Page 53 of Wildest Forever

Riggs was always going to be made to work the ranch, made to stay in Lovelock Bay.

That's what happened with prom night.

Dad was so concerned that Riggs would ruin his business with Buck that he wouldn't let Riggs near her.

Work was too important.

So, he broke her heart.

Stood her up, but little did she know at the time it was all part of the plan on my dad's part. I was told to put on a suit and lead her to prom knowing that Riggs was watching from the shadows.

It was no secret that I crushed hard on Aspen, always had.She was the same age as me, but her eyes always found Riggs.

Sad thing was, I noticed everything about her yet she noticed nothing about me.

Why would she when she loved him?

“You okay?” Morgan's voice slips over me like silk and my thoughts settle down for a moment or two.

“Yeah, just thinking,” I admit as I pull into the parking spot just right of the stables.

“About?” she continues to pick.

“Our childhood,” I smile across the car at her, “we spent a lot of time here as kids, kind of grew up here I suppose,” I shrug a shoulder up.

Pointing down the fence line, I sit back a little further in my chair.

“You see those small little lights that are cable tied to the fence posts,” and I glance at her as she nods, “well Riggs put them in for Aspen, so when she ran down the fence line towards ours, or if she was coming home, she would have a trail of lights guiding her door to door,” I smile a little wider.

“Scared of the dark?” she asked and I sigh a little heavier then turned to look at her once more.

“Yeah, hated it,” I nibble the inside of my bottom lip as my arms rest over the steering wheel, shoulders up a little.

“Bless her,” her lips twist.

Silence fills the truck cab for a moment before I slip out and she follows me, her feet hitting the gravelled floor.

She walks cautiously beside me, her hands tucked into the ass pocket of her jeans. Climbing the steps, I knock on the doorbut am not waiting long until Blue answers the door, the little terror that is Butch yapping at her feet.

“Pacey,” her eyes soften as she steps out onto the decked porch and wraps her arms around me, pulling me into an embrace as she kisses me on the cheek.

“Blue,” my voice is warm as I hug her back and it's not long before she is pushing me away and letting her eyes scope over Morgan.

“It's nice to see you again,” she smiles then cups Morgan's face in her hands, tilting her head to the side.

“You too,” Morgan replies softly as I step past and make my way to the kitchen.

Buck is sitting with his newspaper before his eyes lift over and he places it down.

“There's our boy,” he stands from the table and strolls across to me, closing the gap in four strides then wraps his arms around my shoulders, patting me in between the shoulder blades.

My lips pull into a wide smirk as he holds onto me for a bit longer before he pushes away from me.

“How have you been?” his hand is on my cheek and I see the way his dark eyes settle on mine.

“Taking each day as it comes,” I admit when I hear the sound of boots clicking across the floor.

“That's all you can do son,” his smile fades, “we're all wrapped up in grief, but some days are easier than others,” his eyes lift to the doorway and I'm not sure if it's Morgan or Austin.

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