Page 20

CHLOE

T hree days.

It had been three days since I walked out of that tack room and didn’t look back.

Three days of throwing myself into the last of the wedding arrangements and trying to forget about the three men who claimed my every remaining thought.

I hadn’t wanted it to be this way, but I wasn’t going to have any of the men if I couldn’t have them all. It wasn’t fair. Kyle and Hunter deserved someone who could give them their whole heart, and if I wasn’t with Matt too, then there would always be a hole there. And eventually it would eat away at our relationship.

“Do you have an update on the steamer?” I asked Sarah over the phone. Another round of calls to get the last-minute updates. The wedding was only two days away, and I was on edge. I needed to wrap up all the fraying ends.

“It should be delivered tomorrow. Alex’s dresses are already at Jessie’s house, so as soon as it’s delivered, I’ll run out to the ranch and get it done.” Sarah knew a lot was riding on this—for her as much as it was for me.

“Great. Is there anything I can do to help?” I poised my electronic pencil to take notes.

“Just make sure they don’t put either of those dresses in the shower and try to steam them. Those dresses will be ruined if they do.”

I jotted down her comment. “Got it. I’ll touch base with you tomorrow.” I hit the button on my headset and ended the call. One down, four to go.

I typed a quick text message to Jessie about the dress staying as far away from the bathrooms as possible. She gave me the thumbs-up, and I relayed the message to Alex as well just to be safe. Even though Alex wasn’t in charge of the dresses, I didn’t need the bride trying to help and accidentally ruining things.

After a few more calls, I had to switch my focus. The bride and grooms each had their bachelor and bachelorette parties tonight. They had only agreed when their wedding party promised it wouldn’t be anything too extreme.

The men wanted to do a poker night. All the guys on the ranch and some people from town were invited. I’d worked hard to turn the dining hall into a casino. Luckily, a company I contracted had the equipment and supplied the dealers. I’d added a few extra decorations and worked with Jessie to create a list of food to serve. The room looked good with various poker tables going and a lot of whiskey flowing.

The girls had chosen a calmer night. Alex wanted to play a few games and watch a movie. She’d confided that she wanted to feel young again, with the wholesome fun from high school with her girlfriends.

The girls had picked Alex’s favorite romcoms to have on-screen at all times. We took over the living room in the big house since it had a massive flat screen television, and the babies were all tucked in their bassinets in one of the guestrooms while Mrs. Roberts was on babysitting duty. Although I didn’t miss Blake and Tori discreetly checking the monitors glued to their hands.

With Pretty in Pink in the background, the girls broke out their first game. I plastered a smile on my face and did my best to pretend I was having fun. At least tonight was keeping me busy. I’d rather curl up in my bed and wallow, but it was Alex’s party, and she’d invited me as a friend, not her wedding planner.

This time, though, I took the glass of wine that was being served. The Kingstons had flown in some fancy, sweet wine from Cosland that Alex loved, and I was set to have more than one glass.

“Chloe, you’ve been quiet all night. What’s up?” Grace bumped me with her shoulder. The second movie was playing, and we were on our second game. We were writing down wedding advice, and Alex had to guess who wrote it.

I cleared my throat and swallowed the lump that formed every time I thought about the guys. “It’s nothing.” I blinked a few times to ward off the tears that threatened.

“Oh, Chloe.” Tori had moved a little closer, and just hearing the sadness in her voice almost made me break.

“I don’t want to talk about it. This night is for Alex.” I kept my gaze on the jar Jessie held out to Alex, who dipped her hand in to pull another slip.

She read the message out loud. “Always show how much you appreciate each other. Blow jobs every Friday, if all else fails.”

My jaw dropped, and all previous thoughts were wiped from my mind. Everyone started rolling over laughing. Once we could all breathe again, Alex pointed to Tori. “That one has your name written all over it.”

Tori made a fake bow, and another round of laughing fits later, we settled in front of the TV to finish watching 27 Dresses .

“Seriously, Chloe. Is everything okay?” Jessie and Grace sidled up next to me.

“It’s the guys.” I let out a sigh. “I called it off.”

Gasps echoed around the living room. I hadn’t told anyone on the ranch, only Lacey and Holly.

“What happened?” Alex scooted closer, immediately forgetting about the movie.

“Alex, I don’t want to ruin your night. Let’s just forget it for now.”

“No way. We’re friends, Chloe. I hate to see you like this.”

I sniffled. Their kindness was the thing that pushed me over the edge. I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. “The guys don’t want to be a unit together. I won’t choose between them. I want them all. So I walked away.” I laser focused my gaze on the blanket wrapped around my legs and picked at a nonexistent loose thread.

“Good for you.” Blake patted my knee. “You know what you want, and if they can’t give it to you, then you have every right to walk away.”

