Anger floods my body. The last fucking thing I need is all of these guys seeing Ashely on my lap. Destiny will hear about this for sure. I can only hope she believes me this time. “Ashely, get off of me,” I say, softly enough that only she can hear. But she ignores me, choosing instead to keep talking with the guys.
I ask again, only to be ignored again. Finally, I reach behind my neck and unclasp her hands. I gently push her off of me and she looks down at me, surprised. I stand up and walk forward a few steps, making her step back. When I’m good and close to her, her eyes go wide with fear. She doesn’t know if I’m going to yell at her or pull her against me.
“Don’t try pulling that shit again, you hear me? I’m with Destiny and you know it. I don’t want anyone but her, and I don’t need all the drama that comes along with you. What we had was great at the time, but that time is over. I couldn’t care less if I never see you again. Now, run along and find some other guy to trap, because it won’t be me. Understand?” I level my eyes on her and she nods her head, lips parted, eyes wide.
I turn and walk away, back to my table.
The rest of the night is a drunken blur. I don’t remember what happens or how I get home. All I know is that when I wake in the morning, my head is pounding, my ears are ringing, and my stomach feels like it’s doing somersaults. I groan and roll to my side to sit up. The fast action makes me feel dizzy, and I have to steady myself with one hand on each side of my body. When I get up, it feels like my head is traveling faster than my feet—like my head weighs more than my entire body and it’s falling out ahead of me instead of being able to remain upright.
I hold my hand out in front of me to keep from bashing my head into anything as I move toward the bathroom. After emptying my stomach of any remaining alcohol, I crawl into the shower and sit on the floor until all the hot water is gone. I wrap a towel around my waist and fall back onto my bed. I turn my head to the side, looking for my cell phone, but it’s not on the bedside table like usual. I probably left it in my pocket. With a groan, I force myself to grab my pants off the floor, but the pockets are empty.
Fuck. I must have left it in the car. I decide I need to get up, put some clothes on, and go in search of my phone. I’m sure Destiny will be calling soon about the stables. My head is still pounding as I walk downstairs, but stepping out into the sunshine makes me cover my eyes in pain. I somehow manage to find my way to the car, despite the bright sun and my pounding head. I climb in and look at the floorboards, the middle console, and the back seat. However, I come up empty-handed.
Giving up, I head back to the bar. The place is dark when I walk in, but then my eyes adjust and I’m able to make out the bar.
“Hey, did I leave my phone here last night?”
The bartender looks up and gives me a disapproving look, but reaches for something under the bar and slides over my phone.
“Thanks,” I say, taking the phone. I press the button for the home screen to make sure it’s mine. “What the hell happened last night?”
“Seriously?” she asks, giving me a dirty look.
“I don’t remember anything. How’d I get home?”
She shrugs. “You left with your buddy and some girl.”
“My buddy?”
“The birthday boy,” she clarifies, seemingly annoyed.
“Oh, Mark? Who was the girl?”
“That blonde girl. The annoying one who kept getting drinks bought for her all night.”
Fuck. I hope she isn’t talking about Ashely. “Okay, thanks.” I turn and head for my car, phone in my hand, dialing Mark’s number.
“Hey, man,” he answers, sleep in his voice.
“What the fuck happened last night? How’d I get home?”
He laughs. “What, you don’t remember?”
“Would I be asking you if I did?”
“That’s when you know you had a good time. Thanks for celebrating with me, buddy. We need to do it again sometime.”
“Mark, how the hell did I get home?” I ask again.
“Ashely drove your car and I followed along behind her in mine. We got you home, got you in bed, and left.”
“You seriously left her alone in the car with me?”
He laughs. “You had a good time.”
“What does that mean?”
“Hey, I gotta go.” Without another word, he hangs up.
