by Toni Aleo
“Then what is it?”
He takes a step toward me, his eyes blazing into mine. “We said we were fooling around, that we were dating. I never promised anything.”
“You sure didn’t,” I say, my eyes clouding with tears.
“You knew I was leaving at the end of the summer.”
“I did.” I blink back my tears, kissing Wilbur’s head. My heart is shattering in my chest, but what the fuck did I expect? I knew this was going to happen, yet I kept on. I shrug as I go to turn. “So, it’s whatever it is.”
“Delaney, don’t be like that.”
“Don’t be like what? I said I wanted the truth, and you gave it to me. But like I said, things changed on my end, and I didn’t let you know. So it’s my cross to bear. I’ll be fine.”
He looks stricken, his eyes wide and wild. I feel awful because I knew damn well what I was getting myself into, and I don’t want to hurt him. But at the same time, why doesn’t he feel anything for me? Why didn’t anything change for him? “Delaney, that’s not fair—”
“Oh, I’m sorry I have feelings.” I shoot him a deliberately annoyed look, and he stares at me, exasperated. “What did you think would happen?”
“I thought we’d just sleep together and things would be fine.”
Things would be fine, not get messy. This is messy. I’m making this messy. I blink back my tears and then turn to head inside with Wilbur still asleep against my neck. I reach for the door and I almost pull it, but then I look back at him. “If you wanted us to just sleep together and for everything to be fine, then maybe instead of telling me that I’m remarkable or that my face is incomparable or that you’d pick me out of all the fucking puppies, you should have told me that my pussy is great and you love fucking it. Because that’s all you wanted.” I pause at the door, and I’m shaking mad. I look over my shoulder, glaring as I yell, “And another thing, Reed. I know you feel more for me than just a fuck, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you’ll know what it’s actually like to be happy.”
With that, I pull the door open as he calls my name. Since I don’t want to talk to him, I lock the back door so he has to go around to the front of the clinic. It gives me time to put Wilbur in Reed’s office and then tell the office manager I’m sick. When I see him come through the front, I head out the back. It may make me a coward, but I’m fucking tired of people using me. Yes, I know I knew from the rip what we were doing, but surely, surely, he feels what I feel. I mean, how does he look me in the eye and say those things?
Does he not mean them?
I didn’t drive to work, I rode in with Reed, so instead of going home, I walk to the Blu, where I know Gen is. It’s a shorter walk, and I know he’d never expect me to go there. I hold myself together pretty well as I walk. I keep looking behind me to see if Reed is coming, but I know he won’t leave the clinic. He has an afternoon of patients, and I hope someone can help him. I actually hope a flock of ducks comes in and pecks his eyes out. Jerk.
My lips are trembling, and my chest just fucking hurts. I can’t let anyone know, though. I say hi to everyone, I wave, and I smile like my heart isn’t shattering into a million pieces in my chest. I really fucked up here. God, I’m so stupid. When I reach the Blu, I know Gen is on the back patio Theo built for her back when he bought the place. He always knew he’d get Gen back, and he wanted to give her the house that inspired her.
Why can’t I get that?
Gen looks up, her blond hair blowing in the breeze as I come around the house. Her lips spread into a huge grin when she sees me, but then I watch her face change, and I know it’s because I don’t even reach her before I’m sobbing. She gets up, coming toward me, and I wrap my arms around her. She doesn’t ask what’s wrong or even if I’m okay. She just holds me as I cry. She’s always been a good shoulder to cry on, never prying.
When I lift up my head, wiping my tears free of my face, I shake my head. “So, what’s up?”
She takes my wrist in her hand. “Nothing. Just writing.”
I nod, my lips trembling as I draw in a sharp breath. “That’s nice. Think you can write me a happily ever after? One that doesn’t involve Reed’s dumb ass?”
Her lips turn down as she wraps her other arm around me, kissing my temple. “Come on. I’ve got four bottles of wine for now, but Theo will get us more.”