“Easier said than done. I miss them like crazy.”

“I know, but don’t let them pressure you. I know it’s hard. Believe me, I know all of them and they are each stubborn in their own ways.”

“I agree with Blake, but I can see how much they care. I bet you broke their hearts when you walked away.” Abbey handed me my wine glass. “Hunter’s for sure.”

I knew she was right. Hunter and Kyle would be with me without Matt. I was the one holding out. “Do you think I did the right thing?”

“That’s really something for you to decide. Did they all have an issue with it being the four of you?” Abbey asked.

“Matt walked out on us.” I took a sip of the sweet alcohol, fighting the urge to crawl into my bed and hide under the covers.

“Do you love them?” Alex brought the bottle over and topped everyone’s glasses off.

“Yes.” I didn’t even have to think about it. I’d been falling for each of them in different ways. I’d been in love with Matt before Hunter came into my life. I was pretty sure I’d fallen for Hunter the first night I met him. And Kyle had worked his way into my heart since the day he helped me with the saddle.

“I think you did the right thing. Maybe with incentive, Kyle and Hunter will get off their asses and push Matt to fight for this relationship.” Alex shrugged.

“I’ve seen them around. They all seem miserable.” Grace sipped her wine.

“Not sure if that makes me feel any better.” I sighed and wiped at the tears flowing down my cheeks.

“Maybe giving them time will help. If they want this relationship with you, they’ll find a way to make it work. You’ve let them know it’s all of them or none of them. While it sucks to have to make that choice, only you know what is right,” Tori added.

“Maybe. I don’t know if anyone can get Matt to change his mind. Maybe it’s for the best. I’m going to New York after the wedding and need to find a job. They can’t come with me, and I can’t stay here. And it wouldn’t be fair of me to ask them to go.”

“Why can’t you stay?” Alex asked.

“There’s no job around here for an event planner.” I shrugged, then downed the rest of my glass.

“I thought I didn’t have a way to make my career come to life here too, but look at me now.” Blake held her hands out. “I went from being a traveling horse trainer to the permanent team trainer.”

Grace, Tori, and Abbey all echoed her. I hadn’t heard their stories, but it didn’t give me hope. In order to have a career, I needed to plan a steady stream of events. I’d grown up here and knew not much happened in town—not enough for me to build a business off of.

“A planner can get a job anywhere. Working remotely and traveling is basically in the job description. Also, starting your own business is an option we would all back you on.” Tori had a tiny gleam in her eyes I couldn’t place.

When we first met in New York, she’d shared her love story. It reminded me of a fairytale. The twins had swept her off her feet and helped her escape an arranged marriage to an abusive group in Cosland. No wonder I’d had a crush on them growing up. They were knights in shining armor.

But Tori’s words sparked hope. She was right. I could start my own business. It wasn’t like I had a plan. Every time I thought about my future, it had just been to work for an existing company. I didn’t even know where I wanted to go. All I could think about was how there was nothing for me here, yet the big cities didn’t appeal either.

I shook my head. I had left Cottonwood Creek to make a name for myself. Moving here just out of college didn’t make sense.

Except it did.

I wanted to be closer to Matt, Hunter, and Kyle.

“Just think about the possibility. We can discuss options after the wedding. You don’t have to get back to school immediately, right?” Tori refilled my wine glass.

“I still have to put together my presentation and then schedule a date to present it. Our graduation times are all dependent on when we finish our events.”

“Good. Then we have plenty of time to figure things out. We’re all here to help in any way we can.” Tori lifted her glass and tipped it toward mine.

I clinked my glass against hers. It was reassuring to have the support from them. The thought of moving home was scary but also comforting. I’d missed my best friends and my family. Being home for the wedding felt right. And living on the ranch… no one judged me or expected something from me. I wasn’t living in the shadows of my father and his legacy. Sure, I was Jessie’s niece, but to everyone on the ranch, that just meant I was automatically one of them.

Too bad I couldn’t live with Jessie and work on the ranch.

I laughed at that thought. Like Jessie had an event planning job tucked up under her sleeve.

The girls turned the conversation away from me, and I settled in for a night of romcoms and popcorn. Having gotten my worries off my chest, I was able to put my sorrow to the side enough to enjoy my time with the girls. Most of us fell asleep on the living room floor or the couch instead of making it to bed.

Thomas and Declan returned home at sunrise. They’d crashed at Gavin and Scott’s since Blake was here.

One by one, the men came to collect their women and children. My heart ached as I left alone. It wasn’t like I had expected the guys to suddenly reconcile and come get me, but secretly, I had hoped for it.

With a heavy heart, I made my way to Jessie’s. It was the day before the wedding, and I had plenty of tasks left. The rehearsal was in eight hours, and I had magic to do. And regardless of my personal life being in shambles, this would be the best damn wedding ever.