He eyed his mother. She kept flashing her gaze to the parking lot and back at him. She almost seemed nervous, but there was an edge to it.

  “What’s going on, Mom?”

  She sighed, and glanced at Marla. “Give us a minute.” His aunt nodded and walked away before his mom looked at him again. “I didn’t want to get into this here. But I ran into Ashley the other day— ”

  “Jesus Christ.” He raked his hand through his hair. He knew this wasn’t going to end well.

  She grabbed his arm, pulling his attention back to her. “She’s not with that guy anymore, and she said she regrets your breakup. I think she wants to work out what happened between the two of you.”

  What the…? “Mom,” he said slowly, “I don’t give a shit what Ashley said. I’m with Taylor. I love Taylor.”

  “Sweetheart, you wanted to marry Ashley.”

  He wanted to roar.

  He threw his hands in the air and turned away from her so he could gather his thoughts before he yelled at his own mother. She didn’t understand the half of it, but it also wasn’t her business. When he faced her again, she stood with her shoulders back, watching him with hawk eyes. His mother was a confident woman, and she didn’t take well to being challenged. Not that he did it often with her, but in this particular situation she needed to be corrected. “Yes, there was a time in my life when I wanted nothing more than to marry Ashley, but times have changed. I’m with someone else now.”

  “But— ”

  “And if I weren’t with Taylor, I still wouldn’t be with Ashley. She and I would’ve never worked.” His mom didn’t understand the extent of what had happened between the two of them, and she never would.

  “How can you say that? You were so in love with her.”

  Was she for real? He didn’t know how to respond to that. He hadn’t been with Ashley in years. Why would his mom be fixated on this now after all this time? Just because she ran into her in town? He was in the middle of chaotic thoughts when he felt a hand land on his shoulder, and he whipped his head to the side.

  “Dad,” he huffed in frustration.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. “You two seem tense, and Marla wouldn’t tell me anything.”

  Bryson’s jaw ticked. “Mom says Taylor didn’t come because she didn’t feel good, and when I tried to leave to check on her, she started talking to me about Ashley. Honestly, Dad, I don’t know what the hell’s going on.” Ice suddenly ran in his veins as a horrible thought occurred to him.

  She wouldn’t.

  His mother couldn’t be that heartless.

  But he found himself asking anyway. “Did you purposely put Taylor in the guest room because of Ashley?”

  She blushed.

  He roared, profanity spewing from his mouth as he turned away from his mother and started marching for the truck. Un-fucking-believable.

  “Bryson!” his mom called out. “You can’t leave yet.” He heard her coming after him. When he reached the truck, she ran in front of him and blocked the driver side door.

  “Mom, get out of my way.”

  “Joanie. Move. Let the boy go check on Taylor.” At least his dad was trying to reason with her.

  “I just want you to talk to her,” she said.

  Finally. “Of course, I’ll talk to her. And then I’ll move her and her things into my old bedroom where she should’ve been all weekend.”

  She turned red. “Not Taylor. Ashley. She’s on her way here.”

  “What?” There was an echo, so he knew his dad had spit the one-word question out at the same time he did.

  “Well, since Taylor wasn’t coming, I thought I’d see if Ashley was free. Give you two a chance to talk privately.”

  With all his family around? Regardless of how ridiculous that notion was, there wouldn’t be any opportunity to visit alone with anyone. He’d barely had ten minutes with just he and Taylor and no one else within earshot. That wasn’t happening. Besides, if his former love showed up, tongues would wag. He gaped at his mother. “You called my ex last minute to invite her to a family function just so we could talk privately.” It wasn’t a question.

  “You’re not gonna be in town long. I didn’t want this opportunity to slip away.”

  “No, Mom, what you wanted to do was cause problems for me and Taylor, which you started with the sleeping arrangements. I should’ve cleared the matter up that night. That’s on me, but you put me in that position and made her feel alienated.” He pointed his finger at her. “That’s on you. Now move.”

