Page 36 of Coming Home Country
“What about you guys?”
She lifted a single eyebrow and shot me a knowing look.
“The sin bin scene fromSticks and Shadows? Again?” I gave her a playful eye roll. It was no secret that was her favorite spicy scene ever written.
“Come on, you know it was hot as hell.”
My head tilted from side to side. “Honestly, I liked the scene after that, where he could still smell the lingering scent of their sex in the penalty boxduring the next game and then railed her in the backseat of his car in the parking garage.”
Cheeks tinting pink, she sighed. “Yeah.”
“Can’t believe you found that one in our tiny bookshop,” I mused.
She sat up straight. “Oh! Didn’t I tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“Evie’s got a hookup with the author.”
“Shut up, no way.” I shoved her shoulder.
“Dead serious. I swear.” Aspen made a crossing gesture over her heart.
“Evie Grant, as in Tucker’s sister?”
“Mm-hmm.” Her head bobbed as her smile grew.
Doubtful, I challenged, “How?”
“Jenner’s teammate is actually married to D.D. Morgan. But I guess her real name is Dakota.”
I let out a low whistle. “Small world.”
“No kidding. Like, what are the odds?”
Reminiscent of our college days when we’d shared a dorm room, we stayed up the rest of the night, talking about anything and everything. With Aspen getting married, we were coming to the end of an era. I would always hold a special place in her life, but Mac would be the person she confided in first, as it should be.
I was happy for her that she’d found her person.
But I couldn’t help thinking about my person—the tortured soul living alone in a house of my design—on the other end of town.
Where did we go from here?
Chapter 9
Tucker
Isurvivedovertenyears without seeing Bex’s face, but now that she was back in my life, spending forty-eight hours apart felt like I was dying inside.
She wasn’t the only one emotionally drained from our time spent in the cellar. After Aspen sent me away, I crashed hard. Slept for eighteen hours straight, still in my clothes.
The next day, I couldn’t shake my restlessness and was practically climbing the walls. I had no idea where I stood with Bex or if my confession had any impact on her.
I wasn’t naïve enough to believe we could pick up where we’d left off. Too much had happened. Too much time had passed.
And it was never far from my mind that she’d moved on and was with someone else. It sat like a rock in my gut that she might actually love the guy, no matter what Mac or Aspen thought.
I’d pressed her hard for an answer, but she’d avoided the question, changing the subject. I couldn’t read too much into it. She didn’t owe me anything. Not after what I’d done.
