Page 260 of The Brothers at Horseshoe Ranch

“I’m not just going on and on and on—” I pressed my lips together. “You know what? Whatever. I’m going inside to get some lemonade.”

“Okie dokie, smokie.” Austin chuckled and winked at me. “Anyway, I’m going to go and give my lady a big kiss. You coming, Beau?”

“Of course. I’ve missed my Lucy.” The two of them ran to the front of the house to greet their girlfriends, and Chet and I were left there.

“So you’re not going to go and greet Arya?” I said to Chet.

“No, of course not. You’re not going to go and give Sadie a big kiss on the lips?”

“Ew, of course not. Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re kissing friends now.”

“We’re not kissing friends now. We kissed one fricking time and—”

“Dude, honestly, I feel like I’m in high school again. If you like the girl, tell her. If you don’t like the girl, tell her and move on. But get over this shit. You’re making everything awkward for everyone.”

“You’re a fucking punk, you know that right, Chet?”

“I’m your brother and I love you and I’m being honest with you. You deserve that. But you cannot keep going on like this. I know she’s your best friend. I know you care about her. I don’t know what you want from her or don’t want from her, and I really don’t give a shit. Have a conversation with the girl. And if she’s playing games, tell her, ‘Look, Sadie. I’m not about to be a bitch ass punk.’”

“I’m not going to say that to Sadie.”

“Fine, don’t say that to Sadie, but just tell her you need to talk and you want some answers.”

“Um, I don’t think I’m going to say it like that either.”

“Dude, I don’t care what you say. Just have a conversation with her, okay?”

“Fine,” I said. “I’m going to get some lemonade, and then I’ll go and talk to her.”

“Okay, I’ll come in with you. I could drink a gallon of Mom’s lemonade.”

“Me too,” I laughed as we headed back to the kitchen. “Hey, Mom. We’ve come for some lemonade,” I said as we walked into the kitchen.

“Okay,” she smiled. “Help yourself to some scones fresh out of the oven as well.”

“Mmm, yummy.” I grinned at her. “Thanks, Mom.”

“You’re welcome, Wyatt,” she smiled at me. “And I think …” she gave me a meaningful look.

“Yeah?”

“I think Sadie’s back.”

I grunted and headed towards the fridge.

Why was it that everyone wanted me to have a conversation with Sadie? At this point, I didn’t really know what anyone knew about the situation. I just knew that it was driving me crazy. She was driving me crazy. Something had changed in our relationship, and I didn’t like it. Something had changed between us. I wanted things to go back the way they used to be.

Except that was a lie because I’d enjoyed the kiss. I had really, really enjoyed the kiss. And I wouldn’t mind being friends who kissed, but I didn’t know if Sadie could handle that. And if she couldn’t, well, I didn’t need to kiss her. I’d find someone else. And if she really wanted to date one of the Olivio brothers, I’d be okay with it. I’d support her.

But my stomach curled at the thought. In my heart, I knew I was lying to myself. I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t want to see Sadie kissing anyone else. I didn’t want her getting into a relationship. I didn’t want her to find true love. I didn’t want her distancing herself from me.

I felt like a hypocrite and a fool and an asshole. I wanted her all to myself and yet I didn’t want to have to give her any more of myself than I already had, and I knew that wasn’t fair. I had to be honest with myself and with Sadie, so I had to figure out exactly what was going on between the two of us.

I owed it to myself, and even more so, I owed it to her. I was her best friend, and I needed to ensure that I acted with her best interest at heart.

Chapter Eighty

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