I’m not certain the wine will help, but it sure will dull the pain.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Reed
“So,” Devin says as he lifts a barrel and puts it on the shelf. “Do I need to guess why you’re in my distillery when you never step foot in here?”
I lean my head against the wall of the barrel house my family has kept the barrels in my whole life. I was never interested in the family business, so I didn’t play in here as much as Devin did. He lived in here. Even so, though, I love the coolness of the space and the sense of security it gives me. There isn’t a time I don’t remember my father sitting in here. When we fucked up growing up, we’d meet him here, which makes sense why I came here today between work and the block party.
“I fucked up. Really, really bad.”
Devin grimaces. “Delaney?”
“Yeah,” I say softly, running my fingers through my hair and then down my face. I rub my fingers along the hair on my jaw and shake my head. “She heard me on the phone with Noah. I wasn’t trying to hide it from her or anything, but I honestly didn’t think she’d get as mad as she did.”
“What were you two talking about?” Devin asks, sitting back on a barrel. “You leaving?”
“Same thing Mom got mad about,” I answer, my heart feeling dead in my chest. “I don’t know why the two of them thought I wasn’t leaving—”
“Because you’ve seemed happy.”
I turn to study the barrels as he talks.
“I mean, we all see you with her, and you aren’t even the same guy. You smile and you laugh. You hate this town, apparently, but when she is around, I can’t tell.”
I can’t argue with him. He’s right. It’s easy to ignore the shit that upsets me in Spring Grove when the sunshine that is Delaney is shining on me. She makes everything better. But I have a life in Lexington.
When I look back at Devin, he’s shrugging as a grin pulls at his lips. “I don’t think you expected to come here and not hate this town as much as you did as a kid. Things change, even when they seem like they didn’t. You’ve changed just from being here, and I don’t think you want to accept that. You want to stay angry, hate it here, and leave. But have you thought about what’s going to happen when you do? Is there something or someone that can replace Del?”
No.
I swallow hard as I look away. “It doesn’t matter. I want more than what this town can give me.”
“What’s more?”
I hold my hands out. “I want my half of the clinic, I want my apartment with its modern amenities, and I want my life. I am happy in Lexington.”
He doesn’t seem to believe me. He narrows his eyes as he holds my gaze. “Are you? I mean, before, I never heard from or saw you. I hear from you every day now. I get to play ball with you and Bryce. I get to see you on Sunday with our family. We’re a functioning unit now, and then add in Delaney, Theo, Holden, and Gen even, all of us, our crew. That’s where I see you happy, man.”
I shake my head, unable to allow him to guilt me into feeling like I’m doing something wrong. “I never said I was staying. I have a life.”
“True, but life changes. In the blink of an eye, man,” he stresses before snapping his fingers. He then looks to the ceiling. “I was ready to marry the love of my life, and she didn’t walk down the aisle, Reed. You remember how hurt I was, how I thought I had it all. And then it was gone—”
“Dude, I get it, but what does that have to do with me? Also, maybe it’s time to let Cataway go…”
“One, fuck you. And two, I’m getting to my point if you’d shut your trap for two seconds,” he sneers, and I
roll my eyes. “For you, it’s the other way around. You thought you were good in Lexington, you thought you were happy. But then we lost Dad—” His voice breaks a bit, and I close my eyes. “Our pillar, and you’re thrown into this town with no warning. You were intent never to be seen, but you started working with Dr. Ross, and then Del happened. Reed, really, how can you walk away from that? You know she loves you, right?”
I shake my head quickly. “No, she cares for me—”
“No, man, for real. She’s loved you since we were kids. I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you’d use it as a way to keep her at bay. Like you did when we were kids.”
I glance up at him, and I feel like shit. Utter shit. I think I’ve always known she loved me, but I couldn’t accept it. She’s rooted here, and I’m not. I can’t be. I can’t give in to the one thing I’ve always said I’d never do. Come back. I wanted out, and I got out. This is just a little detour I’m on, doing what my dad asked of me. I just never expected to be knocked down by the one girl I tried so hard to ignore my whole life.
