by Diana Gardin
“You don’t have to wait with her,” Sam said.
His annoyance with his brother and Ever was growing, and he still couldn’t understand what was causing it. Why did it seem like they were the two who had bonded for years while he watched from the sidelines? “I’m here.”
Ever conceded. “Fine. One drink.” She took off toward the door to Sunny’s, her boots crunching in the gravel as she stomped.
They entered and Sam led them toward the table on the deck where his friends waited. Ever groaned when she noticed the location of the table, but Hunter squeezed her shoulder and she didn’t complain aloud.
“Guys,” Sam announced. “This is my girl, Ever. And my brother, Hunter.”
Greetings went up around the table, and Sam grinned as he saw Tamara’s watchful eyes scoping out Ever.
When everyone was settled, Ever on one side of Sam and Hunter on the other side of Ever, Sam went up to the bar to get their drinks. He held up one finger to the now-familiar bartender to indicate his Michelob and asked for two Bud Lights for Hunter and Ever.
“She’s gorgeous,” said Aston from beside him as she leaned her back against the bar and crossed her arms.
Sam glanced over at her and ran a hand over his short dark hair. “Yeah, she is”
“You doing okay? You seem tense.”
He watched her study him, and the familiar pang hammered in his chest. Then he looked closer. There was something different about her. Her face was less stressed somehow, and she had a genuine smile on her face as she spoke to him. He glanced back at the table, and his eyebrows rose with the curiosity now burning a trail through his mind.
“I’m doing okay,” he replied. “Things are just kind of weird right now. Just the long-distance thing, I guess. We’ll be okay. I just need to spend some time alone with her. It’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, you said that twice,” Aston pointed out.
“Did I? Well, that’s because it will.”
“I’m sure it will,” she agreed.
She stuck her hand out toward the bartender and pointed at the glass bottles behind her on the wall.
“Give me a gin and tonic with a lime, Kelly,” she said.
Sam looked at her in surprise. “You’re drinking tonight?”
“Seems like a night that I might need one.”
“Where’s the boyfriend, Princess?”
“We broke up. It was tough…but we were never going to make it, Sam. I knew it, and if Prince thinks really hard about it, so did he.”
The words he wanted to say lost their way somewhere between his heart and his mouth.
Kelly brought Aston’s gin and tonic over along with Sam’s three longnecks. He paid for all the drinks, including Aston’s highball.
“Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Us country boys are gentlemen,” he pointed out. Then he smiled. “I had fun working with you yesterday. Glad you didn’t stay mad about the other night.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Water under the bridge. Plus, you were right.”
She walked back to the deck, and Sam followed, with a worry-line creasing his forehead. When he arrived back at the table, Tate was regaling Hunter and Ever with tales of the group’s adventures in Sunny’s over the years.
“So don’t worry about this place falling in,” he finished as Ever furrowed her brow doubtfully. “If it’s still standing after a rumble between Blaze and that Vin Diesel look-alike last summer, it’ll be standing forever.”
Sam and Hunter clinked the tops of their beers together before they took a sip.
“So what took you guys so long to visit?” Ashley asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table.
“We had a lot going on back home,” answered Hunter. His tone was careful and succinct, and he kept his gaze coolly focused on Ashley.
Ever looked down at her beer, not meeting anyone’s eyes.
“Yeah, but Sam’s here,” Aston pointed out. “You must have missed him. Now that we have him, we don’t know what we’d do without him.”
Sam stared over at her. Since when was Aston part of his fan club? Most of the time he couldn’t decide if she wanted him, or if she hated him. Tonight, she was different. He tried not to think about it.
Not to like it.
“We did miss him,” Ever said, looking up and meeting Aston’s eyes. “More than he knows.”
Sam put his arm around her and pulled her closer. She looked up at him and smiled tentatively.
