Page 79 of Small Town Boy

That also means doing the big scary thing and telling them everything.

“Today is about Kenzie and her wedding,” I deflect.

“Today is about cake and time with my girls,” she corrects me. “And right about now, it seems like you could use a little love and support. While we eat cake, of course.”

“You sure? You might want to run me out of town after I tell you.” I laugh, trying to conceal my nerves. But it doesn’t work.

Reaching over, Willa places her hand on mine, giving it a squeeze. It’s a comfort I didn’t realize I needed, my body relaxing. “I’m very good at keeping secrets. I promise.”

“Willa’s maybe a little too good,” Sylvie says pointedly.

I chuckle, then let out another long-exaggerated sigh. It’s now or never.

Here goes…

I launch into my story, starting at the very beginning, just as I did with Noel. Only difference is, these ladies get it. From the second I say Marie’s name, Willa is breathing fire. I could probably not tell the rest of this story and Willa would already be raring to start a witch hunt, Kenzie and Sylvie right behind her. By the time I get to the part about the presentation, my own anger is flowing too. So much so, Kenzie reaches over and removes the fork from my waving hands. Safety first after all.

My tears start earlier than expected though, and I don’t bother fighting them. They flow freely down my cheeks, each one a cathartic release I didn’t know I needed.

“Holy hell,” Willa says when I finally finish my story. “Is this twatwaffle still with Coffman Witte?”

“She is.”

“Make sure to send me her name on Monday so HR can blacklist her ass. I don’t want her anywhere near Hayes.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys during the interview. I should have been honest, but⁠—”

“Pssshhh!” Willa waves me off. “You can tell my dad and brother in your own time; they won’t care. We know we got the rock star, and that’s what matters.”

Willa’s compliment sparks a whole new round of tears. Her acceptance—all of their acceptance—of my story and me is a huge weight lifted. I really should have done this sooner.

Sniffling, I grab a napkin, wiping my face so I’m not a snotty, blotchy mess. “Sorry, didn’t mean to completely unload. And that was probably more information than you wanted, and probably doesn’t seem at all related to your original question about me and Noel. But, I promise it is. Because all of that is the reason I’m even here in Hickory Hills. Ever since all that, I’ve been really unsure about who I could trust.”

“We get it,” Sylvie says. “And none of us blame you. Does Noel know?”

“He does. It feels like we’ve shared everything about ourselves with each other. He’s a really good listener.” I pause, the rest of what I want to say right on the tip of my tongue. “I really like him. Like, really, really like him. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about anyone, ever.”

A collective awwww resounds, bouncing through the empty café. My heart feels light, my stomach doing flip-flops as I sit here and think about Noel.

“He gives you the clitterflies…” Kenzie sing-songs, taking a big bite of cake. “And you crank his tractor.”

“He absolutely gives me the clitterflies,” I admit, thinking about that fluttery feeling I get whenever I think about him. I’d never heard the term until Kenzie used it the other night, but it’s the perfect description for what I feel when Noel kisses me. “But what if all I do is crank his tractor, and there isn’t anything more?”

“You’re invited to dinner,” Willa points out. “It’s more.”

“Neither of the twins has ever invited a woman home,” Sylvie adds. “Actually, now that I think about it, we three might be the only females to have ever attended such an event.”

“Why would you think otherwise?”

Willa asks the question like she can’t fathom a reason. It’s hard to articulate, even after everything I just word vomited at the ladies. Nonetheless, the feeling of inadequacy persists.

“What if we’re too different? Like I’m some novelty that will wear off. Everything about me that’s fun and exotic and interesting right now might turn into a ‘how did I ever think this could work?’”

“Bronwyn, take it from me—he knows his own mind. If he says he’s interested, it’s in all of you. Not just because he finds you being a little different, exotic or something,” Sylvie says. “Look, Camden is quite possibly the greatest man to ever walk this earth⁠—”

“Ahem!” Kenzie cuts her off.

“Yeah, Dustin comes in behind Camden. You can disagree, but this is my ranking here,” she sasses back. I bite back a chuckle, not wanting to interrupt. “Greatest man ever. I don’t deserve him—not even close. But for some reason, he thinks I hung the moon, so I’m taking it and running. However, there was a moment there where I didn’t believe him⁠—”