  She put her hands on her hips.

  “Joanie, come here,” his dad said in a voice that would’ve had him pissing in his pants as a kid. She glanced at him, pursed her lips, and reluctantly stepped out of Bryson’s way.

  He hopped in his dad’s truck and spun out while digging for his cellphone. Why would his mom do something like this? He hit Taylor's number and it rang several times before going to voicemail. He cursed and tried again.

  Still no answer.

  He fired off a quick text to her and counted down the seconds until he pulled into his parents’ driveway.

  Taylor’s car was gone.

  That cold feeling from before settled into a ball in his stomach. If she was headed to the lake, he’d have passed her.

  He jumped out and ran into the house, calling her name anyway. He ran right to the guest room only to find it empty.

  And not just of her.

  All her things were gone, too.

  He checked the bathroom to make sure and noticed nothing of hers in there either. It was as if she’d never been there.

  She was gone.

  “Fuck,” he breathed, and took off for his old bedroom to pack his things. She couldn’t have been gone long, but there was no way he’d catch up with her unless she stopped somewhere. Didn’t matter to him. He still had to go after her. Fear like nothing he’d ever felt before consumed him. Why had she left? Was she really just sick? He knew the answer deep down, though. Something had been eating away at her since they’d arrived, starting with how royally he’d screwed up the sleeping arrangements.

  When he reached his room, his heart stopped cold.

  His sock drawer was hanging open and the engagement ring he’d bought for Ashley was lying open on his bed.

  He didn’t have to ask to know who’d pulled it out. He knew. He just fucking knew as an even more bleak reality settled in.

  Things had gone from bad to complete and total shit inside of an hour. He had no idea how or why. There was only one thing he could do now, and as much as the thought irritated him beyond all measure, he knew he’d do whatever he had to. He pulled out his phone and hit the contact he sought. The answering greeting was immediate.

  “Tucker, man, I need your help.”

  Chapter Nine

  Taylor didn’t understand what had happened, how she could go from being immensely happy with Bryson two days ago to being utterly devastated, but comprehension was a luxury she didn’t have right now.

  It was her reality whether she understood or not.

  She was physically and mentally tired. The idea of stopping at a hotel came to her with each new town she passed, but as much as the thought of holing up someplace where no one would know to look for her sounded appealing, so did the thought of crawling into her own bed before she completely shut out the world.

  She drove until the car barked at her to get gas. The street was well lit, but she picked the station with the most cars and newest looking facility. While she pumped, the urge the pee hit, so when she finished topping off her tank, she grabbed her purse, leaving her phone to charge, and went inside. The smell of fried food hit her, and her stomach recoiled. Would she ever be able to stomach greasiness again without thinking of this god-awful weekend?

  Not any time soon, that was for sure.

  After taking care of personal business, she got a soda and some crackers for the road. She figured she'd have to pee again anyway, and by that time, hopefully her tummy would be settled enough to handle coffee because she’d surely need the caffeine.

  Her phone was ringing when she slid into her car. She reached to silence it, but the call wasn’t coming from Bryson.

  “Hi,” she answered as she locked the door and started the engine.

  “Jesus, woman, where are you? Your man called to ask if I’ve heard from you,” Brindle said.

  “What all did he say?” she asked because she was a glutton for punishment.

  “Nothing really. Something about a misunderstanding, and you leaving without telling him.”

  “Ha!” She opened her crackers. “Hard to misunderstand an engagement ring,” she spat.

  “Ah, I knew it!” Brindle squealed. “I told you he was gonna pop the question. This whole taking you home to meet the family was a good—”

  “Oh, the ring wasn’t for me,” she said, cutting her off.

  “Come again?” she said slowly and with an edge of that close girlfriend rage that came with the bonds of friendship. “What do you mean it wasn’t for you? Whose was it?”

  “Ashley’s.”