Reed was already settled comfortably in his chair with the twins, Kelsee and Kaylee, sitting on each of his legs. Tonight he’d dialed down his usual look, opting for a plain black T-shirt and worn jeans. A single black leather cuff adorned his wrist, and the sun had turned his skin golden brown. He looked older, and somehow like he was settling into himself. He spoke up.
“We think Sam’s great. My dad saw the potential in him right away. Moved him from tearin’ it up out there with the horses to working in the office. Dad thinks Sam is going to make it big in the company one day. Thank God, because I sure as hell don’t want to!”
Hunter studied Sam. “So you think you can make it work, Sam? Staying here and moving up the corporate ladder? What about school? What about Ever?”
“Why can’t Ever come with you?” Aston asked, watching Hunter closely.
“Because they’ll notice if I’m suddenly gone, too,” Ever snapped.
Aston’s eyes widened. “Who will notice?”
Sam cut in. “We haven’t worked it all out yet, guys. We’ll just see what happens at the end of summer. I enjoy working at the company. I…like it here. But I never meant to make this permanent.”
He met Aston’s glare head-on, his eyes searching hers for understanding, hers narrow and unwavering.
Finally, he blew out an exasperated sigh. “We’ll see what happens, okay?”
The tone of his voice told her to drop it.
“I need some air,” Ever said suddenly, moving to stand. Sam opened his mouth and she threw up a hand, walking toward the front of the bar.
Sam stood up to go after her. Hunter stopped him.
“Let me, bro,” he instructed gently. “You two have been apart for awhile. She’s having a rough time seeing how well adjusted you are here on top of… just let me go talk to her. She’ll be okay.”
Sam stared at him with more confusion. “You want to go talk to her?”
“Yeah.” Hunter nodded. “I’ve been with her over the last few months, Sam. I know how she’s been feeling. I’ll bring her back in here in a minute, okay? You stay here.”
He got up and followed Ever, and Sam stood there, watching his brother’s exit.
“Sam,” Finn said in a low voice. Sam turned to meet his gaze. “We’re your friends. What the hell is going on? Did you guys get into some kind of trouble back in your old town?”
Finn’s voice was full of concern, and when Sam looked over at his friends he saw it etched on everyone’s faces at the table. Even Reed moved Kaylee and Kelsee off his legs, ignoring their squeals of protest, and leaned forward.
“Go get another drink,” he told them, thrusting some bills into their hands.
As the twins left, Aston spoke up. “Sam. You can tell us anything.”
Sam leaned back in his chair and pulled at his earlobe. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again Aston’s were burning into his, looking straight through him the way she always did. It was too much for Sam, and now he was the one who wanted to bolt outside for fresh air.
“Guys…I promise I’ll fill you in. Just not tonight, okay? I’m going after them.”
He got up and moved quickly through the crowd now gathering on the deck as the live band set up in the corner. He brushed past the bodies squished together inside the bar and opened the door. He stepped out into the night and breathed deeply. The still air and the sound of lapping water against wood was a relief.
He looked around the parking lot for Hunter
and Ever. When he didn’t see them, he walked around the side of the building to head farther down the pier. He understood Ever’s feelings. It was overwhelming, being together again and meeting new people and thinking about possibly making this her new home. She’d been given a lot to absorb. He wanted to give her the time she needed to take it all in, but he wanted to spend that time with her. Getting comfortable with each other again was what they desperately needed.
In the back of his mind, a voice told him that as long as he and Ever had been together, they shouldn’t need any time at all to get used to each other again. They’d been the main portion of each other’s lives for years; not merely as lovers but also as friends and saviors.
He pushed that voice down deep.
He saw Hunter’s and Ever’s shadowy forms down near the end of the dock. As he drew closer, his footsteps quiet as the wood of the pier met the rubber soles of his boots, he stopped short.
Hunter had come outside to talk to Ever. Sam could have accepted that, even though he should have been the one consoling her. But the image of their arms wrapped around each other, their lips locked together in a passionate kiss would haunt Sam for the rest of his life.
