Page 15

Chapter Fifteen

Beau

“I did make a mistake.”

Kit’s words wash over me in waves of confusion. My gut churns, and my throat constricts. My heart falls to my stomach causing my blood to run cold. Her voice and those words play over and over again.

Rubbing over my sternum, I think of how I felt seeing Scott touch Kit. It took every ounce of control I had not to run over and deck him.

He still thinks the world revolves around him and couldn't care less about how horribly he treated her.

But when I saw Kit’s expression, I knew she had it under control. So, instead of interrupting this time, I waited down the street. Far enough away that I wasn’t intruding but close enough so that I could be there if she needed me.

Raking my hand through my hair, I get in my car and drive off.

I never thought I could feel worse than I did that summer. But I do.

After what happened, I blamed myself. But now—

“What was I thinking?” I grumble. “She admitted this was a mistake from the beginning. She wanted the annulment. Why did I challenge her to admit to Scott we were married?”

“Cause he’s a complete jerk, and I wanted her to have one over on him.” I talk back to myself. “I mean, what kind of idiot leaves a woman like that?”

My chest is gripped in a vice, and I’m getting a headache.

Dialing Mike’s number, I hear the ring over the car’s speaker.

“Beau! Are you calling to give us an update?” I can hear the guys at the station in the background.

“Mike tells me things have been going well between you and Kit.” Cole Nichols, Mike’s best friend and fellow fighter, chuckles.

“She said I was a mistake,” I mumble, scrubbing my brow with my hand.

“Beau, are you driving?” I nod my head without answering. “If you are, I want you to stop now.”

Without saying a word, I pull over and put the car in park.

Leaning my forehead against the steering wheel, the back of my eyes burn.

This is worse than that summer. This time, I got a taste of what it would be like to be with Kit. It was better than I could’ve imagined, but then it was over before it started.

“Okay,” Mike says slowly and softly, like he’s dealing with someone in shock. “Why don’t you tell us what happened?”

I fill them both in on what I saw, did, and heard. The car is quiet, and I check my phone to see if the call dropped.

“Wait, did you say you noticed her tense when Scott touched her?” Cole asks. I rub my forehead and nod. “Beau?”

“Sorry,” I push through a tight throat. “Yes. I almost went to them.”

“So she wasn’t happy to be talking with him?” Mike asks, like he’s trying to piece together a puzzle.

Kit’s strained look comes to my memory. It did appear like that when I first caught sight of them. I bite my lip. “She said she made—”

“We got that,” Cole says in the same tone Mike uses, cutting me off. “But the question is, was she talking about you being the mistake?”

I slide my fingers over my jaw and stop at my chin. “What do you mean? She said I was the mistake.”

“No, she said, ‘ I made a mistake.’ Not Beau was a mistake,” Mike says firmly, then softer. “Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand exactly what she meant?”

Doubt creeps in before the nausea returns. I start to shake my head again when Cole’s voice fills the car.

“Did you stay for the entire conversation?” My fists clench around the steering wheel, and my breathing is short. “Beau?”

“I’m still here.” My voice is strained, and I’m struggling to process what they’re saying, but the pain that’s gripping me is clouding my thoughts.

“Did you stay for the entire conversation?” Mike calmly asks this time.

“No.” I rake my hand through my hair. “But what does—”

“It matters,” Mike cuts me off. “Because maybe she wasn’t talking about you.”

“Yeah. What if the mistake she was talking about was Scott?” Cole hops on Mike’s point. “What if she finally realized that the fool she was engaged to, who then left her at the altar and alone in Las Vegas , was the mistake?”

“I don’t know.” I frown.

“This sounds very familiar to me,” Mike says in a sing-song voice. “When are you seeing her next?”

My emotions are all over the place, and I can’t think straight. Cole’s and Mike’s words aren’t processing.

“Beau, just hear me out for a second,” Mike starts but pauses for me to object. When I don’t say anything, he continues. “You told me the night you went to The Glowing Fork—”

“The Glowing what?!” Cole spits out.

“The Glowing Fork,” I mumble. “It’s a restaurant in town.”

“Bro, if you’re ever in Starhaven, you need to bring Noelle. It serves the best comfort food, and it’s basically like eating and stargazing—”

“Do you mind if you tell Cole about that later?” I mutter, my voice hoarse.

“Oh yeah. Sorry, Beau.” Mike clears his throat. “As I was saying. Since your date, things have been going well, right? You’ve been talking every day, and you have dinner plans for tonight, yes?”

“Yes,” I rub my face with my hand. “But—”

“No buts,” Mike says. “The answer is yes. You need to go to dinner and talk to her. Don’t let this be like that summer.”

