Page 30 of November's Bad Boy: Kacen
I set the fork down and pushed my plate away, the scent of gravy suddenly too much. I couldn’t eat. Not when my stomach was tied up in knots and every bite tasted like regret.
The fire crackled in the big stone fireplace, casting soft shadows across the room. My laptop sat closed on the table, the blinking light on the side the only indication it wasn’t completely dead. I could’ve been working. Could’ve distracted myself by checking in on the latest version of the adaptive irrigation software I’d sold three years ago. But even that couldn’t hold my focus tonight.
Because tonight, Scarlett might be down there.
The phone rang, slicing through the quiet like a sharp knife. I didn’t even check the screen. There was only one person who would call me tonight.
“Kacen,” I answered.
My brother's voice came through the speaker, breathless and choppy. “You sitting down?”
I stood and turned toward the window. The lights from the valley flickered in the distance. “Not anymore.”
“That’s too bad. I’ve got bad news. Ruby outted you.”
My stomach dropped. “Outted me how?”
“At the potluck. She made a full announcement. Said Mustang Mountain owes everything to its mystery benefactor. Then she named you. Said you invested in the bookstore, provided start-up funds for the barbecue place, and even covered some folks’ medical bills.” He paused. “And I’m pretty sure Scarlett is questioning that scholarship that paid for all four years of college.”
I closed my eyes. That last part burned. She wasn’t supposed to find out about that.
“She even made a toast. It was actually pretty sweet. You should be proud.”
“So Scarlett was there?”
Silence.
“Kacen. Was she there?”
“Yeah. Front row.” He exhaled. “She got up to talk to Ruby then left right after. Didn’t say goodbye to anyone. Just walked out.”
My jaw clenched so tight it ached.
“You okay, man?” Kacen asked.
“We’ll see.”
“I know this isn’t what you wanted, but it was going to come out eventually. Too many people who love you know the truth. You deserve?—”
“I don’t deserve shit.” That was the truth of it and the only one that mattered.
“Kingston…”
“I’ll talk to you later.” I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to continue the conversation. So I hung up and set my phone on the table.
Kacen was right. The truth always finds a way out, but Ruby had promised she’d wait. She said she’d let me control the timing of letting everyone know I was the man behind the start up funds and investments. I should’ve known better.
Now Scarlett knew. And I had no idea what that meant.
I paced to the edge of the room, my hand brushing the letter on the mantel as I passed. It was still sealed. Still untouched. I’d written it eight years ago in a cell I’d tried to forget. I’d addressed it to the woman I’d loved since I was fourteen and never stopped loving, even when I told her goodbye.
I couldn’t bring myself to mail it back then. Couldn’t bring myself to destroy it either.
A knock sounded on the massive front door. Three sharp raps. I froze. It was her. I knew it in the depths of my bones.
I crossed the room in four slow steps. As I tugged a baseball cap on and pulled it low over my eyes, I opened the door.
There she was.
