Page 62 of All This Time
“Is that so?”
“Yup. And I’m going to remind you of this conversation when you come to me on the fence about listening to your goddamn heart.”
“So no matter the cost, no matter what issue may arise… You’re saying that if I find the woman that makes me want that life—marriage, kids, the white picket fence—to go after her?”
He nods. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
So, you’re saying that I should go after Laney?
Am I using this as a bit of a loophole? Maybe. But at the same time, hearing one of my best friends talk about taking control of his life and not waiting, despite the risks, has my brain spinning.
There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t push things with Laney. Hell, reason number one being her hot-and-cold demeanor that still hasn’t chilled out. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past twenty-four hours, it’s that I still have an effect on her, so maybe this time in Blossom Peak is the perfect opportunity to explore it.
Am I fucking crazy? Probably.
Do I care? Not even a little.
“Fletch?” Elliot’s voice pulls me from my thought spiral.
“Yeah?”
He glances at his phone that’s chiming at him. “I have a call in ten minutes that I completely forgot about.”
Pushing myself up from my chair, I readjust my hat. “No worries, man. I’ll let you get back to work.”
“We’ll talk more soon, yeah?” He wakes up his computer by jostling the mouse. “Maybe you can come over one night and I’ll order some pizza. It’s just me right now while Tori is out of town for work.”
“Aw, are you lonely, Elliot?”
He flips me off. “Do you want free pizza or not?”
“I don’t know.” I pat my stomach. “Not sure my waistband can afford it.”
“Fuck off,” he says through a laugh. “Just text me later.”
“Will do.” I leave Elliot’s office and head back out to my truck, reeling over my friend’s epiphany about his life, and wondering if coming here for his wedding is helping me find my own.
Chapter 12
Laney
Rods, Feelings, and a Charming Bull
“Hey, Steven. Where’s Dilynne?”
Steven, one of the mechanics at Clark Customs & Auto Repair, rubs his hand on a rag as he jerks his chin toward the back of the shop. “She’s head-down in an engine, just the way she likes it.” He sticks his tongue in his cheek, fighting back his grin.
“God, Steven. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”
He points a finger at me. “My mom thinks I’m a saint, and that’s exactly the way we’re going to keep it, you got it?”
Placing my hands on my hips, I tilt my head at him. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s time I let her know how filthy her son really is.”
“Snitches get stitches, Laney.” He shrugs. “Don’t forget that.”
Laughing, I round the counter and pull him in for a hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too. What brings you in?”