  “Who the fuck is Ashley?” Taylor opened her mouth to answer, but Brindle continued. “Wait. This wasn’t Bryson’s ring?” she asked without the anger lacing her words, probably thinking she’d jumped to the wrong conclusion. She'd be sorely mistaken.

  “Oh, it was Bryson’s all right. Apparently, he’d set his sights on marriage long before we met.” She took a bite of the cracker she’d been holding.

  “So he has past,” Brindle said calmly. “We all do. Though, you’d think he’d be smart enough not to tell you he bought it for someone else when he tried to give it to you.”

  “He didn’t give it to me.”

  “Um, I don’t think I understand. If fact, I know I don’t.”

  “And the past bid only applies if the relationship is actually over,” Taylor added.

  “Still not following.”

  She chewed on a cracker and then chased it down with her soda, working up the nerve to tell her friend what happened. “I overheard his mom talking about her, and how she wants them back together.”

  Brindle growled. “Are you kidding me? That’s insane!” She sighed. “Okay, look. Just because his mom has grand plans doesn’t mean he agrees with her.”

  “She put me in the guestroom instead of his bedroom, and he didn’t go against her.”

  “Men sometimes are slow. Maybe he didn’t realize—”

  “Oh, and she called me a tart.”

  “That bitch.” That sounded more like Brindle.

  “Nothing has gone as planned.” Her voice hitched, her emotions finally trying to take over since overhearing the conversation. “And then I found the ring. Her ring.” She sniffled, trying to keep from bawling in the parking lot.

  “Girl, I’m so, so sorry. Where are you now?”

  “On my way home.”

  “Tell me which route you took, and I’ll start heading that way. We can meet up in the middle somewhere and spend the night in a hotel.”

  “That’s really sweet of you, but I want to sleep in my own bed tonight.”

  “Okay, fine. I’ll meet you at your place. You shouldn’t be alone.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Hush. You don’t need to be alone. Sounds like you’ve been alone enough this weekend as it is.”

  “Yeah,” she breathed.

  “Then it’s settled. Get back on the road and be careful. After you cry over some ice cream, we’re going to plan a girls’ weekend away. You need a break. A real one.”

  “I just said I want to sleep in my own bed.” Having fun with the girls was so not on her radar.

  “I know, sweetie. But we were just chatting about weekend ideas for Hannah’s bachelorette party. In fact, Reagan said her cousin could get us a discount rate at the hotel she works at. That was after Morgan said she wanted to avoid any place with Elvis impersonators for Hannah’s sake. She didn’t think it was very funny, though.”

  “Florida has strip club hotels, or is this a different cousin?” she asked as she ate another cracker, not really wanting to talk about this specifically, but the mundane conversation was a little soothing. Plus, the crackers helped her nausea that came the moment she’d found the little box of horrors.

  “Same one. Apparently an expensive town requires more than one job. I mean, or maybe a better paying side hustle? I’m not really sure which is her main job and which is one is considered part time.”

  “Maybe it depends on the season.”

  “True. I’m going to talk to Reagan about seeing how soon Leigh can get us some rooms and chat with the others to coordinate schedules. We’ll talk more about it later.”

  “Don’t tell them what happened,” Taylor said quickly, her voice cracking again.

  Brindle sighed. “Sweetie, don’t worry about a thing. Focus on your drive. We can talk all about how awful men are when you get back. And when you’re ready, you can tell me if you got to show up his horrible mother with your horse knowledge.”

  She knew Brindle was trying to lighten her mood, probably hoping she wouldn’t cry so much that she drove off into a ditch or take a wrong turn and end up in California.

  Maybe she should move back home.

  She shook her head and crumpled the empty package. She couldn't think about that right now.

  “Don’t you know? Horseshoes are for men, but we womenfolk get to sit on the sidelines looking pretty while we cheer them on.”

  “The fuck does that mean?” Brindle said, anger lacing her words again. “Never mind. Don’t answer. Just get home.”

