He gestured for her to cut in front of him. “I just hope she can make it to ten o’clock. I’d like to actually enjoy myself tonight.”
“Me too. But if you need me to babysit, I’ll take one for the team.”
Dan made a wry sound. “Pretty sure you’ll have your own drama to deal with.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Oh?”
He gave her a grin very similar to the one he’d had on his parents’ patio last week. Like he knew something no one else did. He leaned in and whispered, “You’re sleeping with my brother.”
Oh God…
“He told you?” she gasped, her heart slamming against her chest wall and making her suddenly lightheaded.
“No.” Dan shook his head. “He doesn’t kiss and tell. But he doesn’t exactly lie either. I guess you could say I caught onto his lies by omission. And you’re not exactly hard to read either. Fortunately for you two, I’m more intuitive than most.”
She swallowed. “I, um—”
He held up a hand. “I don’t need an explanation. Your business is your business.”
Thank God for that. But he’d still brought it up, so…
“I’m more generous than Reed will be, Carissa.”
Ah, yes. A warning. “I know. It’s why we’ve kept this quiet.”
“I get it,” he said, then paused. “Okay, no, I don’t get it, because my brother has never done anything like this before. This is unlike him in a big way.”
No kidding. She debated how much more to tell Dan. And did Josh know that he was onto them? “I like him. A lot.” And like was pretty much an understatement.
“Do you?” Dan chuckled, almost in disbelief. “Same as you liked his best friend?”
Ouch. But she deserved that, didn’t she?
Embarrassed by the decisions she made, Carissa glanced down at the asphalt. “It’s completely different,” she admitted quietly.
“Is it?”
Mustering her courage, because she’d already decided she was done hiding, she met his gaze. “I’m falling in love with him.”
Eyes wide and chin pulled back, Dan, the ever articulate lawyer, appeared at a loss for words. “You’re kidding me.”
“I’ve made mistakes, but your brother isn’t one of them.”
‘Wow.”
“I don’t expect you to understand. And I don’t need you to, because as long as Josh does, nothing else matters.” No longer thirsty, she stepped out of line. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she needed to get out of there, needed to find Josh as soon as possible, because there was no way she was going to waste another minute without him knowing what he meant to her.
“Carissa.” Dan snagged her arm to halt her escape, and the older man behind him in line wasted no time sliding up to take his place when he abandoned his position. He opened his mouth, hesitated, then tried again. “Listen, I don’t want either of you to get hurt because of this, okay?”
“If I can help it, neither of us will.”
He let go of her arm, scrubbed a hand over his face and cursed under his breath. “I wasn’t going to say anything, because I didn’t want to get involved, but I think Reed’s onto you. Or if he isn’t, he’s close to figuring it out.”
Panic washed over her. “Does Josh know?”
“I think so. I didn’t hear their conversation, but something happened on the field today. It looked tense.”
Shit. “Is he here yet?”
“Not that I’ve seen. But if he is, he’ll be at the horseshoe pits.”
She nodded, emotion suddenly thick in her throat, because if Reed was onto them, then Josh was likely at a crossroads, torn between his friend and her. She needed to tell him how she felt and she needed to do it ASAP.
"You really do care about him, don't you?"
“So much it hurts.”
***
What the hell are you doing here, man?
Josh’s mind was everywhere but on the game of horseshoes in front of him. Carissa, the vandalism, his near fisticuffs with Fletcher, Carissa…
Shit.
If Mark hadn’t come up with the grand idea that he go about his business as if the vandalism hadn’t occurred, hoping to piss off the perp and provoke a sloppy error that would get the bastard busted, Josh wouldn’t have even considered attending the street dance. After the altercation with Fletcher, putting on a happy face was the last thing he wanted to do. There wasn’t a damn thing in his life to be happy about right now and shit was only gonna get worse before it got better. If it ever got better.
Fact of the matter was, he needed to end the things with Carissa and he had no idea how to do it. Shit between them wasn’t supposed to get complicated, serious, or emotional. It was supposed to be fun and casual and easy to walk away from when it had run its course or if anyone became suspicious.
Given this afternoon’s confrontation, it was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose. And he didn’t want Carissa caught in the crossfire when it did.
He’d done enough to hurt her, albeit unintentionally, and though she might not realize it now, she was definitely better off without an asshole like him. Much as he’d wanted to leave the field earlier and go straight to her, to pull her close and promise to protect her from the drama, he realized today that he would never be able to live down or forgive himself for the position he put her in.
The saddest part was that he could have probably prevented this from happening if he’d been honest from the start. With himself. With her. With his best friend. It chapped his ass that, for all his life he’d prided himself on always being honest and forthcoming, but when it mattered the most, he’d gone and fucking blown it.
And now Carissa would pay the price with him. And she deserved better than the fallout that was to come. All he could hope for was that their friends would put the majority of the blame on him and not her, because none of this would have happened, including her involvement with Fletcher, if he’d manned up from the start.
He knew he’d see her tonight and he dreaded it more than he had the news of his back to back deployments. He’d been trained to go to war, but he’d never had to intentionally hurt the woman he loved.