Annoyed and pissed off, I turn the key in the ignition and head toward Destiny’s. On the drive over, I try to piece together my night. I should’ve fucking known better than to go out with Mark on my own. Hell, I still get sick just thinking about all the drinking we did on prom night. Might as well file last night alongside it.
I remember telling Ashely to fuck off. I remember playing some pool and darts. I remember drinking a whole lot and talking to some guys we went to school with. I wish I could remember the ride home. What was said? Did she try anything? I know I wouldn’t have let anything happen between us, but I still wish I could remember.
As I’m approaching Destiny’s parents’ front door, it opens and she steps out, handing over a cup of coffee. I take it and sit on the porch swing. “Thank you,” I say, tipping the cup back and taking a sip.
“How’d it go last night? You look a little rough.”
“It was fine,” I reply. “The bar had more people than I’ve ever seen. Mark invited our whole graduating class.”
“Really? Wow.” She pulls her eyes away from mine and looks out into the distance. “So that means Ashely was there.”
I nod. “Yeah, she was.”
“Anything happen?”
I take her hand in mine and lock my eyes on hers. “She tried her usual tricks, but I pushed her away and swore my love to you,” I say around a smile.
She giggles and rolls her eyes. “So no need to kick her ass then? Damn, I was really looking forward to it,” she jokes.
I laugh and it makes my head hurt. “You’ve never been in a fight in your life.”
She smacks my shoulder. “So what? I’d beat her up for messing with my man.” She leans forward, claiming my mouth with hers. Her tongue dances with my own and I can’t do anything but breathe in her sweet scent. It makes all the pain I’m feeling fall away as a soothing warmth settles over me.
I pull away. “I know I’m supposed to muck the stalls, but can we just cuddle up and take a nap instead?”
She laughs but stands up and leads me to the bed up in the barn. I snuggle up behind her and wrap my arms around her, holding her close. I’m asleep in minutes.
Eighteen
Destiny
ONE MONTH LATER
* * *
It feels like I haven’t left my parents’ house in a month. I’ve kept myself busy with housework, helping Mama take care of Daddy, and helping Daddy with his physical therapy. He’s gotten much better—he can stand for a longer period of time and is finally able to move around the house with ease to do some day-to-day activities without help. He can now get up and shower on his own. If he wants a snack, he can get it for himself. And he’s even started going outside to walk around and check on his horse.
Mama went through with the horse sale, so the barn is mostly cleaned up. The only horse left is Daddy’s. She couldn’t bear to sell him. She’s laid off most of the workers that Daddy employed and sold off all the cattle. This is no longer a working farm; it’s just our family home and property. And I quit my cleaning job after Daddy’s health scare, needing to be more available for my parents.
Wyatt and I are still together and happy. He goes above and beyond—not only for me, but for my whole family. He makes grocery store runs for us, and does anything my Mama asks. He mows the lawn, and spends a lot of time with my dad, just sitting on the porch and talking. The more I see him around my father, the more I know I want to marry Wyatt and spend the rest of my life with him. He never pushes me to do anything I don’t want to do, like going out with our old friends. He understands my need to be home, and he goes out of his way to se
e me when he knows I can’t come to him.
Now that Daddy is healthier than ever, I’ve agreed to a night on the town. After dinner, I clean up then go for a shower. I take extra time, needing to relax from all the yard work I’ve been doing to make sure Mama’s garden is tended. When I get out, I curl my hair and fix my face before pulling on a pair of jeans and a tank top. As I’m walking down the stairs, I hear Wyatt pulling into the drive.
“Is there anything you need before I go?” I ask Mama, who’s standing at the kitchen sink and gazing out the window. She nearly jumps from my voice. Her hand flies to her chest. “You scared the ever-loving shit out of me!”
I laugh at her response. “What are you looking at so hard out there?” I ask, moving to look out the window.
“I’m just keeping an eye on your dad. You know how he is. He wants his freedom back, but I’m just terrified he’ll suddenly stroke out.”