“Cataway used to laugh and tease her when we were together, and Delaney’d get so mad. She always said, ‘One day, he’ll see me.’ You know that’s why she lost the weight. So that if you ever came back, you’d see her.”
“I always fucking saw her!”
My voice echoes through the room, and I listen to it as I let my head drop into my hands. I close my eyes tightly. I don’t know what to do. I have all these plans, Noah is ready for me, but I’m torn. I can’t help but think of the one thing that kept me from being with her from the get-go. What if I resent her later? For staying here for her when I could have had the life I’ve been working toward since I left Spring Grove the first time. I could ask her to come with me, but then what if the resentment happens in reverse? She loves it here.
“I vote you stay, man. I think anyone you ask, even the people in town, would say the same. Especially Del.”
I already know all this, and hearing it doesn’t help.
It just hurts more.
“Hey, Dr. Reed!”
I plaster a grin on my face, waving to Tom and Lanny, Olly’s owners. “Hey, kids.”
“Dr. Reed!”
I wave to Mrs. Miller, Willy the hedgehog’s owner. I spent hours earlier this afternoon picking mites out of the poor guy’s back. It wouldn’t have taken me so long if Delaney had been there.
“Willy is doing great!”
“Wonderful,” I say with a grin. “Let me know if anything changes.”
She comes to a stop next to me. “They told me when I made my follow-up that you wouldn’t be there, that I would need to see Dr. Ross. Is it true?”
I nod. I gave my notice after lunch today. I had been stalling, but it needed to happen. I didn’t want people to think I’d be there when I wouldn’t. “Yes, ma’am. I’m going back to Lexington.”
Her brow furrows. “That’s too bad.”
“It really is,” Mrs. Capernackle says as she comes up to my other side. “We sure will miss you. Gary and I will need to come see you before you leave.”
Fear settles in my chest as I grasp her arm. “I’ll come see you. I don’t want you coming out if you don’t have to.”
She beams up at me, and even though she has a demon animal as a pet, I’ve become fond of Mrs. Capernackle. “You promise?”
Dammit. “Yes, ma’am.”
She cups my chin. “You’re a sweet boy. Wish you weren’t leaving.”
As she walks away, my heart still isn’t beating right. I wish I could blame it on Gary, but I can’t. It’s because I’m going to miss her. I’m going to miss all my patients.
But above all, I’m going to miss Delaney.
I look around the block party, primarily to find her but also to make sure everything is going off without a hitch. When I suggested to Delaney we do this, a week from the election, I knew it would be good for her. She didn’t seem too convinced. She was still nervous about William Jr., but I convinced her—with my mouth. Man, what a night that was. We missed church that next morning, which is something she doesn’t do, but we slept right through it. She was pissy with me, but then I promised to get catering from the local diner to make the block party a real smash.
I wouldn’t mind missing more church with her…
Ignoring that, I glance around at all the people who have gathered, which is damn near the whole town. Everyone seems to be enjoying the spread the diner put on for us. Lights hang above the square, and music is blaring from the speakers Theo let us borrow. Bryce is monitoring the crowds, and Holden is in charge of the playlist. It’s all going perfectly, which is exactly what I wanted for Delaney.
When I feel a hand slide up my back, I look back to see my sister beside me, smiling up at me. Her eyes are sparkling, her bright-red hair up in a bun. She leaves in a couple weeks, and she doesn’t seem as terrified as she was. “Great party.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m surprised you left Delaney’s side. She looks like perfection tonight.”
I follow her gaze, and it takes no time to see where Delaney is standing with a group of church members who also work in the courthouse. She’s wearing a long, pale-pink dress that moves against her skin the way my mouth would. The top of the dress is modest, a halter around her beautiful neck. Her hair is down, gorgeous and framing that stunning face that will star in my dreams for the rest of my existence. She has glossed-up pink lips, and I want her.
“Oh no… Did y’all break up?”
