by Rye Hart
“Thanks, Dylan. I just—he called me ‘stupid’ earlier.”
“Okay. Where the fuck is he?” Dylan asked.
“You got Dylan cussin’. Shit’s not good,” Andrew said.
“You think he’s getting cold feet like me?” I asked.
“Hun, cold feet’s when you don’t know if you should be walkin’ down the aisle in front of hundreds of people. Callin’ an educated woman ‘stupid’ is straight up abuse,” Caleb said.
“I’m gonna knock his fuckin’ head off,” Wyatt said.
“What else has he done to you, Katie?” Dylan asked.
“It’s little things. He’s distant. Not really talking to me. I don’t think he even realizes I’m not at the table right now,” I said.
“The fuck you wanna marry someone like that for?” Caleb asked.
“It’s not too late to back out,” Dylan said. “Doesn’t sound like you’re happy.”
“Doesn’t look like it, either,” Caleb said, murmuring.
“But he was there through everything. Mom. The treatments. Flying me back and forth—”
“You think you owe him somethin’ for that?” Andrew asked. “That’s what you do for someone you love, not some favor he did you.”
“I’d a done the same damn thing if I’d a been in his position,” Caleb said. “Wouldn’t mean you owed me your future.”
“I don’t know,” I said with a sigh. “I just don’t know.”
“Like I said, if you need anythin’, you ask us, doll,” Dylan said. “No matter what it is.”
His hand came down onto my shoulder as I drew in a deep breath. It was warm and welcoming like I remembered the brothers to be. I threw back the rest of my wine, grimacing as it went down. I hugged them all one last time before I made my way back to my seat.
As I locked my eyes onto Michael, I was begging him to look at me, to pull his gaze away from his friends at the table and acknowledge my presence. That was all I needed to settle my soul and know I was doing the right thing, to know that neither of us was going to waste our lives away with someone we shouldn’t be with.
But instead, I watched a waitress come up alongside him and tap him on his shoulder. I watched him turn around and smile up at her, his eyes sparkling and his smile beaming.
Then I watched his eyes slide down to her chest as he began to stare.
He’s just looking. He’s just looking. That’s it. That’s all. Just looking.
I wove my way through the tables. He was smiling up at her in a way he hadn’t looked at me in years. His hand was on top of her hand as she rested it on his shoulder, and I tried to reason everything away. I looked at men. I checked out their asses. Him staring at her breasts was nothing. He was still marrying me, and he was still in love with me, and he was still dedicated to me.
Until I saw her slip him a piece of paper into the palm of his hand.
I stood there, frozen in my spot as I looked at him. He unfolded the note and showed it to his friend, who gave him a thumbs up. Like a fucking teenager in high school. I felt tears in my eyes as I watched his eyes dance with happiness. His fingertips gracefully folded the piece of paper back up before he tucked it into his pocket.
He was keeping it.
He was keeping the waitress’s number.
“I can’t do this,” I said.
I must’ve said it a lot louder than I’d intended because the room slowly quieted down as Michael’s eyes whipped up to mine.
At least I had his fucking attention now.
“What?” he asked.
“I can’t do this,” I said as tears crested my eyes. “I can’t marry you.”
Gasps ricocheted across the room as I began to backpedal toward the door. People were beginning to murmur as I heard a chair scrape along the floor. I turned, ready to make a run for it with the boots that covered my numbing feet.
But I felt a pressure on my upper arm as my body was whipped around.
“You can’t marry me?” Michael asked. “Since when?”
“Since I watched you take that waitress’s number,” I said.
“She didn’t hand me her number,” he said. “She handed me her email address.”
“For what? Does she have some sort of case she needs help with? Were you having a consultation with her when you were staring at her tits?”
“I would advise you to keep your voice down unless you want this whole room thinking there’s going to be no wedding tomorrow,” he said.
“Michael, there isn’t,” I said. “We aren’t right for this. We aren’t right for each other.”
“After all I did for you? All the money I spent flying you to and from this wretched state? The funeral I planned at your side? Have I not shown myself to be a devoted man?”
“You called me stupid ten minutes ago, and you’ve hardly acknowledged my presence all night.”
“Because everyone is here, Katie, and you act like it’s your show. This is for both of us. This is our wedding, not only yours. People didn’t fly in just to see you. They came to see me, too. And I’m not ignoring them because my bride-to-be is pissed that the spotlight isn’t on her all the time.”
“I’ve never been like that, and you know it,” I said.
“You were like that all through college, but I leveled you out. I was the one that stood by your side while you were off partying. I was the one that held your hair back when you got sick. I was the one that kept checking in on you until you could plant your feet firmly on the floor like a woman should do. That was me, Katie. Because I loved you.”
His words hit me like a punch in the gut.
“Loved?” I asked. “Past tense?”
“If you walk away from this, you’ll regret it. You’ll never find another man like me. You're an idiot if you can’t see what’s in front of you.”
“Idiot and stupid all in one night. Must be my lucky day,” I said breathlessly.
“Take a deep breath, Katie. Did you have a beer at that bar? How many did you have?”
