Page 164 of Trust Me Always

“But why are you walking away now? What’s changed?”

“When I told her I was going to fight for her, she was available.” His eyes hold mine. “She’s not anymore.”

My heart starts beating wildly as realization sets in. “You told her already.”

“I did.”

“And she…?”

“Didn’t say it back? No.” He lets out a low laugh. “No, she didn’t. She said she had to go.” He sighs. “And then she ran out into the middle of the road and hopped in the truck with you.”

Ran into the middle of the road…

“Wait.” I push closer. “When did you tell her?”

“Maybe an hour after I told you.”

My muscles lock, eyes frozen on his.

He told her.

She knew he was in love with her before she came home with me that day. Before I kissed her outside my truck and before everything that came after.

A slow thump starts in my chest, and it only grows louder, faster.

Alister smiles and grips my shoulder as he goes to walk by, but I spin.

“Wait.” Discomfort draws lines to my forehead. “This isn’t why I invited you here, you know, to see if she’d turn you downor whatever. I was raised better than that. It was an honest invitation because I didn’t like the thought of you, or anyone for that matter, being alone on a holiday.”

“And that says a lot about you, Lancaster. I appreciate it, and I had a great time, but I am going to go. Before I do, though, let me be the one to do something kind for you.” He pauses, and my brows dip in the center. “Don’t leave yourself open for regrets.”

“It’s…complicated.”

Alister smiles, looking up at the back deck of the house, where my friends, myfamily, are drinking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. “I don’t know, man.” He brings his attention back to me. “Looks pretty simple to me.”

With one last pat on the shoulder, he walks off, and my eyes go back to our crew.

Ari is standing there with a smile, Noah’s arms wrapped around her with his lips pressed to her hair. Payton is leaning against the railing with a blanket pulled around her shoulders, watching Mason from across the way, the father and son duo dancing to some country song.

I’ve never been prouder of a best friend than I was the day he claimed that little boy as his own. He has no idea what that will mean to Deaton one day, and I know Mason will spend his life making sure that kid never feels like anything less than his son.

My chest rises and falls on a long breath, gaze continuing along the others.

Mason’s cousin Nate is here with his girl, Payton’s brother with his fiancé, who also happens to be Nate’s sister.

I look for the rest of our crew, finding Paige is off the deck, sitting on a rock by the firepit, Fernando standing across from her telling a story that has her laughing a bit, but her eyes keep moving across the flames, and what do you know? It’s my other best friend she’s looking at.

He’s glaring right back but not at her—at his teammate who’s talking to her.

Huh. Seems that most of us are all coupled up, just a few of us left to figure out where life is going to lead us—to the person we want or some other unknown.

My eyes go to Cameron, standing by the fire too, with Trey at her side.

She’s got a pair of baggy sweats on, the bottoms all bunched up and shoved as best as she could manage into a pair or fuzzy boots in an attempt to keep the sand out. It won’t work. Her upper body is drowning in a hoodie, and I hate that it’s lacking my name or number. Her hair is tied up on her head in a mess of blond, little pieces blowing free around her face.

I want to push them away, tuck them back behind her ear.

How do I tell her I’m gone on her?

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