“What’s tomorrow night?” I asked.
Now with a stunned expression, Hunter said, “Kyle and Greer’s birthday dinner? That ringing a bell? We’re going to Brew’s Place after.”
I snapped my fingers. “That’s right. Shit, I nearly forgot.”
“I get it—opening season is coming up. I’m sure you’ve got a lot on your mind.”
After glancing over my shoulder at Jax’s house, I focused back on Hunter. “She stopped by to talk, and I wasn’t exactly nice to her.”
He nodded. “I get that.”
I stood there and glanced back and forth between the house and Hunter.
“You okay, Bishop?”
I forced a smiled. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
His eyes moved past me as he said, “I’ll let you go so you can get on with your evening.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at the birthday dinner.”
“Hey…I don’t mean to sound like an asshole, but…if you were planning on bringing Jax tomorrow, you might want to reconsider. Abby might be there.”
Nodding, I hit the side of his car. “I hear you. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
Turning, I jogged up the sidewalk and took the steps two at a time. I lifted my hand to knock on the door, but it opened before I could. Jax stood there with a smile on her face. I gave her a quick once-over and saw she had on jeans and a tight black sweater that certainly showed off her figure.
“Hey, I saw you out there talking to the police. Is everything okay?” She motioned for me to come in.
“Yeah, that was Hunter.”
The door shut, and Jax reached up to kiss me. I pecked her on the mouth and then stepped back.
Laughing, she said, “Okay, well, are you hungry? I made tacos. I’m not much of a cook, but I do make a mean salsa and guacamole. Then, after dinner, I thought maybe I would slip into something I bought today at one of the little stores on Main Street and we could…” Her voice trailed off, and she tilted her head and stared at me. “Do you want to tell me why you suddenly look sick to your stomach, Bishop?”
I ran my hand over my face and let out a frustrated groan. “I can’t do this. Fuck! I can’t do this, Jax. I’m so sorry.”
“Bishop, at some point you’re going to have to move on and—”
I cut her off and just let the words spill from my mouth. “Abby’s back in town. She stopped by my place earlier today to talk, and I…well, I treated her like her shit and then sent her on her way. But not before I made sure she knew I was having dinner with you tonight.”
“I see.” Jax folded her arms over her chest and studied me. “You used our date as a way to hurt her.”
My eyes fell to a spot on the wall behind her. “I guess so.”
Jax remained silent for a few moments before she said, “You’re still in love with her, Bishop, and everyone around here can see it except for you.”
“It’s not like that, Jax. I thought I was ready to move on, and believe me, I am attracted to you. It’s just…even before I knew Abby was back in town, this didn’t feel…it didn’t feel right. I want to move on with my life. But I don’t think I’m ready yet.”
“Because you’re still in love with your wife.”
“Ex-wife,” I snapped.
Jax drew in a deep breath through her nose, then let it out slowly. “Bishop, I’ve been a single mom since Ashley was two. That’s eight years of learning how to date while having a kid. I’ve discovered there are three types of guys out there. There are the guys who want to date me until they find out I have a kid, and then they run for the hills. Then there are the guys who date me and are okay that I have a kid—but those are few and far between, trust me. And then there are the guys who fall for my kid, and I’m a bonus.”
“Wait a second. Are you saying I’m in the last group?”
She dropped her arms to her sides. “Bishop, you bring flowers and gifts to my daughter. The first three times you asked me out, you wanted Ashley there and centered the dates around her. The first time we were alone, you brought me back to your place. Why do you think you brought me to your house?” She held up her hand. “Wait, let me answer. You brought me to your house last night, Bishop, because deep down in your heart, you knew you wouldn’t let anything happen between us. Had you brought me to a hotel, we would have most likely had sex. Then you would have regretted it, and you probably wouldn’t have shown up on my doorstep ever again.”
“That’s not true,” I said with a disbelieving laugh.