  Taylor ended the call as she backed up. She was glad she’d picked up the phone. Chatting with Brindle had been a much-needed distraction.

  Too bad the reprieve had been short lived. The miles flew by but life inside her brain was moving in slow motion. She kept her emotions in check, having made it halfway home before she started crying. Whenever she tried to tell herself that she’d misunderstood what Joanie had said, she’d see that ring again in her mind. It would be forever burned in it.

  By the time she pulled into her apartment parking lot, it was the middle of the night and she was running on remnants of the last gas station coffee she’d consumed. But when she saw Bryson’s car parked there, any lingering drowsiness evaporated. Her heart leapt into her throat. It only took seconds to remember he’d driven to her apartment before they left for their trip, so of course his car would still be here.

  Understanding didn’t calm her nerves.

  He’d still have to come here to get his car, which meant she’d have to see him sooner, rather than later. She had gotten several text messages and missed calls from him, so she knew it hadn’t taken him long to figure out she’d left. No way was she ready to talk yet. Maybe she would be by the time he came to get his car.

  If not, that was fine, too. It wasn’t as if she had to deal with him when he came to get it. That thought caused the waterworks again.

  Sniffling, she got out of her car. She was too exhausted to get her bags, but she grabbed her toiletry one, so she’d have the essentials and made her way to her unit. She unlocked the door and locked it behind her before turning on the lights.

  She gasped, hitting the door when she instinctively stepped back.

  She wasn’t alone.

  And the person sitting on the couch watching her wasn’t Brindle.

  Chapter Ten

  “Hi,” Bryson said softly.

  Taylor’s mouth worked, but no words came. What was he doing here? How could he have made it back before her? She had at least an hour start on him and that was if he’d left the moment he figured out she was gone. Didn’t matter. She didn’t want to see him. Not yet. Without saying a word, she turned around and reached for the door. She didn’t know where she was going as long as it wasn’t here. So much for sleeping in the comfort of her own bed.

  “Don’t. Please,” he said, just as she tried to flee. She paused, her hand poised at the door when she heard him stand. She considered walking out anyway, but it was the middle of the night. If she argued with him outside, her neighbors might call the police. The only alternative was to keep walking, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to outrun him. Not that he’d hurt her.

  Physically.

  Knowing she was stuck, she stepped to the side and dropped her bag. “How did you get here so fast?” she asked without looking.

  “Tucker’s a pilot with a lot of friends. He flew me here, and I took a cab from the landing strip.”

  “So you’ve been here awhile?” she asked, thinking it was better to avoid the real topic she knew was on his mind.

  “About an hour. Took several hours to get the flight arranged.” He took a deep breath. “Taylor,” he said, her name an exhale. She knew he was done with their pitiful attempt at small talk.

  “You shouldn’t have come,” she said in a rush. “I don’t want to see you right now.”

  “I know, baby,” he said softly. “But I want to explain some things, and I needed to make sure you were okay. I’ve been going crazy since I found out you left.”

  She turned around and looked at him then because she couldn’t help it. He looked devastated and as exhausted as she felt. “I understand. I’m sorry I didn’t answer the phone, but I just couldn’t.”

  “I know.” He moved closer, and she stuck out her hand to stop his advance.

  “It doesn’t mean I’m ready to talk to you about what happened.” She blinked several times and cleared her throat to force the lump away. She wasn’t through crying about this. Not for a long shot, but she didn’t want to do it in front of him. It was all too raw.

  “I don’t need you to talk. Just to listen.”

  She shook her head. “Bryson— ”

  “Taylor, please. I only want a few minutes. Then I’ll go, and Brindle can come back.” So her friend had come, but he’d sent her away. “We don’t have to get into everything tonight if you don’t want to. I just need to clear up a couple of things.”

  Her shoulders sagged as she nodded. She was too tired to keep standing, so she moved to the couch, taking the long way around to avoid getting close to him. When she sat on the end, he came over to it and sat on the other end, facing her with his hands clasped between his legs.

 

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