Page 17 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

Ryan dragged a rag over the counter. “You think he knew she would run back here?”

I took a slow sip of my drink. “That would be my guess.”

He shook his head and rolled up his sleeves. “That’s a whole new level of crazy.”

He wasn’t wrong. I was starting to wonder if it was more of a warning than an act of revenge.

I hadn’t seen the guy since Molly’s graduation party. But I remembered the look on his face like it was yesterday. Smug and cocky. He cozied up to her dad like he knew he had already won.

And I guess he had because she chose him over me.

But now, she was back at my house, and I wasn’t sure how to handle that.

Ryan crossed his arms. “Maybe Tuck can find some evidence of who did it.”

I set my beer down a little harder than I intended. “That would be nice, but I’m not getting my hopes up.”

The guy had money and influence. He might have been a jackass, but he wasn’t stupid.

Ryan wiped his hands off on the rag and pointed to my beer. “Do you want something stronger than that?”

“It’s probably best if I stick to beer.”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter. “How long is Harlow in town for?”

That was a damn good question.

“No clue.” I shrugged.

“Seems like there are a lot of things about your ex that you don’t know.”

My eyes narrowed. “Where exactly are you going with this?”

Ryan exhaled. “Brother, you’ve been in love with the girl forever. I know you’ve always had a soft spot for her, but after skipping town and leaving you in the dust and now magically showing up out of the blue…” His eyes softened. “I’m worried about you. And it’s nothing personal against Harlow, but it’s been five years. People change. You know nothing about what her life has been like since she left.”

Ryan was just being a good friend. He was worried about me and what this would do to me mentally. After Harlow left, I shut down. It took me a long time to pick up the pieces and move on. He didn’t want to see me go down that road again. Hell, I didn’t want to either.

Was there a small part of me that wanted to know every little detail about her life? Of course, there was. But another part was afraid to let her get too close to me. I spent years trying to get those wounds to heal.I wasn’t interested in having them ripped open.

“I’m not the same guy I was back then, either.”

He looked like he didn’t believe me. I meant what I said. I wasn’t the same inexperienced kid who felt love was all that mattered. I’d been through enough and seen enough to not believe in that fairy tale anymore. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t curious and wondered what might have happened if she had stayed?

He leaned forward, lowering his voice, when two older ladies took a seat next to mine. “Come on, Brooks. Are you going to sit there and tell me you don’t still have a thing for her?”

I shook my head and took a sip of my beer. “Don’t start, okay. What we had was a long time ago.”

“If you don’t still care about her, why is she sleeping under your roof?”

I stared at my beer bottle. “Because I’m a decent human being.”

“Really? Is that all?”

“Yes. She didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

I can’t believe I actually came here to unwind.

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But based on how moody you are, it seems there is more going on here than you’re letting on.”

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