Page 75 of Denim & Diamonds

I never wanted to see February hurt, certainly not at my expense. While I hadn’tintentionallyhurt her, I’d let things go too far with us the other night, and the aftermath had made things even more painful today.Making love to her was worth all of it, though. But it was no wonder both of us felt broken.

Later that night, “Wild Horses” came on the music streaming service I used at the bar. I just shook my head, powerless against the universe. Anxious to know why it reminded her of me, I tried to listen to the words through the noise in the bar. But I couldn’t figure out their exact meaning—something about a failing relationship and some kind of heartache. Still, this song would always remind me ofher.

Speaking of Red, she must have been home by now. I’d told her to text me, but I felt like hearing her voice, so I picked up the phone and dialed.

After a few rings, she answered. “Hey, Brock.”

She sounded down.

“Hey. Just checking to make sure you got home okay.”

“Unfortunately, no. I’m stuck in traffic. It’s been stop and go most of the way here. There are tons of accidents because of the weather. It’s dark and rainy now, and I have another fifteen miles to go. At this rate, it could still take hours.”

“Aw, baby, I’m sorry. What a long day for you.”

“That’s what I get for driving. I should’ve just flown. It would’ve been a short flight. The drive up was great. Used it to clear my head. But the ride back is just torture.”

“I wish I was with you. I’d drive so you could rest.”

“You know what I wish?” she asked.

“What?”

“I wish I could go back to the night I spent on your couch in front of the fire with Oak on my lap. I’d give anything to be in that cozy spot right now.”

I closed my eyes for a moment. “That was a damn good night. Not quite as good as last night, but a close second.”

“Absolutelynothingtops last night,” she agreed. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”

“Me neither, beautiful.” I groaned, remembering the ecstasy of being inside of her.

“Will you stay on the phone with me for a bit?”

I was supposed to be working the bar, but heck, I owned the place and made the rules. I temporarily stopped service and retreated to the back room, where I stayed on the phone with February for the next hour.

After we hung up, I vowed to follow through with my promise to attend the wedding with her. She hadn’t mentioned it again, and I wondered if maybe she didn’t actually want me to go. But heck, I had a tux on order, and I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing her again. So I needed to make it happen.Wild horsescouldn’t keep me away.

Damn, that’s corny.

It’s been a long day.

I was just about to close down the bar when my brother Maddox walked in.

“Hey, dude. What are you up to?” I asked.

He beamed. “I got the best freaking news today.”

“Well, it just so happens I could use some good news. What you got?”

“Wait, what’s wrong?” His brow furrowed.

“February left today.”

“Shit. That’s right. Trevor told me.” He patted me on the shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“What’s going onwith you?” I asked.

“The insurance finally approved my surgery. They set a date for the operation.”