“I’m not drunk. I’m not on my period. And I’m not anything else you wish to blame my outbursts on. You want me to be some perfect little trophy wife who doesn’t give a shit whose tits you stare at or whose number you get. Well, I’m done. I’m done with your controlling ways, and I’m done with you blaming everything on me. You can let the room know that the wedding is off.”
“And who in the world is going to reimburse their tickets? Because I sure as hell am not,” he said.
“We’ll take care of it.”
I turned around and saw Dylan standing behind me. He was clad in a black suit, tailored specifically to his tall features. He walked up beside me with a grin on his face and a devilish glint in his eye.
“Should anyone feel the need to be reimbursed for anything, Leewardly Ranch Resorts will take care of it,” Dylan said.
“I’m not talking about the damn dinner,” Michael said. “I’m talking about the airplane tickets.”
“Those as well,” Dylan said. “As the man who runs the Finance Department of this resort, I’ll see to it that all your guests are treated with the care and respect they deserve.”
“And what about their stay here?” Michael asked.
“I’m sure everyone will enjoy the resort despite not havin’ to attend a weddin’,” Caleb said.
“And we’ll be bookin’ another room for Miss Carr for the night,” Andrew said.
Michael glared at me as the brothers gathered protectively around me. He drew in a deep breath before he turned back to the ballroom, then entered it with his head held high. He clapped his hands together and began his announcement, telling the room there would be no wedding and reassuring everyone that they were welcome to stay and enjoy the facilities.
Then, Wyatt wrapped his arm around my waist and guided me to the elevator.
“Come on. Let’s get you set up somewhere else,” he said.
CHAPTER 2
DYLAN
“What the hell do you m
ean the venue isn’t refundable?”
“I’m sorry, sir. But our policy was clearly outlined in the contract.”
“I’m not getting married. This venue cost me ten thousand dollars. And you mean to tell me that because my fiancée—”
“Ex-fiancée,” I said with a grin.
“You mean that because Katie fucking Carr ruined this entire thing, that I’m supposed to walk away from ten thousand dollars?” Michael asked.
“Our policy was outlined clearly to you in the contract you signed. Five thousand dollars was a non-refundable deposit, and the other five thousand wasn’t refundable after thirty days,” I said.
“I guarantee you if I look through that fucking contract I won’t see a damn thing like that,” he said.
“You’re welcome to try sir, but I guarantee you, it’s there. However, what I have done is I have asked every single one of your guests if they wanted their rooms refunded and a credit put toward their airline tickets to get home. Some have taken me up on the offer. Others have not.”
“I’ll take you to fucking court if you think you’re gonna keep ten thousand damn dollars.”
“Then I await the subpoena for court.”
Even though I was keeping my voice steady and eradicating my accent as much as I could to seem professional, I was ready to go to blows. I saw how he’d treated Katie last night. I saw how he was staring down women as they passed by in their low-cut dresses. I saw how he ignored her and how sad she had looked. Katie was radiant in her rehearsal gown. The champagne-colored dress fell over her curves like sunlight pours through the sheer curtains of our resort hotels. And a woman who was dressed in such decadence deserved to be treated like the queen she was.
Except all he’d done was ignore her, snuff out her light and rob Katie of the joy I knew she hadn’t felt in life for a long time.
It wasn’t right. Katie didn’t deserve that, and I was glad she’d called things off.
“It’s that bitch’s fault all this went to hell. You wanna charge someone? Charge her,” Michael said.
“Language, sir. Some of our guests have sensitive ears.”
I felt my jaw clench as I came out from behind the counter. I walked toward the pussy of a man standing in front of me and wrapped my hands around behind my back. I could feel my brothers’ eyes on me, watching my hands ball up into fists as I hid them from our guests. No one needed to see any violence this morning.
But if he threw the first punch, I would be sure to end the fiasco.
“Sir. You have a contract outlining our policy, and I have been more than generous with the guests of this resort. Either you calm your voice and vacate the premises, or I will throw you out myself.”
I looked down at the man, a good four inches shorter than me. My smile was warm, but my eyes were blank. I wanted him to know I could take him. I wanted him to know whose territory he was standing in. I wanted him to tremble in his shiny shoes until his millions came falling out of his pockets.
“Hide behind that suit. Pussies do that,” Michael said with a murmur.
“You really should work on that language of yours. Have a good day, Mr. Thompson.”
“Come on, son. This man isn’t worth your weight in feathers.”
“I hope you will come and enjoy our resort soon,” I said.
“Not a fat chance in hell,” Michael said.
“Son? Decorum. Thompsons always hold themselves with decorum.”
I swallowed my chuckle as the man straightened his suit and headed for the door. He called me a pussy, but he was the one that had backed down. Men were astounding sometimes, and I didn’t know how parents could live with themselves. Raising such insolent and offensive animals to unleash into society. Michael’s father looked back at me, a gleam of anger in his eyes. I knew we would see some court paperwork cross this desk soon, but all I’d have to do is send our lawyer out with a copy of our standard contractual agreement. I’d outline all the extra things I’d offered each individual guest, and no courtroom would side with the likes of “The Thompsons.”