I look out the window to see Daddy sitting on an old tree stump. His elbows are resting on his knees and he’s gazing out across the field, watching his horse graze.
“He sure does love that horse,” I say, watching as Wyatt walks up to Daddy and squats down.
“He sure does,” Mama agrees. “Did you know Wyatt was coming?” she asks.
I nod. “Yeah, we’re going out. That is, if you think you can handle things around here for a little while.”
She laughs. “Of course I can. You’ve wasted enough of your time around here. Go out and have some fun.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.
The back door opens and Wyatt and Daddy come walking in. Daddy takes off his hat and hangs it by the door, then moves into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He sits at the table, looking between Wyatt and me with a crooked smile in place.
“What are you smiling at?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Nothing,” he answers.
“You look like you’ve just been told a secret. Care to share it with the class?” I tease him.
“No, you go on and get out of here.” He shoos me away.
I laugh but grab my purse and Wyatt’s hand, dragging him toward the door.
The gravel crunches under our boots as we head for his car. “What was Daddy so happy about?” I ask, spinning around to face him.
He steps up in front of me, pressing my back to the car. “Don’t you worry about it,” he says, pressing his lips against mine. I grab his shirt, holding him to me as he kisses me softly.
“Let’s go,” he says, pulling away and opening my door.
“Where are we going?” I ask as he swings it closed and comes to join me.
“It’s a surprise.” He starts the car and shifts into gear.
“What? You know I hate surprises, Wyatt. Just tell me,” I beg.
He laughs and shake his head, not giving in.
I decide to be annoying, so instead of just sitting and waiting to see, I guess place after place. “Are we going to the diner?”
“Nope.”
“The bar?”
“Nope.”
“Is Mark having another party?”
He shrugs. “Probably, but no.”
I laugh. “Are we leaving town?”
He hits the brakes at a stop sign and turns to look at me. “I’m not going to tell you, even if you get it right. So shut up and let me surprise you.”
I stick my tongue out at him but direct my eyes to the windshield. As we drive, I play the same game, but with myself. This is a small town. There aren’t many places we can go. When he pulls into the motel, I smile and look over at him.
He shuts off the car. “I got us a room. The same room we had all those years ago. Is that okay?”
I smile at him sweetly. “Of course it is.”
When he opens the door to the motel room, it’s exactly as I remember it. There’s a full-size bed in the center, and a long dresser in front of it that holds a TV. There are two end tables and a dining table in front of the window. The dining table has two candles in the center and it’s set for a meal with a chilled bottle of wine.
“You arranged all of this?” I ask, turning to face him.
“It was nothing,” he says, pulling out a chair for me.
I take a seat and he lights the candles, then goes about pouring the wine. In the soft candlelight, my heart starts to hammer away. It’s like the first time we were here. I feel 16 again, and nerves consume me.
“I wanted to recreate our date, but then I remembered you wanted to skip the dinner I’d planned. So instead of bribing the groundskeeper at the high school football stadium, I thought we could have dinner here.”
I giggle when he reminds me of how I insisted we skip dinner. It was years and years ago, but even then, all I could think about was him. I just wanted to be with him. I wasn’t worried about food or drinking or anything. Just him.
He lifts the lids on our plates and before me sits a big plate full of appetizers. I’ve been known to order appetizers as a meal. I laugh as I pick up a loaded potato slice. “This is amazing!”
“I figured you’d like it.”
“What’s the special occasion?” I ask, stuffing the food in my mouth.
He shrugs. “You getting out of the house. This last month, I feel like we haven’t gotten to leave the farm at all.”
“Because we haven’t. What’s been going on out here in the world?” I jokingly ask.
He offers me a smile. “Well, Mark got arrested when he drove over his neighbor’s mailbox with the lawnmower.”
I laugh. “How did he manage that?”
“He was drinking and mowing his lawn. I don’t know what happened from there.”
“I didn’t realize you could get in trouble for drinking on a lawnmower.”
