Whiskey and Country

“Oh yes. After that, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. He woke up my dormant hormones, and I became obsessed with him. He asked me to prom. And things evolved between us after that. But our relationship changed the dynamic of our trio. And we never went back to what we were. And Carter resented us. He acted as if it was all fine, but he was hurting. A lot.”

“But he stayed by your side, no matter what.”

I nodded. “Yes.” I lost myself in my thoughts. “Jeff was my first everything. We grew up together. We’d been through so much. Just when we finally figured out how to be with each other for the long run, his heart stopped. I never got a chance to tell him goodbye. Never got the opportunity to tell him all that he meant to me. How sorry I was for the years we missed being happy, too busy fighting.” A lump filled the back of my throat. “We had it all. I had it all. And it crashed and burned without any notice.”

I used the shoulder of Nick’s hoodie I’d borrowed to wipe the tears welling in my eyes and sniffled. My heart shattered in my chest. It turned to dust. Nick’s hand squeezed mine tighter. He smiled at me. He didn’t have to say anything. Everything I needed to patch the remaining fractures of my broken heart swept through his eyes. It warmed me up. With him, I felt more alive than I did in years. The particles of my heart flying around in my chest found their way back together. They built my heart up, piece by piece, until it felt whole again. I flipped my hand in his and returned his squeeze.

“Any ex-girlfriend who broke your heart? A lost love? Anyone who got away?”

Nick’s shoulders dropped as he sighed. “There was this girl. Zoey. Like you and Jeff, we started dating in high school. Back in the day, I thought what we had was true love. The one for me. Until one day, after college, she packed her stuff and moved to California to be with a guy she met online. I wanted us to move in together. We had dreams. Or I thought we did. Turned out she had dreams of her own, and they didn’t include me. I took it hard. Met all kinds of girls afterward, thanks to Tucker being on the prowl almost every night, but it always felt wrong. Then I started seeing Pamela on a regular basis. We weren’t dating, just being exclusive. After a year she hinted for more. I couldn’t see myself going the distance with her. To piss me off, she slept with my friend, who had a huge crush on her that I had no idea about, and they eloped months later. She’s kinda controlling and crazy at times, but Jace loves her. If he’s happy, then what can I ask more for them?”

I pivoted to face him. “Your ex-girlfriend—or whatever you were—married one of your best friends and you’re okay with that?”

“I aim for what my parents have. And I won’t settle for less. If they’re happy together, that’s fine with me. I would’ve never married her, anyway.”

“Okay, I knew you were amazing, but that, right now, blows my mind. Can I send Pamela a thank-you card?” My smile washed off, and I brought my attention back to Nick. “Does this mean you can see yourself going the distance with me?”

His eyes found mine, gleaming with so much heat and power, I had a hard time swallowing. “Yes. I do.”

We stared at each other, and flutters danced around in my belly. My pulse kicked up.

Nick’s lips parted, but Jack joined us before he could add anything else and broke the moment.

He tugged at Nick’s sleeve. “Play with me? Buddy sleepy. Go swing.”

Nick squatted to level his face with my son.

“Oh, you want me to push you on the swing?”

My baby’s eyes filled with delight, and he bobbed his head fast.

“You sure you’re brave enough to go high?”

He nodded again.

“Okay. Come on then, little guy. Let’s see if your toes can touch the sky.”

With both hands over my heart to prevent it from running away or combusting, I watched my men sauntering away, hand in hand, toward the swing set Nick built for Jack last weekend.

My men.

When did I start referring to Nick as my man?

I had no clue, but the thought didn’t scare me. It soothed another chunk of my bruised heart.

The realization hit me square in the chest, stealing my breath away.