I grinned at them as they made their way out the damn door, silently wishing it’d hit them on the way out.
“Morning, Dylan.”
Katie’s voice pulled me from my dark trance as my shoulders relaxed.
“How long have you been standin’ there, doll?” I asked.
“Long enough to know I made the right choice, and to ask you why you bury your accent when you’re working,” she said.
“Because while we cater to a decadent country lifestyle, many people still feel a deep southern accent’s more fittin’ of an idiot than a man in a suit,” I said. “And you shouldn’t have been hidin’ in the shadows.”
“I didn’t want anyone to see me,” she said.
“Understandable. Though it looks like a night of rest did you some good.”
“If you can call it that,” she said with a snicker. “I’m sorry for hiding.”
“Don’t be sorry for nonsense like that. Come ‘ere.”
I opened my arms to her body, and she fell into my embrace. There were notes of vanilla in her hair, a far cry from the tangy notes I recalled from her younger years. She was soft and warm. Delicate in my arms and trembling on her feet. She was not the young girl I remembered. The powerful, sassy, cussing little thing that enjoyed bonfires and slinging back bottles of beer to keep up with the likes of us.
“I hate that I caused y’all so much trouble,” Katie said.
“Don’t be,” I said as I rubbed her back. “I’d rather have to deal with all this than you bein’ in some shitty marriage. Harder to clean up those messes.”
“I should’ve never made the mess in the first place.”
“The important thing is you’re okay,” I said.
“I don’t think I am.”
“Then the important thing is you’re gonna be okay.”
She snuggled closer to me, and I tightened my grasp. Visions of her eighteenth birthday flashed through my mind. The first and last time I’d ever held this woman the way I wanted to. The first and last time I’d ever felt her body this close. I knew she was recuperating, and I knew she was vulnerable, but I wanted to kiss her. To tilt her head up toward mine and warm her with my tongue.
But I knew better. She needed space to grieve and cope and plan her next steps.
“Thanks,” Katie said.
“Anytime, doll. You know this.”
She looked up at me with her sparkling brown eyes and her pin-straight hair. She was flattening out her curls, and I found that I missed them. Her hair sat on her shoulders and fluttered around her cheeks, but all I could see were those bouncing curls hanging down her back.
She had changed so much, and it only served to stoke my anger for Michael’s part in all this.
He’d done this to her. Changed her. I knew he had.
“I’m going to go get some breakfast,” Katie said. “You want anything?”
“Already ate, doll. You go enjoy yourself. And your room’s rented out as long as you need it.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said with a grin.
I watched a flush taint her cheeks. That same flush that happened just before I’d kissed her.
Fuck, I wanted to kiss her.
“It’s there for you to use. I’m serious. Whatever you need, all ya gotta do is pick up that phone and ask,” I said.
She wrapped her arms around me one last time before she headed to the dining hall. I had no idea what had come over me. It was like my body had picked up where it left off all those years ago. I wanted to follow her and have breakfast with her. I wanted her to sit and get off her feet while I fixed her a plate. I wanted to do all the things for her I knew that asshole Michael hadn’t been doing for her because I wanted her to know what she deserved.
I watched her until she turned the corner, and she chanced a glance back at me. Her eyes sparkled with her smile as I waved at her, trying to find something for my brain to do other than fant
asize about kissing her. She waved at me before she disappeared, and I drew in a deep breath, trying to clear my mind of all the impure thoughts I was having.
CHAPTER 3
CALEB
I was boarded up in my office working on some logistics for a new resort we were opening in South Carolina. It was our first resort out on the East Coast, and so many things needed to get planned. I needed to agree on a layout for the building and figure out how many people we’d need to hire. I needed to figure out how much of a workload it would add to everyone and what kinds of animals we’d have on the resort property. I also needed to plan out amenities and sketch out basic rooms and figure out what was going to set this resort apart from all the other ones.
I liked having something different at each resort we opened. Made it worthwhile for people to visit all of them and pick their favorite.
But I couldn't concentrate. With all the guests pouring past my office, I could hear them snickering and gossiping about Katie. Wondering how she could let a catch like Michael go and whether she had been cheating on him. Theorizing she was a lesbian or a gold digger that couldn’t keep up with the lifestyle or whatever. Made me sick. What kind of people had she fallen in with at college? The city was supposed to broaden her horizons, not close her up into this petty little group.
I couldn’t take it anymore, so I decided to go get myself a drink.
Dylan wouldn’t like the fact that I was drinking on the job, but I didn’t care. My mind kept swirling with how Katie was doing. I hadn’t seen her since we’d helped her get settled into her room last night. I wanted to know how she was, but I was trying to respect her need for privacy.
I doubted she wanted to see anyone after what happened last night.
“Hunter?” I asked.
I watched as Katie’s brother raised his beer in the air.
“What’s got you day-drinking?” I asked.
“It’s celebratory,” he said as I sat down next to him.
“A beer, thanks,” I said to the bartender. “Celebratory, huh?”
“Michael was a fuckin’ prick, and now he’s gone. No more havin’ to pretend I like the son of a bitch just so she could stay longer.”