“I’m not sure that’s—”

“Beau, I know what it’s like to make a mistake you regret and have to live with for years,” Cole says, and I can hear the sincerity in his voice.

Cole and his wife Noelle were dating in college. He intended to marry her, but then life happened, and Cole let her go. It was one of his biggest regrets.

Then last Christmas, he and Noelle got trapped together in a blizzard and were forced to talk it out. They cleared the air, made up, and now they’re married. But it was a decade of pain and regret.

“You’re being given a second chance,” Cole continues. “Do you want to be so stubborn that you let part of a conversation you overheard be how you make a decision?”

“Are you going to walk away without fighting for what you want?” Mike questions. “Again?”

Again?

The word hangs in the air staring me in the face, waiting to crush me.

And it comes down to one simple question: Do I want to lose Kit…again?

When I pull up in front of Jack’s house, I see Missy Samuels and her daughter, Nicky, sitting on the porch.

“Beau,” Missy greets me with a massive smile and gets up from her rocking chair to give me a hug as I walk up the stairs. “We were just talking about you.”

“All good, I hope.” I chuckle and give them a half-hearted smile. Nicky gets up and follows her mom’s lead.

“Oh yes,” Nicky says. “In the short amount of time you’ve been helping Jack, we’ve seen a huge difference. The boy actually comes home and does more than grunt at us.”

The ache in my heart loosens at hearing this, and my smile brightens slightly. “I’m glad. I get so much out of helping the kids. Even if they do give me a run for my money.”

“Do you want to sit and talk with us?” Missy points to the third chair, and I decline as they sit back down.

“Is Jack home?”

“He’s not,” Missy’s brow furrows. “Were you supposed to meet with him today? I can call him.”

“No, we weren’t supposed to meet up today. I was just curious to see how things were going after our conversation the last time I saw him.”

“You mean the ‘duck’ talk?” Nicky says, making us chuckle.

“That would be the one.” I give them a lopsided grin. I was thinking more about how things were going with Stephanie, but maybe I need to be reminded of the duck story myself. “Has it helped at all?”

“Has it helped?!” Missy and Nicky yell together.

“It’s almost as if a switch has flipped.” Nicky smiles. “He’s still learning how to adjust to this new life, but that little story has given him a way to bounce back faster. Thank you.”

My gaze jumps back and forth between the two of them, and the tightness in my lungs loosen. This is why I love Play It Forward. It gives me the opportunity to help not just a child but also their family.

My phone vibrates, and I pull it out of my pocket to see a text from Kit. My eyebrows knit together.

Missy reaches out and grabs my hand. I turn my gaze toward her. ”Is everything okay? You look as if you could use your own advice.”

She gives me a squeeze, and I stare down at her grip. I sigh and then shift my gaze back to hers. Her eyes are filled with compassion, and an ache blooms in my core at her kindness. “Is something going on with that new wife of yours?”

My brows shoot up, and my gaze jumps between the two of them. “It’s a small town, Beau.” Nicky’s gaze glints as she chuckles. “And Scott’s ego is bruised.”

I scoff and stuff my hands in my pocket. “Well, he’s the idiot for not marrying her when he had multiple opportunities.”

“She’s too good for him.” Missy snorts. “But you didn’t answer my question.”

Glancing between them, I try to decide how much I want to say. “I’m not sure,” I say honestly. “Today’s been a bit rough.”

I rub the back of my neck to ease the tension that’s been sitting there since leaving Kit and Scott.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Missy asks softly. “We’re good listeners.”

“You’ve done so much for Jack already…let us try to help.” Nicky points to the chair beside her, and I hesitate.

Mike’s and Cole’s words run through my head. The reminder of my conversation with Jack echoes, too.

I’m not sure this is a case where I can let what happened roll off my back, but it may require me shaking it off enough to have a conversation.

A conversation that I’ve been avoiding since waking up married.

“Beau?” I look up at Nicky.

A sheepish grin slides across my face just as my phone vibrates again.

“I think this is a conversation I need to have with my wife.” I start to walk down the stairs but turn and say over my shoulder. “Wish me luck.”

“If Kit knows what’s good for her, you won’t need any luck.” The glint in Missy’s eyes has mine crinkling. “If she doesn’t, I’m still on the market.”

I throw my head back and howl, then wink at her. “I’ll let her know she has some serious competition.”

When I reach the car, I remember the Play It Forward event this upcoming weekend.

“Play It Forward has its annual tour for our area this upcoming weekend. I’d love it if the two of you could join! Have Jack text me if you’re interested, and I’ll get you all the details.”

Waving at them, I hop in my car and head home.

I have dinner to get ready for and a woman to convince that marrying me wasn’t a mistake.

Wish me luck is right.