My sister’s words are like knives, and my voice reveals that. It’s raspy and rough as I shake my head. “We were never together like that.”
She scoffs, her gaze scrutinizing me. “You know that’s bullshit, right?”
I look at her, stunned. I’ve never in my life heard her curse. “What?”
“That’s utter bullshit. You two are so together. If you asked her to marry you, she’d say yes. If you asked her to go to Lexington with you, she’d go. You two are meant for each other.”
I scoff. “Wow. That’s some fairy tale you’ve got going there, Am.”
She eyes me. “You’re really gonna fuck this up, aren’t you?”
My eyes widen. “What in the hell? You never cuss. Who are you?”
She laughs. “Someone who’s ready to live. Wanna try it?”
I gawk at her as she just grins. I open my mouth to speak, but then Delaney’s voice fills the small area. “Testing, testing. Can y’all hear me okay?”
Everyone starts to cheer, clapping, and I look up to see her on the little makeshift stage we put together last weekend for this. The lights glow against her skin as her lips mock me. Will I truly never taste those lips again? I cross my arms over my chest, taking in a deep breath, and I’m amazed at how perfect she looks. She doesn’t look anything like the girl from this afternoon. Her eyes aren’t full of tears, pain swimming in those deep-brown depths. No, she looks happy, not like she’s being gutted.
Like how I feel.
“First, I want to thank everyone for coming out and supporting me tonight. Second, I want to thank McElroy’s Distillery for providing the food and the endless support.”
“Well, that’s nice. I thought it was just you.”
“It was,” I say, not looking at Ambrosia.
Delaney clears her throat. “I am so thankful to be able to say I was born here, I grew up here, and I never left. I love this town. I love all of you, and I want to make this town even better.” She stops, her eyes searching the crowd. “I hadn’t intended to do this when Richard decided to step down. I thought someone older, wiser, should do it, but then someone told me that he knew I would be the best thing for this town. That I am this town. At first, I didn’t believe it. But somewhere in the last month, I’ve started to see that he was right.” Her eyes stop on me, and my heart catches in my chest. “I want to prove that to all of you. So, in seven days, on July thirty-first, I need you to vote Delaney Abbot. Your sweetheart.”
Sh
e tears her gaze from mine, and the crowd cheers loudly. The grin that covers her face is the reason I did this. The reason I believe in her. She will change things, and she will make this town a million times better.
Without me.
The thought is like a punch in the junk. I lick my lips, inhaling deeply as she slowly steps off the stage with the help of Devin and then Bryce.
“I think you should go talk to her.”
I look down at the asphalt, kicking it with my toe. “And say what?”
“The first thing you think of.”
I glance back to where Delaney is standing, laughing with Devin.
Saying the first thing I’m thinking could be mighty dangerous. But then, if I don’t, can I truly say I immersed myself in this town?
Because that girl is this town.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Delaney
“You know, Delaney, I think you’ve got this.”
Pride explodes inside of me as I look up at Mr. Fits. He’s the town judge. I’ve been nervous, but the block party is going wonderfully. Everyone is having a great time, and they all seem really excited. “I sure do hope so.”
He winks. “Well, you’ve got my vote, sweetheart.”
“Mine too,” his wife, Brenda, says, and I beam.
“You’ve been working hard in this town for a very long time. Now I’m excited to see what changes you’ll make.”
I have ideas. I want to grow us, make us like Hamby but keeping our charm. I think upping our tourist-friendly activities is going to be the best thing for us. I’m excited to make some changes. “I’m excited. Thank you both.”
I shake their hands, but out of the corner of my eye, I see him coming. I wasn’t sure Reed would show. A part of me thought he’d just leave, but seeing him, knowing he came, only makes me love him more. He moves through the crowd like it isn’t there, and of course, he looks devilishly handsome. While it’s hot, he’s wearing slacks with a nice blue button-down that makes those green eyes shine. His hair is brushed to the side, and his beard is perfectly trimmed. I guess he is keeping the beard. That’s really good.