Thirteen
Sam stumbled backward, one of his boots catching against a loose piece of wood on the pier. He caught himself on the railing and then he was up and running. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, and he could hear a keening in his ears that wouldn’t go away.
“Sam!” Ever screamed behind him, but he didn’t even pause.
He was going to confront them. He just had to be able to breathe first, and that wasn’t going to happen on this dark night, on this silent pier.
He burst through the door of Sunny’s and stopped next to the bar. He braced himself with one hand flat on the wood, eyes aimed down at the floor as he grabbed deep lungfuls of air. His stomach churned, making him want to bend over farther and hurl its contents onto the bar floor.
He looked up, seeing nothing but the picture of his brother and his girl lip-locked. He picked up someone’s bottle sitting on the bar and threw it as hard as he could across the room, watching with a smatter of satisfaction as it shattered against the wall and splashed lager in all directions.
“Hey!” Kelly shouted. “Sam!”
Blaze was upon him then, grabbing his arms and pulling them behind him.
He didn’t see Aston’s features as she stood in front of him, didn’t hear her voice as she spoke urgently into his face. She wrapped both hands behind his neck, begging him to listen, to stop and talk to her.
Hunter and Ever entered the bar. Sam turned to them and quickly averted his eyes. The muscles beneath Blaze’s grip tensed, and he flexed his hands in agitation.
“No,” he mumbled. “Get the fuck out.”
Blaze tightened his grip on Sam’s arms. “Easy, man.”
Sam was a big guy, but Blaze was bigger. He held Sam tightly.
Aston turned to look at Ever and Hunter. “What the hell happened?” she asked.
“Sam!” Ever pleaded. Her voice was nearly hysterical. “Come outside and talk to us.”
Sam looked up. He shook himself, and threw Blaze a warning glance. Blaze let go, but stayed right next to Sam.
“Us? You two are an ‘us’? You really want me to talk to you two right now? Do you really want that, Ever?”
“Yes,” Ever said, tears streaming down her face. “Yes, Sam. Come outside.”
Hunter’s eyes never left Sam’s. “Ever. Give him a few minutes. We’ll be outside, Sam. When you’re ready.”
They walked out, and Aston turned to Sam. Her long dark tresses brushed her bare shoulders as she studied him. “Sam. Talk to me. What happened?”
“I walked outside…” he whispered roughly. He cleared his throat, searching for his voice. When he spoke again, it was a little clearer.
“I walked outside and saw my brother and Ever making out.”
He looked down at Aston’s shocked face, and heard Blaze mutter, “Shit.”
“I’ll be right back.” Sam headed for the door.
“Sam,” Blaze said. “You think that’s a good idea? You don’t look good, man.”
“How would you look, Blaze, if you walked in on the love of your life kissing your brother?” Sam’s voice was deadly calm, but he wobbled slightly on his feet.
“What’d you just say?” Reed asked, walking up behind Blaze.
“You heard me,” Sam answered. “I have to go outside and talk to them, now. I’ll be back…I guess.”
“You want me to come with you, bro? You shouldn’t have to deal with this shit alone.” Reed’s concern was plastered all over his face.
“No,” Sam answered shortly. “Alone is what I am now.”
He felt that loneliness settling in, deep within his bones. The two most important people in his life had just betrayed him. Hell, up until three months ago, they were the only two people in his life that mattered.
He walked out the door.
Hunter and Ever were standing huddled by the door, Hunter’s arm curled around her protectively. He pushed her behind him slightly when Sam stepped outside next to them.
Sam laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Are you protecting her from me?”
Hunter stayed silent, but his arm tightened around Ever as she tensed.
“Do you know how fucking funny that is, Hunt?”
“Sam…” Hunter began.
“I’ve been protecting her my entire life, Hunter. But you know that, don’t you? You are my motherfucking brother!” Sam put both of his hands on his head and shook it in disbelief.
