie deserves to be treated.

He’s never dated anyone, period. He’s just had a never-ending series of hookups. Girls like Ryder. Always have.

I knew Billie had a crush on him too. But I always assumed he’d never cross that line. Not only because that’s something you just don’t do, but also because he knows she’s a romantic at heart. She wants to fall in love. Get married. Have some babies.

He’s never said anything about wanting any of that. In fact, I’m pretty sure that shit scares the living daylights out of him.

Now here they are. Together. Dating.

Judging by the way they hold hands and look deeply into each other’s eyes, they’re well on their way to falling in love.

Everything from Abby’s betrayal comes rushing back—the grief, the anger. The shame.

I noticed something was different with Billie and Ryder, and I kept meaning to ask them about it. But I’ve been so busy taking care of everything and everyone on my own that I didn’t have time to check in on them. I could’ve prevented this, I know. But life keeps getting in the way of me seeing people, socializing with them, outside work and Sunday suppers.

I’m always putting my head down and getting shit done. And now that’s coming back to bite me in the ass for a second time.

How many times do I gotta learn this fucking lesson?

Why can’t I stop being so busy? Working so hard?

This is exactly how I felt when Abby told me she wanted to separate. She’d caught feelings for the man she’d been sleeping with behind my back, and she asked if I would move out of the home we’d shared since we got married.

I was blindsided then. I had no idea she was having an affair. She was a teacher at Hart County High School, and turns out she’d been fucking the football coach for close to six months before she told me.

And now I’m blindsided all over again.

“How long?” I ask.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that I’ve had a crush on Ryder for a while⁠—”