Page 60 of A Lot Like Forever
“Whatever you say,” Chloe said. “But I don’t think he’ll ever be getting over you in a hurry. You might just be the first one to break his heart.”
“Don’t listen to us,” Hope interrupted. “Yes, he obviously cares for you and his brothers think it’s hilarious seeing him like this, but it’s none of our business. Let’s just get another round of drinks and have some fun.”
“This might be my last chance to let my hair down for a while. Ryder’s getting all clucky and talking about having another baby, so I’ll probably be knocked up before I know it. Then I’ll be back sipping ginger ale or sparkling water.”
“Chase is the same,” Hope admitted, smiling as she toyed with her straw. “I think they get all primitive and like the idea of us being at home barefoot and pregnant, as much as they claim to like our independence.”
Faith was pleased to change the subject, even if it did reinforce the fact that she was doing the right thing by emotionally distancing herself from Nate. If the women were right about the way he was starting to feel about her, then she needed to end things now before they got any deeper into something she knew neither of them really wanted. Being with Nate was amazing, she could never deny that, but what would happen if she stayed? Either they’d end up married and he’d want children, she’d have to sacrifice what she wanted and end up being someone she didn’t want to be, or he’d tire of her or decide she wasn’t the right kind of girl to marry and she’d end up heartbroken and scarred by the one man she’d put all her love and trust into.
She stared down into her empty glass. Either way she’d be repeating the mistakes of her mother, except that Faith would never leave her children like her mom had, and what was the point of vowing not to repeat the mistakes she’d witnessed if she just changed her mind and gave in because she had a hunch Nate might be different?
“I think someone definitely needs another drink,” Chloe suggested, holding out her hand to her.
Faith looked up, completely lost to her thoughts. “Sorry, what was that?” she asked.
“Drinks,” Chloe repeated. “We all need something else to drink, and then we’re dancing. No more talking about Nate or any of the boys, okay?”
Faith nodded. “Okay. Sounds good.”
She got up, grabbed her purse, and forced Nate from her mind. She knew how stupid her jumbled-up thoughts would sound to anyone else, so she wasn’t even going to try to explain to Chloe and Hope, or to any of her friends, either. Walking away from Nate would be hard, but staying would only end up being harder.
She held tight to Chloe’s hand as they walked through the crowd back toward the bar. They had abandoned their table, which meant it was time to knock back another drink, then dance, and if there was one thing that would take her mind off anything it was letting the beat take over her body and just having fun moving to music.
They stopped at the bar, Chloe pushing past a few guys and Hope following. They were both great to hang out with, and she’d definitely miss them. Hope was busy during the week working as a specialist artificial insemination vet, which was how she’d ended up crossing paths with Chase again, so it was Chloe she’d seen the most of on the ranch, although she liked them both.
“Hey, gorgeous, can I buy you a drink?”
A rough hand landed on Faith’s arm and she froze, wincing as the hold tightened. Arrows of fear shot through her.Nate.She wished he was right here beside her, keeping her safe. But he wasn’t.
“I said--”
“No,” she said, voice frosty. She went to pull her arm away, but he kept hold. “Let go.”
“Sweetheart, I was just having fun.”
She yanked her arm back, glaring at him before moving closer to Chloe and Hope. When Nate called her sweetheart it was one thing, but not some random stranger.
“Uptight bitch,” the guy muttered in a loud voice.
“Excuse me?” She should have ignored him, but she couldn’t. All that talk about Nate and getting all pissed off with her own thoughts, and now this?
Hope slipped an arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, taking her focus off the scumbag smirking at her, egged on by the guys standing with him. “He’s not worth it. Let’s go.”
Faith doubted Hope had even seen what was going on, but she’d quickly come to her aid. The music was starting to get louder and Chloe was turning around with their drinks. It wasn’t in Faith’s nature to back down and take it on the nose, but they were right. If Nate had been here she’d have welcomed his fist flying in the direction of the asshole’s face, but it was time to act like the single, capable woman she kept saying she was.
“Dickhead!” she called over her shoulder just to make herself feel better as she walked in the opposite direction. “What is it with guys thinking they have the right to buy us drinks or chat us up even when we’re not remotely interested?” Faith asked the other two, heads bent together as they sipped their vodkas through tiny black straws.
“Beats me,” Chloe muttered. “Although I have to admit I had a hell of a lot of fun playing hard to get with my man.”
They all laughed and carried their drinks with them toward the dance floor. About a third of the place had been cleared to make space for dancing, and there were already a heap of people up making the most of it.
“To dive bars and good friends,” Hope toasted.
Faith held up her glass. Tonight was fun, but it was also sad. Because in the morning she was going to have to make some tough decisions.
* * *
Nate heard the front door open, then shut. He’d been lying in bed for over an hour trying to get to sleep, but all he’d done was toss and turn and get the sheets in one hell of a tangle. He stayed still and listened, heard the tap of heels on the wooden floor, the pipes groan as the water in the kitchen was turned on, then silence.