Mostly because he’d never been in love before.
“Your throw.” Tony’s voice broke Josh’s trance.
He tossed back a swallow of his beer before gathering the horseshoes and taking his first shot. He missed the stake by at least a foot. The second, however, spun around the peg, metal on metal, a perfect ring settling comfortably in the sand.
“Nice shot,” came a feminine voice from behind him. And just the sound of that soft, sweet tone had his temperature rising and his blood pumping. He took his time acknowledging her and when he finally did, he wished he hadn’t.
She was absolutely breathtaking.
Her hair fell in loose curls around shoulders left bare by a strapless, pale pink dress—a color that was quickly becoming his favorite—and her face was flushed with a natural glow that didn't need a stitch of additional makeup. He loved that she was confident enough in herself to embrace her God-given beauty and she was all the more stunning for it. She also wore tall shoes that seemed to put her at a perfect height for kissing—not that he'd find out—and every man within twenty feet appeared to be just as captivated by her as he was. It took a concerted effort not to sling his arm around her and make sure every single one of them knew she was taken.
Except she wasn’t taken. And, much as it killed him, this was as good a time as any to start letting her go.
Swallowing down a hefty gulp of resistance, he simply lifted his chin to greet her and stepped away from the pit so Tony could take his turn.
He didn’t miss the flash of surprise, disappointment even, in her eyes. Dammit, he didn’t want to do this.
“How was football?” she asked, coming to stand beside him, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her sneaking a casual look around at the crowd. Didn’t take a genius to figure out what—or who—she wa
s watching for.
“Hot,” he replied, then took a pull from his beer.
She nodded and he could feel her radiating tension, even though she stood a couple feet away. “You look nice. Handsome," she said quietly and he glanced down at his dark-washed jeans and short-sleeved, plaid button-down, realizing, pathetically, that he'd apparently made a subconscious effort to look good for her. Complete with a splash of aftershave. All of this after having decided they needed to break it off. What is wrong with you, man?
"Uh, thanks."
"Have you seen Reed?"
He ground his jaw and gave his head a brief shake. “Not here.”
“Josh, I heard—”
“Look, I really don’t want to do this right now, okay?” There were too many people and, frankly, he wasn’t even sure what to say at this point.
“I’m scared,” she said quietly and he could relate to the statement so damn much, he almost laughed out loud. “I need to know we’re okay.”
Ah, baby girl. She knew it was coming, didn’t she? And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to make it easier. He felt like he’d been hit in the chest with the claw side of a hammer, his heart being ripped from his body.
To make matters worse, Fletcher’s sudden appearance in front of them was like a handful of salt to the wound.
Josh wanted to pounce, to roar, to take out all of his frustration and self-loathing on his friend. But the cause of this mess wasn't really Fletcher’s fault either. He'd been just another innocent bystander, caught in the mess that was Josh's stupidity.
“Good God,” his friend said, his smug grin honing in on Carissa and generously looking her up and down. “You are, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman here tonight, angel.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, blatantly disregarding the warning he'd been given earlier. “And you smell good too." He stuck his nose in her hair and made an appreciative sound. “Save me a dance later?”
The rage boiling up from his gut delayed Josh’s recognition that Tony had stepped forward too, clearing his throat.
“Not until I’ve had mine,” his foreman said, his facial expression hard and unyielding as he leveled with Fletcher. It was a move that took Josh, and seemingly Carissa, by surprise. She stood there looking between Fletcher and Tony, clearly not sure what to make of the pissing match that had ensued. Josh should have said something, should have intervened, cleared the air and relinquished Tony from whatever the hell it was he was trying to do. But he didn’t. Because he was apparently a bigger pussy than even he had realized.
“Let’s grab a drink,” Tony said to Carissa, his hand pressed against the small of her back, guiding her away from Fletcher’s clutches. She went willingly and, though Josh knew Tony was either trying to play interference for him or was simply trying to get Carissa away from any drama that might arise between him and Fletcher, he hated seeing her walk away with another man.
Might as well get used to it, he told himself, because one of these days it’s gonna be for real.
***
Carissa let Tony walk her back over to the bar, where she exhaled heavily, not even aware that she’d been holding her breath.
The tension between Josh and Reed was obvious, and Josh had been ready to burst from his skin. Not himself at all—not that she’d expected him to be. She’d put him in the awful position of potentially losing his oldest friend, because she hadn’t listened to her heart.
She needed time alone with him. Needed him to know that she would do whatever she had to do to fix this. She’d even break the news to Reed. She was the one, after all, who’d involved him in the first place. Far as she was concerned, it was her responsibility to make this right.
But she didn’t want to do any of that until she told Josh how she felt about him. Which meant she needed to talk to him ASAP. Before everything went to hell.
“You okay?” Tony asked, his hand sliding from her back to her arm.
She shook her head. “No, but thank you for this.”
“He cares about you.”
I know. But I feel like everything’s about to fall apart.”
Tony’s fingers squeezed around her wrist. “Let the dust settle. Give him some time.”
