Stay With Me (Hope Valley Book 5)

by Jessica Prince

  “Still wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if you had,” Gypsy teased. “You’ve been on a roll lately. First it was the trays of homemade cinnamon rolls you brought to the salon this week, and now the gazillion cookies.” She pointed over at the container sitting on Eden’s coffee table. “Your sweet tooth has gotten out of control.”

  Eden looked at Nona with concern. “You’re stress baking again?”

  Nona’s eyes rolled skyward. “No, I’m not stress baking. I just like sweets.”

  Tempie laughed and lifted her wineglass to her lips, carefully taking a sip while trying not to mess up her mask. “Then you must be pregnant.”

  We all started to laugh until we noticed the way Nona froze, another cookie held aloft halfway to her mouth. Her wide eyes looked even more exaggerated thanks to the green mask covering her whole face.

  “Oh my god,” Eden breathed, then screeched so loud it made us wince, “you’re pregnant?”

  “A little bit,” she answered before stuffing the cookie into her mouth.

  “Holy crap,” I cried, launching from the chair and colliding with her. “That’s so great! Congratulations.”

  The five of us fell into a big group hug, smearing our face masks, but we didn’t care. This was too good not to celebrate.

  “Thanks, guys,” Nona said, the trepidation in her eyes contradicting the smile on her face. “It just kind of happened by accident. Trick and I have talked about more kids, but nothing was really set in stone. This kind of came out of nowhere.”

  “I should’ve known,” Tempie said. “You’ve only had water tonight. It’s not like you to turn down a glass of wine. And your boobs look incredible.”

  I was willing to bet Nona’s face was burning bright red beneath that goo, but it was the god’s honest truth. The woman had the kind of curves that made every other woman jealous, and now they were even more pronounced.

  “You’re right,” I gasped, taking her in for the first time. “How the hell didn’t we notice that? You’re stacked.”

  “Love you guys, you know that,” Nona started, “but can we stop talking about my boobs? They might look good, but believe me, it’s not all fun and games. They hurt like a son of a bitch already.”

  “So how far along are you?” Eden asked on a giggle, plopping down on the floor by the coffee table.

  “Only about ten weeks. We wanted to wait until I was further along before we told anyone. I’ve been a little scared to admit it out loud.”

  “Why?” I asked, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

  “Well, I’m not exactly young. And the doctor said I’m considered high risk because of my age.”

  “You’re only thirty-six!” Gypsy yelped.

  “I know.” Nona shrugged and complained, “Just one of the perks of being a woman.”

  “I’m sure you’re gonna be just fine, honey,” Tempie offered, her voice soothing. “And this baby is gonna be gorgeous.”

  She placed her hand on her flat belly. “Yeah. But then there’s also the fact that with our kids combined, this makes number five. That’s a lot.”

  “Yeah, but you’re lucky,” Gypsy chimed in, having her fair share of experience with a big brood. “At least the first four are old enough to help you take care of the little one.”

  “That’s true.”

  Leaning in, I grabbed my wineglass and took a sip before asking, “So how’d Trick take the news?”

  Nona’s face broke out in the most beautiful smile. Trick and Nona were each other’s second chance. Both of them had been unhappily married before, and both had gone through nasty divorces. They’d had to wade through their share of ugly, but they found each other, so it was nothing but beauty and happiness from here on out. “He’s already babyproofing the house,” she admitted. “It would be annoying as hell if it wasn’t so adorable. I just wish he and the kids would back the hell off. I’m pregnant, not an invalid. If I stand up from the couch, I’ve got five people rushing to find out what’s wrong, what I need, where I’m going. I haven’t been able to go pee without giving them advanced notice for weeks now.”

  “There are worse problems you could have,” Eden said, ever the voice of reason.

  As my friends chattered away about how bountiful their lives were becoming, I sat back and smiled, trying not to let my thoughts turn too depressing. Sure, they were all moving on and I was still stuck in park, but it wasn’t a big deal. I had a good life. I had a beautiful house, a job I loved, friends and family I adored. I could be a lot worse off.

