Page 52 of Coming Home Country
Ican’tbelieveIpushed Bex away when she was seconds from kissing me.
Sleep had been impossible as I spent all night agonizing over how close I’d been to feeling her lips on mine. I probably wouldn’t have put a stop to it if that damn ring hadn’t grazed my skin, but I would still be swimming in regret this morning—just a different kind.
After being painted as a cheater by almost everyone in this town, I wasn’t about to lend truth to that belief while dragging Bex down with me.
She was fucking engaged. That meant she was off-limits.
It didn’t matter that the guy who’d given her that ring expected her to blindly obey his every command—and then lashed out at her when she didn’t—because she’d accepted his offer. Bex had made her choice.
Maybe this was my penance for the years of suffering I’d put her through, being forced to sit and watch with my hands tied as she moved on.
We had the rehearsal dinner tonight and the wedding tomorrow. Beyond the obligatory escort as the best man to her maid of honor, I vowed to keep my distance. I couldn’t keep torturing myself like this. There was no futurefor us. There hadn’t been since Hurricane Brooke blew into my life and took me for a ride.
There was a knock at the front door, and I rolled out of bed with a groan. It was probably Mac wanting all the juicy details after seeing me and Bex on the dance floor. He should be wrapped up in his own love life instead of being so invested in mine.
But I would cut him some slack, considering that before coming to Rust Canyon, he hadn’t known true friendship. Now that he did, he went overboard to ensure he carried his weight in our relationship. Even if I was mildly annoyed with him showing up at—I checked my watch—eight in the morning, I could appreciate that he cared about me. Beyond that, he cared about Bex.
Tugging on last night’s jeans, I trudged through the house. Fingers digging into my tired eyes, I opened the door. “Look, bud, about last night—“
The words died on my tongue when I saw the woman standing opposite me.
I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t imagining her presence. “Rose?”
Bex’s mother dipped her chin in greeting. “Mornin’, Dr. Grant.”
My brows drew down at hearing her address me so formally. “Is something wrong? Do you have a medical concern?”
“It’s nothing like that.” Rose clasped her hands before her waist. “I was hoping we could have a chat.”
A chat. Shit. Had word already spread around town about me and Bex being a breath away from kissing last night? Rose Crawford was one of Rust Canyon’s most upstanding citizens, and the last thing I wanted was for gossip and speculation surrounding my relationship with her daughter to cast a mark upon her spotless reputation.
I stepped away from the door frame to grant her entry. Only when a rush of cool spring air accompanied her inside did I realize I was shirtless. After latching the door, I gestured to my living room. “Please make yourself at home. I wasn’t expecting company this morning, and it would appear I’m underdressed.”
“Of course.” Rose stepped around me to take a seat on the couch.
Hustling to the bedroom, I threw on a clean T-shirt before rejoining her. Nervous energy coursed through me, and my knees began to bounce the second I dropped onto the recliner opposite my guest.
“How can I help you, Rose?”
Her eyes lifted to meet my gaze. “I’d like to talk to you about my daughter.”
Figured as much.
“Okay.” I nodded, that single word giving her permission to say her piece.
“It’s no secret that you’re the reason why she’s stayed away all this time.” Shame burned hot and bright, setting my insides on fire. “I’ve kept out of it because no matter what went down between the two of you, it wasn’t my fight.” She paused. “But that ends today. I will no longer remain silent when it’s clear as day that the pair of you belong together.”
I dragged a hand down my face. “I love her.” Rose’s brown eyes, so much like her daughter’s, softened at my declaration. “But I won’t ask her to choose. I’ve done enough damage already. I refuse to be the man who throws a grenade into the life she’s built.”
“He’s not one of us.” She didn’t need to clarify whohewas. The vision of him screaming at Bex haunted me every time I closed my eyes.
“Neither are Mac and Jenner.” I threw in my brother-in-law’s name for good measure. He might not claim residence, but he’d married one of our own.
“Maybe not,” Rose conceded. “But they’re good men. Unlike”—her lips pursed like she’d sucked on a lemon—“Aaron.”
The disdain in her voice was so uncharacteristic that it shocked me. She had every reason to hate me for driving her only child away, yet she’d never treated me with anything but kindness, the same as anyone else in town. Aaron must have made quite an impression for her to dislike him enough to share those feelings with her daughter’s ex.
“Bex isn’t happy, Tucker. Don’t tell me you can’t see that when you’ve spent more time with her this week than I have.”