“Are you two about to try to explain this? Because I really can’t wait. I really can’t fucking wait to hear what you have to say.”
He folded his arms and stood a few steps away from them, staring at them as if he wished lasers could shoot from his eyes.
“Sam,” Ever began. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to find out this way.”
“Wait a minute,” Sam said, holding up both hands. “Find out this way? This wasn’t the first time you two…”
“Stop, Sam,” Hunter warned.
“Have you two slept together?” Sam asked, the incredulity in his voice making it rise louder than he’d like.
“It just happened, Sam!” Ever exploded. “Hunter was with me this entire time, getting me through my father’s funeral, then that horrible investigation, the missing you…” She trailed off.
“Yeah,” Sam scoffed. “You missed me so much you just fell onto my brother’s dick because of the despair? That’s what you’re going with? You’re really not the girl I thought you were, are you, Ever?”
“Shut the fuck up, Sam,” Hunter said. He stepped forward, blocking Ever from Sam’s view. “You don’t get to talk to her like that. You gave her the gun for protection. You were the one who told her to tell the cops you did it. And then you just left. You made all the decisions, and then you left her.”
“I did that for her!” Sam shouted. “I took the blame to protect her. After everything he did to her for all those years, her father deserved what he got! And I might have given her the gun, but she had to use it! He would have killed her if she didn’t!”
Ever’s sobs rang in his ears. He shoved Hunter aside so he could look into her face, the freckles lightly dusting her nose now slick with tears.
“I did all of this for you, Ever. And now you’re telling me you want my brother instead? Huh? Is that what you’re telling me?”
She sobbed harder, shaking her head wildly. “We never meant for it to happen. We just…we’re…” She lost the ability to speak.
“Sam, you were so busy protecting her all the time you forgot to love her. You know it deep down, if you stop being an ass long enough to think about it. You have this whole new life here. Don’t kid yourself. Ever doesn’t fit into it. She and I belong in Duck Creek. We’ll get you off the hook with the cops. We’ll tell them the truth; it was self-defense. She never needed you t
o step in and be her hero.”
Sam took a step back. She never needed him? They were acting like everything he’d done, he’d done for nothing.
Ever was still sobbing, her body heaving as she leaned against Hunter. He took one last look at her, and then turned his back.
“Where are you going?” Hunter called.
“I’m going to call you two a cab. Get your shit out of my place and go home. I’m done.”
“Done with what?” Hunter yelled. “I’m your brother, Sam.”
Sam looked back at him. He shook his head.
“No, you’re not.”
Aston perched on a barstool, nervously twisting her hands as she watched the door. When Sam walked back through it, she breathed a sigh of relief, and then pain shot through her chest as she took in the expression on his face.
“Is your brother still standing?” Reed asked suspiciously.
“Yeah,” Sam answered, his voice dull and void of emotion. “But he’s not my brother anymore.”
He gestured to Kelly, and she came over reluctantly. “I’m sorry, Kelly. I’ll pay for any damage. Give me a shot. Of anything. And please call my brother and my…call them a cab.”
Kelly nodded and brought him a tiny glass filled with amber liquid. He picked it up and slammed it back, and then indicated for her to bring him another one.
“Sam…” Aston began slowly.
He held up a hand. “I just can’t right now, Princess. Give me a day to digest it. You can tell me how sorry you feel for me tomorrow.”
Aston stared at him as he pounded his second shot, and then she nodded.
“I’m not leaving you, though. I’m going to just sit here next to you. I won’t say a word.”
He turned and held her gaze. Something in his eyes was duller, broken somehow.
“I don’t want you to sit next to me while I drink myself into oblivion. Go home, Aston.”
Reed grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.
“A,” he said. “Give him tonight. He doesn’t want you to see him this way.” He walked with her toward the door.
“You good to drive?” he asked her.
She nodded numbly. “Take care of him, Reed. Don’t leave him alone.”