  Or at least that was the lie I insisted on telling myself to keep from sinking into a dark, gnawing pit of loneliness.

  Maybe it’s time for me to try out that app again.

  “So, Rory,” Tempie said, pulling me from my dismal thoughts. “Hayes told me about the bar fight at The Tap Room the other day. Did you really break a broom handle on a guy’s face?”

  “Well, one guy’s face, another guy’s back. But they deserved it.”

  I got nods and murmurs of approval from my girls. Then Tempie spoke again, her eyes shrewd and her smile knowing. “He also told me you and Cord seemed pretty close after the dust settled. You wanna share with the class?”

  “There’s nothing to share,” I said flatly.

  “All right, that’s it,” Gypsy declared. “I’m calling bullshit for good this time. There’s clearly something going on there that you’ve been keeping from us. We’ve let you dance around it for months now, but your time’s up.”

  “Gypsy,” Eden said in quiet admonishment, but our sassy friend wasn’t having any of it.

  “No. No way. I want to know, damn it. It’s been driving me crazy!”

  “You know, she’s kinda got a point,” Nona said carefully. “I mean, it’s not like the rest of us haven’t been through our fair share of shit lately, and you’ve been right by our side the whole time, having our backs when we needed you. I think it’s only fair we get the same courtesy, don’t you?”

  I blew out a sigh and downed the last of my wine before refilling the glass. “All right,” I relented. “What do you want to know?”

  The girls seemed almost giddy with anticipation, and Eden was the first to start.

  “Okay, well, a lot of it we’ve been able to piece together by how you guys act around each other. We know you’ve had a thing for him for a while. We know his ex is a raging bitch that deserves to have her face scratched off by feral cats. We know something happened seven months ago after he got shot, and whatever that something was, it made you go ice cold.”

  Tempie nodded in agreement with everything Eden just said. “And we know there are enough sparks between you to power a nuclear reactor. So how about you fill in the blanks?”

  Well, here goes nothing.

  I filled them in on everything from asking Cord out shortly after he moved to town, to us becoming best friends, to him ghosting me when Laurie made it known she didn’t like how close we were. I didn’t go into detail about his past—that wasn’t my story to share—but I did explain that now that I knew his and Laurie’s history, it made more sense. I told them about the kiss in the hospital and how he called me by Laurie’s name. Then I closed it out by sharing everything Cord had told me recently about how he’d wanted me from the very moment he laid eyes on me to how he still wanted me now, but that we’d settled on rekindling our friendship because that was all I had to give.

  By the time I’d finished, I’d gone through another glass of wine. I was beginning to feel lightheaded, and my cheeks were starting to tingle, but that could have been a side effect of keeping the mask on for so long.

  “So that’s it,” I finished, sitting my now-empty wineglass on the coffee table. I could’ve really used another drink, but I had to drive myself home later. “That’s the whole story.”

  My friends sat in flabbergasted silence for a good minute before Tempie finally spoke. “Babe. You are so screwed.”

  My back shot straight as I turned to her. “
What?”

  “She’s right,” Gypsy added, her eyes holding commiseration. “These men… they aren’t like any other men you’ll ever meet. When they want something, they go balls to the wall to get it. You can put up a fight all you want, hon, but in the end, they always get their way.”

  “It’s true,” Eden added. “I mean, look at me and Linc. We’re engaged now, but when I broke up with him, he literally annoyed me into taking him back.”

  “And Trick used his awesome kids and an adorable little puppy to get his way,” Nona chimed in.

  “Marco used my brothers and sisters against me,” Gypsy said. “And it worked. They basically teamed up on me.”

  We all turned to Tempie for her two cents. “Hayes just bossed me into being with him,” she said with a shrug. “Oh, and he used sex. A lot of really incredible sex.”

  “Oh yeah,” Eden chirped. “Lincoln did that too.”

  “And Trick,” Nona said.

  “And Marco.” That came from Gypsy.

  “But…” I looked around at my girls with wide, panicked eyes. “He said he was cool with just being friends.”

