Page 34 of Where Love Lies

“See?” Owen gestures toward me. Flynn holds his head, ready for this to be over so he can go back to bed.

Silence falls onto our shoulders. Tenly crosses her arms.

“If it’s overlooked and someone else does it and says, ‘Oh, you let them do it,’ then it’s my ass! I’ll double check with the HEA. If they agree, it comes down, Owen.” Her voice is lighter, more accepting than the screaming match they were just in.

“Looking forward to it,” he snaps. Tenly huffs and jogs away, leaving me with the guys.

“Are all mornings this entertaining?” I ask. Flynn grins.

“With Owen and Tenly, we could open a ringside attraction.”

Laughing, I look to Owen. He closes his robe, shaking off his anger like a cold chill.

“She has it out for me and you know it, Flynn,” he says sternly. “So, I would ask how last night went, but the whole neighborhood heard how well it went.”

My mouth parts in disbelief. My face fuming with embarrassment. Is he insinuating he could hear me having sex?

“No,” I gush, praying he’s just teasing.

Flynn shakes his head. “He’s just messing with you.”

My shoulders deflate in relief. I glare at Owen laughing his ass off at my expense.

Game on.

17

Six weeks later

“Woman, do you hear me?” Owen’s high-pitched voice cuts through my thoughts. I blink a few times to clear my head. Sitting out back at Owen and Flynn’s, I sigh in frustration, as I perch my pink toes on the edge of a metal patio chair. Iwaslistening until he started getting excited about Heston possibly proposing, then I zoned out. My first marriage didn’t work out, why would I tread that path again? Then again, Heston and I are moving fast so the thought of marriage isn’t preposterous. In the last six weeks, he sold all his furniture and put his place up for sell. He’s even been helping Paige with her pitching a softball. Something her dad was supposed to be doing but fell short. He always promises her things and then ends up with some excuse why he can’t follow through. She used to buy whatever lame reason he gave but now that she’s older she knows he’s a liar and doesn’t expect much from him.

“I hear you. I just think you’re wrong.” Looking over my shoulder, I bat my eyes with a close-lipped smile, knowing that disagreeing with him will rub him the wrong way. He stares back at me before lifting his hand to inspect his cuticles. Oh, how I love his drama queen tantrums.

“He’s right though, I think Heston is going to propose. Even if it’s only been six weeks, you should see the way he looks at you,” Flynn adds, resting his elbow on the table. I think back on the 42 days and how great it’s been. Showering together, working in the yard, and fucking until we can’t breathe. I feel a blanket of security having him here. I feel safe and cared for, not just for myself but for Paige too. In fact, when he leaves, I start overthinking all the things: what if he doesn’t come back? Am I truly in love with him? Is he in love with me? Then I start talking to my mother’s urn, asking her the same crazy questions and wishing she could tell me when she knew she was in love? It’s like I can’t move on without her, the idea of her being gone sinks into the pit of my stomach where I’m deeply afraid I’ll be alone for the rest of my life.

“Like an obsessed little boy with a new toy.” Owen scoffs, and I roll my eyes at his absurdity.

“Look how protective he is over you and Paige. No man would act that way without good intentions,” Flynn adds, and I sigh just thinking about it. I swear in the last six weeks, I’ve had to become a referee between Cam and Heston. If they cross paths, there’s always some kind of physical altercation. Heston says he can’t help it because he can’t stand the way Cam talks to me. That Paige and I deserve better. If it were up to him, Paige would never go to Cam’s, but the fact that Cam’s her father and he does try, even if he’s not the most reliable.

Red finches fly around Owen and Flynn’s birdfeeder, quickly landing, only to take to the air again when a mockingbird decides to land next to them. “How lucky they are to just be able to up and fly away to wherever they please,” I say, my voice thick with envy.

“Yeah, but some landings take you straight into the cat’s den.”

“True,” I mutter. I don’t know what I think about Heston proposing. We burn so hot, moving through the steps of a relationship too fast. I’m happy with him, but I don’t know if I should marry him. I know this is what happy couples do so I shouldn’t be surprised but I’m not ready. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.

The wind shifts from the south, blowing a hard, hot breeze. I close my eyes and ease back as the smell of cut grass and sweet purple azaleas surrounds me. The birds chirp. The wind rustling the leaves of the big oak trees behind the property line. As the breeze wanes, I open my eyes, feeling calmer. Owen and Flynn have been my neighborly therapists for a while now, so much so that I don’t know what I’d do without them. Standing, I stretch my arms above my head.

“Well, boys, I need to get home and take over playing catch, I forgot Heston is waiting for a call back about work today.” I wave as I walk toward the side of the house to cross the street back to my house.

“Bye!” they say in unison. As I reach my front porch, I’m left wondering how long I’ve been gone because Paige and Heston are no longer where I left them. Opening my front door, Heston is sitting on the couch in khaki shorts and no shirt.

“Where’s Paige?”

“Her room, I think. I threw a ball a little fast and she tried to catch it with the hand that didn’t have a glove.” He winces. “I think it hurt a finger or two, but nothing’s broke.”

“Oh, man, are you sure she’s okay?”

He nods, a weak smile on his face. “Yeah. She punched me in the arm before calling it quits.”

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