“Oh yeah. And it probably didn’t help that he argued with his neighbor about his involvement in the mailbox destruction.”
“Who did he say did it?”
“You know Mark. He swore up and down a group of kids came down the road with a baseball bat. But the owner saw Mark do it. They got into a fight and the police were called.”
I shake my head. “It’s scary to think he has a son out there. Do you think he’ll grow up to be like Mark or Julie?”
Wyatt laughs. “Hopefully Julie, if he knows what’s good for him.”
“What else? How about work?”
“Work’s fine. Same old. But I’ve been hanging out with Drake a lot, and there’s another family cookout coming up if you want to come with. You can be my plus-one.”
“Of course I’ll go. I haven’t seen any of your brothers in a long time! How are they doing?”
“Most of them are married with kids now. Hudson is in the army though.”
“It’s so crazy that all these people we grew up with are all adults now and married with kids. I feel like I’m still 18.”
He offers me a smile. “Well, tonight you’re 16 and so am I.” He picks up his wine glass and I clink mine off of it.
“To us,” I say, taking a sip.
We sit and eat our dinner. When we’re done, I start to clean up, but he catches my wrist and pulls me to the bed. His lips find mine. They move softly and slowly.
“I love you, Destiny,” he whispers against them.
“I love you too,” I reply, lacing my fingers into his hair and pulling his mouth back to mine. He kisses me for a moment longer, then pulls away completely. I sit up, surprised to find him down on one knee before me.
“A long time ago, I made you a promise. I said that one day I would replace that promise ring with an engagement ring. Do you remember that?”
I smile as tears form in my eyes. “Of course.”
“Well, I never got the chance to do that. I bought an engagement ring and I had this big plan to give it to you on graduation day, but unfortunately, we didn’t make it. This ring has been sitting in my dresser drawer all this time.” He pulls a box out of his pocket but doesn’t open it. “Now, at the time, I was an 18-year-old
kid who saved all the money I made mowing lawns that year. As you can imagine, it wasn’t a lot of cash. But I bought this ring because it was all I could afford. A week ago, I pulled it out and studied it. I took it to a local jewelry store and had the diamond replaced. I thought it was that much more special now. The ring is old, just like our love. But the diamond is new, just like us getting back together after all this time.” He opens the box and the diamond catches the light. Even though it’s dim in the room, the diamond sparkles beautifully.
“Destiny, will you do me the honor of finally wearing this ring? I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. I love you more than I could ever express. Will you please . . . marry me?”
I’m breathless and at a loss for words, but I nod my head as tears fall from my eyes, running down my cheeks. I hold out my hand and he pulls off the old promise ring, replacing it with the new engagement ring.
I tilt my hand from side to side, watching as the big princess-cut diamond catches the light and glitters. I can’t hold back my smile when I think of the promise of this ring. He takes the old ring and slides it onto my right hand while I’m still admiring the new ring on my left. When I think about it, it’s not really that different from the old ring. The ring on my right hand meant that he promised to propose one day. This new ring on my left hand means that he promises to marry me one day.
“What are you thinking about?” he whispers as he watches me from his place on the floor.
“It feels like we’ve come full circle, doesn’t it?”
“What do you mean?” His brows draw together with the question.
“It’s just that, we were here when you gave me the promise ring. And now, we’re here again, and you’re presenting me with a new promise ring.” I offer up a smile. “A ring I was supposed to get years ago. A ring that’s old, but at the same time, new.”
His hand moves up to cup my cheek. “A lot is the same, but this time, we’re finishing what we started. There will be no breaking up or running away. This time, I will marry you. I will make you mine.” His mouth presses to mine gently as his hands pull me closer. As we kiss, he gets off of his knees and lays me back on the bed. He settles between my thighs, pressing right where I need him the most.
The Slade Brothers: A Complete Small Town Contemporary Romance Collection Page 70