  Eden snorted into her wineglass. “Of course he said that. It’s his way in before he forces himself in.”

  Oh sweet Mother Mary. I was so screwed.

  “You landed on a true-blue alpha man’s radar, Ror,” Tempie said. “I’m not telling you to cut him some slack. In fact, he deserves to grovel for a whole hell of a lot longer. You’re worth walking through fire for, and if I know that man as well as I think, I suspect he already knows and is gearing up to do just that.”

  “Then what exactly is it you’re telling me?” I cried as my heart began pounding against my ribs, playing them like a xylophone.

  “I’m telling you to brace, honey. ’Cause from what I can tell, you’re gonna have one hell of a fight on your hands, and I have a feeling he’s willing to fight dirty.”

  Oh hell. At that, my mind bounded back to what Cord had said to me in the alley behind The Tap Room days ago.

  “When something’s worth fighting for, I won’t hesitate to do just that. And for you, I’m willing to fight dirty.”

  My stomach flipped and my skin started to grow tight as Tempie continued to lay it on me. “If you really think you can’t forgive him, not a single one of us would blame you. But ask yourself this. Are you happy right now? Really and truly happy? Because I’ve known you for a long time, Ror, and how you’ve been the past several months just isn’t you.”

  She was right. I’d been absolutely miserable. I thought I’d taken a step toward fixing that by agreeing to be Cord’s friend, but now I was beginning to wonder if I’d just been fooling myself.

  “Uh, guys?” At the sound of her voice, we all turned Gypsy’s way. “Not that I don’t love dissecting the ins and outs of Rory and Cord’s relationship and trying to guess what the outcome might be, but I think my chin’s starting to go numb.”

  “Oh, damn,” Eden shouted, jumping to her feet. “Everybody rinse your faces. And um… don’t worry.” She let out a nervous giggle. “The ingredients are all natural, so they won’t harm you. And any splotchiness should clear up in a day or two.”

  Note to self: never mix at-home facials with booze and meaningful confessions ever again.

  Chapter Eleven

  Cord

  It was Wednesday night, and while The Tap Room wasn’t packed, it was far from empty. That evening’s crowd was sedate, people coming in to blow off steam after a long day’s work to help them get over the hump of the week—with the exception of Dusty, but that was to be expected.

  Creedence Clearwater Revival was playing on the jukebox, there were small groups congregating around the pool tables and dartboard, and half the tables were full. The hum of conversation filled the air, but it wasn’t loud and wild like it could be on a Friday night or the weekends. Still, even with the relaxed atmosphere, Rory was in her element, slinging drinks and chatting with customers, taking time to give each and every person who stopped her to talk her complete and undivided attention. And Christ, she looked amazing as she did it.

  She was wearing a racerback tank tonight in a pretty teal color with “Tap That” in white lettering across the front. Her jeans hugged her ass and long legs to perfection. Her right wrists were covered in silver and copper bangles and her left had a stylish leather cuff. Big copper hoops dangled from her ears and tangled with the shiny black hair that hung halfway down her back in wild, sexy waves. A pair of cowboy boots encased her feet, and as usual, a thin, brightly colored scarf was strung through the loops of her jeans, in place of a belt, and knotted at her hip, the long fringed ends hanging down to midthigh.

  It was a style all her own, and she rocked the hell out of it. Part cowgirl, part rocker, part hippy, and all Rory.

  Fuck me, she was gorgeous.

  As if feeling my eyes on her, she turned from the conversation she was currently having with Joe Silvester. Our gazes locked, and she offered me a little smile before looking back to Joe, saying something as she stood tall. She lifted her index finger in that way that said give me one minute, and he nodded. Then she started in my direction.

  “You need a refill?”

  I glanced down to my nearly empty pint. Usually I stuck with Guinness if I was feeling in the mood for beer, or whiskey on the rocks if I was in a foul mood. But The Tap Room was known for their specialty brews. They had a different one for every season, and each of them was the shit, so I’d gone with their summer ale tonight.

