Page 35 of Coming Home Country
Pushing thoughts of him and how these new developments impacted that relationship to the back of my mind, I threw my arms wide. “The world didn’t stop turning because Tuck broke my heart. He wasmarried, Aspen. It didn’t matter if I still loved him; he belonged to another woman, and I had to move on.”
“Right, sorry. I just thought—” She shook her head almost as if to clear it. “Never mind.”
“What?” I was still playing catch-up, so if she had more information, I needed to hear it.
“He’s still in love with you too, Bex.”
It would be difficult to deny that truth after setting foot in the dream house he’d built to my exact specifications and hearing he still had an engagement ring meant for me in his possession.
But this was too messy, too complicated, and after being put through the emotional wringer earlier, I couldn’t deal with any more today.
I was desperately in need of a change of topic.
“I know we called it off, but I’d love to see some of the other teams’ videos from the scavenger hunt.”
A wicked grin curved on Aspen’s lips. “I would pay good money to see the look on Harriet’s face at the drugstore when my brother and Penny came in to buy a pregnancy test.”
Laughter bubbled up from my chest as I pictured the pair making that purchase. “Though I can totally see Penny dragging Tripp inside to complete that task, how can you be sure they got around to it before the tornado warning, or that they even attempted it?”
“Oh, they did, all right. You know how I know? Because Meemaw rang me up while we were running around. And I had to be the one to burst her bubble that neither I nor Penny were about to give her the great-grandbabies she’s so eager for. Though, it was funny hearing her explain that buying condoms wasn’t going to help anyone get pregnant and that we should toss them in the trash to increase our chances.”
We both burst into a fit of giggles. Between gasping breaths, I said, “God, I love her.”
Aspen gripped her midsection. “Her candor is part of her charm, that’s for sure.”
I relaxed back on the bed with a sigh. “We skipped that one, but pretty sure we made up for it by being the only ones to open the bottle of wine.”
My bestie scoffed beside me. “Please, that was the easiest one.”
“What?” I sat up wide-eyed. “How did you do it?”
She flashed me a smirk. “Twist top bottle.”
For a minute, I stared at her in shock, my jaw hanging slack before I accused, “Cheater!”
Arching an eyebrow, she challenged, “I don’t remember the rules saying anything about a cork, only that you couldn’t use a corkscrew to open the bottle.”
Damn her. She was right.
I was more mad at myself that I hadn’t discovered that particular loophole. But if I had, we would have never gone to Tucker’s house, and the truth about the events of the past might have never been uncovered. Honestly, I couldn’t be sure if I was better or worse off for knowing. My head was too fucked up right now. Once the dust settled, I could sort through my feelings, but not tonight.
“How did you guys do it?”
Pride surged through me, and I whipped out my phone, pulling up the video. Aspen crowded my space to get a better view of the screen. Even though I knew what was coming, I still jolted when the cork popped free.
Aspen made an impressed sound at the back of her throat. “Okay, that was actually kinda cool.”
Tucker had always been the smartest person I knew, and it was a small comfort to see that hadn’t changed.
“You got a video for the reading challenge?”
I shook my head. “We did it, but it’s on Tucker’s phone since I read.”
Her bright blue eyes twinkled with interest. “Anything juicy?”
Lifting one shoulder in a half-shrug, I replied, “Standard reverse harem, three guys.” I huffed out a tiny laugh. “Pretty sure I shocked the shit outta Tuck, though. Two of the guys were twins.”
Aspen nodded her approval. “Excellent.”
