Wright with Benefits

It was stupid and wrong, but also selfless. Stupidly selfless.

He hadn’t wanted to hurt me and in trying not to hurt me, he’d made everything worse. But that didn’t mean I had to leave it like that. Maybe I, at least, owed him a conversation.

I texted back to my friends.

Okay…okay…I think I’m going.

40

Annie

My hand rested on the handle to the barn door.

I wasn’t the type of person to hesitate, but still, I hesitated. Last weekend had been terrible. I was a firm believer in the idea that when someone showed you who they were, you believed them. Was I going back on that after finding out who Jordan really was? Was that even who he really was?

My hand clenched the cold metal doorknob. I could walk away. I could turn around right now and walk away from all of this. And yet, I hadn’t moved.

Because I didn’t want to walk away.

I’d been a fool about Jordan Wright once before. I’d hardened my heart against him, avoided him, and done everything in my power to not think about his too-handsome face or those broad shoulders or the way he’d made me feel inexplicably complete. And it hadn’t worked. It just hadn’t worked. I’d fallen for him even harder and faster than the last time, and I didn’t want it to fucking end.

Sometimes, relationships needed work. I couldn’t run away every time it got hard. I couldn’t assume he was a bad person off of one interaction. Not after the last couple months of perfection. Didn’t he deserve a chance to prove me wrong?

So, I took a deep breath and yanked on the door, prepared to hear him out.

I gasped softly at the interior of the barn. I’d seen it all done up for the event last weekend, but it was nothing compared to what it looked like now. Jordan must have had Nora stage the place. There was no other explanation. Soft white drapery made the twinkle lights appear to be constellations across a night sky. Flowers bloomed in bouquets around the room, interspersed with every size candle imaginable. The room glowed with flickering candlelight, and at its center was Jordan Wright.

My breath caught at the sight of him in a sharp suit and tie, standing with his hands in his pockets, waiting for me.

“Hey,” I said as I came to stand before him. My eyes continued to scan the room, unsure if I should settle entirely on him. “This is elaborate.”

He smiled. Such a Jordan smile. Soft on the edges with his eyes lighting up. “I thought you might need elaborate.”

“You could have started with I’m sorry.”

He finished the last step between us. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re right. Probably not enough.”

“Probably not,” he agreed with a small laugh. “Worth a try though.”

“Suppose so.”

I fiddled with my fingers, distinctly feeling the absence of my ring. I was so used to twirling it when I was nervous.

“Do you know why I bought the winery?” he finally asked.

I blinked at the change in subject. It wasn’t what I’d expected. “Because Hollin and Julian cajoled you into it.”

“Well, that’s the reason I got involved, but not the reason I eventually said yes.”

I shrugged. “No, you never mentioned.”

He held his arms out, gesturing to the barn around him. “When I looked at this barn, I saw a dirt-filled piece of junk that we’d sink way too much money into to ever make it profitable. It was a bad investment, and I didn’t want to do it. But when we came over to look at the place, something hit me at the sight of it.” He sighed. “This was our first date. You brought me to this ridiculous bar and tried to get me to line dance. I hadn’t laughed that much in years. I was smitten. And I wasn’t ready to let those memories be demolished. I wanted to keep them. So, every time I walked inside, I saw you in cowboy boots with that effervescent smile on your face.”

I swallowed hard at his words. “What do you see now?”

“You throwing this ring at me,” he said, holding the claddagh ring up to the light. “And how much I completely fucked it up.”

“Yeah, you did.”

“There’s not an excuse for how I reacted last week. I cut you out of my life while I tried to deal with my mom’s news. Then I overreacted to everything and treated you horribly. I’m so sorry for all of that. I was worried about my mom and her dealing with cancer again that I couldn’t process anything. I thought I was making the right decision by letting you go. I couldn’t even see that I was making the decision for you and not with you.”

I swallowed. “Yeah, I thought we were a team.”

“I know. I’m sorry about that. I had a long talk with my mom about it. She was actually the one who suggested the groveling.”