  “Yeah, dollface. Appreciate it.”

  She cleared my glass, got a new one, and pulled my draft with quick efficiency. She set it in front of me, then placed her forearms on the bar right across from me just like she’d been doing with Joe a minute ago and asked, “Anything else?”

  “I’m good, Ror.”

  It had been a week and a half since Rory and I had rekindled our friendship, and while the first few days had been a bit cautious, we’d managed to fall into a comfortable routine faster than I could have hoped.

  I came into The Tap Room after work every night. The moment Rory saw me, she’d smile, move to pour me a beer, and have it waiting at the bar by the time I made it through the crowd.

  “What about you guys?” she asked, turning to the stools beside mine where Linc and Hayes were sitting. “Need anything?”

  “I’m good for now, darlin’,” Linc answered.

  “Nah, sweetheart,” Hayes said. “Need to be headin’ home to my woman.” He stood from his stool, pulled the wallet from his back pocket, and dropped a couple bills on the counter. “Keep the change.”

  Rory grabbed the cash and gave him a bright smile. “Tell Tempie I said hey.”

  “Will do.”

  Linc and I bid Hayes a farewell, and Rory moved back down the bar to handle a few drink orders. The moment she was out of earshot, Lincoln started in. “So what’s this shit I hear about you two bein’ just friends?”

  Lifting my beer to my lips, I took a pull and kept my eyes forward, watching Rory in the periphery before setting the glass back on the bar top. “Gotta start somewhere, man. Tried divin’ right in, but that didn’t get me anywhere.”

  “She’s leery,” he surmised correctly.

  “Rightfully so,” I defended. “What I did, choices I made. Need to earn her trust back first.”

  Not one to speak or act without thinking on it first, Lincoln mulled that over for a bit. “That’s a good woman right there,” he finally stated, turning his head to look at me.

  “One of the best I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing,” I agreed. “There a reason you’re pointing out the obvious?”

  He turned forward, taking a pull of his own beer before speaking again. “Know you well, brother. You got my respect, which isn’t something many men get. But you got it because you earned it. Know your history, what drives you, and I know you’re loyal to your core.” His shrewd eyes hit me once more. “Damn near to a fault.”

  It was then I
knew where he was going, and I didn’t like it one damn bit. Steel slid down my spine, causing it to grow stiff as I lowered my voice. “You know me so well, then you also know I learn from my mistakes.”

  He nodded in agreement. “This is true. But I saw a good woman get hurt once already. Saw my brother pick wrong because he was loyal.”

  “And you saw me put Laurie in her place when she showed, unwanted, at the office,” I said on a near growl, my defenses rising.

  “I did. But sometimes the shit from our past has a way of diggin’ its claws back in. I just wanna make sure you know where your head is this time before you start down this path.”

  My fingers clenched around the pint glass in my hands as I let out a slow exhale. As much as I didn’t like hearing everything Lincoln was saying, I knew his concern came from a good place. Rory wasn’t just his woman’s friend, she was his friend as well. And I held the same respect for him that he had for me, so I would give him this play. Just the once.

  “I chose wrong. Hell, a big part of me knew I was choosin’ wrong as I did it, and I was never able to shake that feeling. Laurie showed up outta nowhere, and I’ll admit, you’re right, my head was twisted by that, but it’s on perfectly straight now. And like I said, I learn from my mistakes. Learned from that one in a big fuckin’ way, and I won’t make it a second time.”

  “You say that now, but—”

  Letting the fact that I respected this man go, I allowed my annoyance to show through as I broke in. “I know I hurt her,” I gritted out. “See that pain on her face every time I close my fuckin’ eyes. Keeps me up at night. You think, for one second, I’d toy with causin’ her that same kind of pain again? No way in hell. I’d give anything I could, everything I have, to go back and do it over again so I could make the right choice just to keep her from feelin’ even an ounce of that. Unfortunately, that’s not an option.”

  He studied me for several beats. Then his lips quirked into a grin and he gave me another nod. “All right, man. Then I wish you all the luck in winnin’ her trust back.”