Page 11 of Take My Love

They’re in a much better place than they were seven years ago. Although they’re newly reunited after being estranged for so long, you couldn’t tell they spent time apart. Still madly in love and obsessed with each other.

I knock twice on the door and am greeted by Warren’s sleepy face.

“Silas?”

“Hey, sorry it’s so early. Can I come in?”

His rooster crows in the distance. He has half a dozen chickens in the fenced-in area next to his cabin. I’d usually say hi to them, but I’m not feeling it today.

“Yeah, of course.” He steps back so I can enter and then closes the door behind me. “Everythin’ okay?”

It’s been a couple weeks since we last saw each other but since my bachelor party is supposed to be next weekend, we’ve been making plans over text. Two weekends ago, Maisie threw him a surprise birthday party and he was suspicious when Aundrea didn’t come with me. I didn’t tell him we were going through a rough patch because I was hopeful it was only temporary.

“Not really,” I admit, following him into the kitchen where I smell bacon and sausage. “This wasn’t somethin’ I wanted to tell you over the phone.”

“Shit, that sounds serious.” Warren crosses his arms and leans against the counter while I sit at the breakfast bar. “What happened?”

“Aundrea called off the weddin’.”

Even saying the words aloud has my lungs burning and my chest aching. It still doesn’t feel real.

“Shit, dude. Do you know why?”

“Things have been rocky for a while. She says we’re not compatible and basically said it was better to end things before the weddin’ than after. I have a feelin’ she wanted a wealthier version of me and not the me who worked ten plus hours a day. I guess she had enough of me not being able to give her what she wanted—a sugar daddy.”

Warren gives me a look that resembles the same look I used to give him:pity.

And I hate it.

“Yeah, so…now I’m out of a job and place to live.”

He cracks a few eggs and starts scrambling them.

Before he can respond, Maisie enters with a wide grin. “Two hot men in my kitchen and the delicious smell of food? Have I died and woken up in a romance novel?”

I’d laugh if my heart wasn’t shattered into a million pieces. She’s a literary agent and loves reading, so I’m used to her talking about books.

“Mornin’, baby.” Warren gives her a quick kiss before sharing the devastating news. “Aundrea and Silas broke up.”

She gasps, directing her gaze toward me. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” She wraps her arms around my shoulders, and although I appreciate the sentiment, it makes me feel like an even bigger loser.

“He needs a place to crash for a bit,” Warren tells her. “We could set up an air mattress in the library or living room until he finds his own place.”

“I don’t wanna be an inconvenience,” I argue, especiallysince I know they’re fucking every single chance they have. They’ve been making up for lost time, which is why I haven’t seen my best friend very much. “I can stay at a motel.”

“Absolutely not.” Warren shakes his head, handing Maisie and me a plate of food. He knows I can’t afford it either, but I’d rather go into debt than hear them having sex every night. “We’ll figure it out.”

“What about Posey?” Maisie asks, and I quickly shake my head, but she ignores it. “She has a spare bedroom, and did I hear you need a job? She was just tellin’ me she’s still lookin’ for extra help at the goat farm.”

“Maze…that’s not a good idea,” Warren warns.

“Why not? It’s perfect! He doesn’t wanna sleep on an air mattress anyway.”

Warren glances at me, and I sigh. “She’ll never agree to it.”

Maisie furrows her brows. “How come?”

“Posey’s not his biggest fan,” Warren tells her. “She crushed on him all through high school and teased her like a little sister. But when he never reciprocated those feelings, she refused to be ’round him.”