“We’ve lost too much time already,” she muttered. Three years of precious, wasted time.
He nodded. “I know. But trust me on this, okay? I’ll do what I can to help.”
“Why would you want to? In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever given you a proper apology.”
Tony shook his head, his eyes cast to the asphalt. “No, I’m the one who should apologize. Listen, Car, I know you’ve got a lot on your mind right now, but I need a woman’s opinion on something. Maybe we can help each other tonight?”
Curious, she quirked an eyebrow. “I’d welcome the distraction.”
“Great. Let’s get that drink and I’ll tell you everything.”
An hour later, Carissa blinked at the picture on Tony’s cell phone, shocked. “Oh my God, she’s beautiful.”
“Her name’s Brianna. She’s two months old today.”
She glanced up from the adorable, dark haired baby girl to the man sitting beside her at the picnic table. “She looks just like you.”
Tony’s eyes swam with emotion. “She does, doesn’t she? Probably could have done without the paternity test, but unfortunately the legal system doesn’t work that way. Didn’t help that Shannon and I weren’t together anymore. Or that I was clueless about her pregnancy.”
“Have you talked to Dan at all? Maybe he has some pointers?”
“No, I have an attorney, and from what he’s told me, the judge in Adams County is pro fathers’ rights. He also convicted Shannon of her four DUIs, so I’m not expecting there’ll be much debate.”
“You think you’re ready to be a fulltime dad?” Carissa’s belly stirred with warm adoration. Tony was the first in their social circle to become a parent. She’d always known she wanted children, but the prospect always seemed so far off in the future. Now, it was right in front of her and it surprised her how comfortable she felt with it.
Tony nodded. “I have to be. My little girl needs a dad. Hell, she just needs a parent right now.”
“When do you go to court again?”
“The final paternity hearing is next week, but I talked to Shannon’s mom yesterday and she invited me to come over and visit. She said she wants Brianna to get to know me so when I get custody, it’s less traumatic and I’m more prepared.”
“She’s not upset that you’d be taking her granddaughter away?”
“She was diagnosed with breast cancer the day Shannon went to jail. Neither of them will be able to provide the care Brianna needs and she seems to have accepted that. Shannon, on the other hand…”
“She should have thought about that before she got behind the wheel of her car, completely wasted. She’s lucky she didn’t kill someone.” The last words burned in Carissa’s throat. “She’ll get no sympathy from me. Ever.”
Tony nodded, then slid his arm around Carissa’s shoulders, giving her a friendly, understanding squeeze. “So you’ll go shopping with me then? All I know is I need diapers and formula and lots of pink clothes.”
Laughing, Carissa shoved him away. “You’re definitely gonna need all the help you can get.”
“I know!” he chuckled. “God, this is so crazy. Me, a dad. Josh gave me a lot of shit when I first got the paternity summons, but you should have heard him the other day when I got the results. I think he even referred to himself as Uncle Josh.”
The smile faded from her face and Carissa glanced down to the table, so many thoughts going through her head, making her dizzy. What was Josh doing right now? Was he even at the dance anymore?
“Hey, you owe me a dance.” Tony prodded her in the side.
Carissa shot him a sidelong glance. “I owe you?”
“Just play along, huh?” He angled up and off the picnic table, pulling her to her feet as well. The band began to play an upbeat co
untry tune and he waggled his eyebrows.
“A fast song? You can’t be from around here,” she teased, a small smile returning to her lips.
“I’m high on life right now. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Standing in the shadows alongside the dance area, Josh watched as Tony tugged at Carissa’s hand and dragged her out on the floor for yet another twirl around the asphalt. This time it was a slow one and it was a song that made him think of her every time he heard it.
He hadn’t wanted to draw any attention to them tonight and he knew their time was still limited, but he couldn’t stand being apart from her any longer.
Dumping his beer into the trash, he pushed through the couples pairing up to dance and tapped Tony on the shoulder. “I’ll take my girl back now.”
He heard Carissa’s quick intake of breath, as Tony looked over his shoulder, gave him a crooked grin and stepped aside without a word. For a long moment, he and Carissa stood there, staring at each other, seemingly at a crossroads with whether or not they should actually take such a risk in front the entire town.
Her eyes went damp with emotion and, her bottom lip trembling, she came to him, her arms sliding around his waist, her face buried in his chest. Her hands fisted in his shirt when he folded his arms around her shoulders and held her closer than was probably platonic.
“Come on, babe, not like this. Not here,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“He knows, doesn’t he?”
He hesitated before answering. “Probably.”
“God,” she groaned and gave a muffled sob into his shirt. But the reaction lasted only a minute before she pulled in a deep breath, sniffed back her tears, and looked up at him, determination replacing defeat. “I’m going to talk to him.”
“What? No. No, you’re not.” He set his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “You leave that to me.”
The clearing of a throat nearby caught his attention and when he glanced up and saw Mark giving him a dirty look over both Carissa’s shoulder and that of Ally, the sheriff’s on again off again fling, he was reminded that the dance floor was not the place for such a conversation.
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