Page 5 of Wildest Forever

Marty sinks onto the stool next to me, shortly followed by Riggs and Tripp and I secretly hope Austin walks through the door, but he doesn't.

He is struggling, and as much as we try and get him out of the house, he is still very much grieving the loss of Harlow.

We all are, she left a gaping hole in all of our lives, but to Austin, her death was cataclysmic.

I swear the ground shifted beneath our feet when she left the earthly plane.

But she is being looked after by dad, and that makes the bitter pill a little easier to swallow.

“What a day,” Tripp groans as he gets the attention of the barman and orders another round of whiskey over ice.

My chest rattles as I suck in a heavy breath.

“Mm,” I just about muster as I drain the rest of my glass and slam it down onto the bar.

“Don't let them get to you,” Riggs' deep voice breezes across me and I find myself turning my face to look at him, my breath catching at the back of my throat.

“But they get under my skin.”

“That's the whole point,” he smirks as he lifts his cowboy hat from his head and places it on the bar before thanking the barman with a nod of his head as he places the whiskeys in front of him.

I lift my own hat off my head and mirror my older brother’s move, placing it on the bar before he slides the glass of whiskey into my hand.

“What if they get the land?” I mutter quietly so only Riggs can hear me.He looks at me, his brown eyes softening.

“They won't,” his tone is a little assertive, his head lowering but his eyes burning into mine. “I promise you Pacey, they will not get this land.”

I swallow down the bile that threatens to rise.

“Okay,” I smile at him, but it doesn't meet my eyes. It's more out of forced habit then genuine.

“Okay,” he smiles back and sits tall in his stool before he turns his attention to Tripp and Marty and I just sit and listen to their conversations whilst being lost in my own head.

My eyes skate down to his hand, the gold band wrapped around his finger, and I feel my heart pump a little harder in my chest.

I am so glad that he and Aspen ended up together, it was always him, she would have always chosen him.

I'm not mad that she wanted him over me.

But it cut me a little, especially with what happened all those years ago.

I drove her out of Lovelock Bay and that evening still haunts me.

I spilled secrets that weren't mine to spill, yet I did it because I was vicious.

I had her.

I wanted her.

But she wanted him.

Unrequited love was always the worst.

I loved her with all I had.

It was never reciprocated.

Hated that.

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