Divided Interests (Southern Bride 3)

He stood in the middle of the living room, looking around.

“What in the heck happened in here?” he asked.

“It’s a long story. Tom, I need you to understand something.”

He faced me, concern etched on his face.

“You love him still,” he said before I could utter another word.

“I’ve never stopped loving him. I don’t honestly think it is possible for me to not love him. Lucas is a part of me, he owns a part of my heart, and I’m not sure what is going to happen. I don’t know what the future holds for us.”

“You have a future. The flower shop.”

“Lucas would never stop that.”

He let out a bark of laughter. “He tried to stop you before.”

I threw up my hands and let them fall to my side. “That was the past. This is now. This is today. This is me and Lucas trying to find some common ground.”

“And you think sleeping with him will help?”

My face heated. “We got carried away. We have a lot of memories between us, Tom. More good times than bad. Feelings that neither one of us really ever let go.”

“He seemed to let them go. He was with that model long enough.”

“I really wish people would stop bringing her up. He broke up with her. He said he never saw a future with her.”

“You believe him?”

The corner of my mouth rose slightly. “Yeah, I really do.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed. “Paige, I know he hurt you.”

“Yes, he did.”

“I’m just worried.”

I walked up to my brother and wrapped my arms around him. “I’m a big girl. I know what I’m doing. Will you please trust me to handle this?”

“Will you promise you won’t get back with him?”

My shoulders slumped, and I stared up at him. “I can’t, and I won’t promise you that.”

“Fine, I won’t ask you to. You know, I did like him at one time. So did Dad.”

“I know you did, and Daddy adored him. And so did Momma. We got lost, and I don’t know where this journey will lead us. On more than one occasion we’ve had divided interests, and I’m positive we will in the future, but I feel it in my heart that no matter what, I need to try harder this time. We both need to try harder. We’re not eighteen anymore.”

With a big inhale, my brother closed his eyes. “If he hurts you, so help me God.”

“If he hurts me, you’ll have to stand in line. I’m first.”

With a chuckle, he wrapped me in his arms and kissed the top of my head. “I love you, sis.”

“And I love you, too. So very much.”

When he let go of me, I smiled. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know a jeweler, would you?”

After my brother left, I changed and put on my running shoes. I had another hour or so before the sun went down, and I’d wanted to get in a run before it got dark. Tom had helped finish up the painting in the living room, then he cut around the carpet to make it easier for me and Lucas to pull it up.

I’d been gone almost an hour, with my feet pounding against the road, and I glanced down at my watch. I hadn’t heard yet from Lucas; part of me was worried. Pushing my fear away, I ran faster toward the house. I slowed when I saw Milo parked behind me.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

He smiled. “I got a call from Chuck.”

With a frown, I asked, “Chuck Nelson? I thought he moved to Austin and opened up a club.”

Milo rubbed his chin, a concerned look on his face. “He did, but he moved back to JC when Austin got a little too…weird. He opened up a bar right outside of JC.”

I chuckled. “Okay, well, what does that have to do with me, and why do you look so stricken?”

“Well, he gave me a call. Lucas is at the bar; he’s been there all afternoon. Said he’s on his way to being two sheets to the wind.”

My heart felt like it dropped to my stomach. “Is he okay?”

“I stopped by and talked to him. He’s pretty down on himself. I thought maybe you could head on over there.”

It didn’t even take me a moment to make my decision. “Let me change. Will you text me the address to the bar?”

Milo grinned. “Sure. It’s right outside of town, toward Fredericksburg.”

Reaching up on my toes, I gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Milo. I know you got dragged into all of this.”

With a boyish grin that made me smile, he looked away for a brief moment, then back to me. “I lost my head for a minute or two when I thought about asking you out, but all it took was one time seeing Lucas look at you. He’s never stopped loving you, Paige. I know that doesn’t make what happened between y’all better, but it’s true.”