Page 20 of Wildest Forever (Lovelock Bay #3)

She walks cautiously beside me, her hands tucked into the ass pocket of her jeans. Climbing the steps, I knock on the door but am not waiting long until Blue answers the door, the little terror that is Butch yapping at her feet.

“Pacey,” her eyes soften as she steps out onto the decked porch and wraps her arms around me, pulling me into an embrace as she kisses me on the cheek.

“Blue,” my voice is warm as I hug her back and it's not long before she is pushing me away and letting her eyes scope over Morgan.

“It's nice to see you again,” she smiles then cups Morgan's face in her hands, tilting her head to the side.

“You too,” Morgan replies softly as I step past and make my way to the kitchen.

Buck is sitting with his newspaper before his eyes lift over and he places it down.

“There's our boy,” he stands from the table and strolls across to me, closing the gap in four strides then wraps his arms around my shoulders, patting me in between the shoulder blades.

My lips pull into a wide smirk as he holds onto me for a bit longer before he pushes away from me.

“How have you been?” his hand is on my cheek and I see the way his dark eyes settle on mine.

“Taking each day as it comes,” I admit when I hear the sound of boots clicking across the floor.

“That's all you can do son,” his smile fades, “we're all wrapped up in grief, but some days are easier than others,” his eyes lift to the doorway and I'm not sure if it's Morgan or Austin.

“There she is...” Buck taps my cheek softly with his hand, then moves aside to greet Morgan and I sigh blissfully, turning slowly as he pulls her into an embrace before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Good to see you again,” his voice is quiet, and she gives him a small smile.

“How's your pops? I haven't seen him in a while,” and my heart twists deep inside my chest.

“He is not good,” she rolls her lips before her tongue darts out and wets it.

“I'm sorry to hear that, if you need anything...” he trails off for a moment and eyes Blue, she gives a grimace of a smile. “We're here for you, you're family now,” he pulls her in for a hug again.

“Where's Austin?” I ask as I push my hands into the front of my jeans, my wedding band catching on the hem of the pocket.

“Office.” Buck nods his head down towards the back of the house and I give a heavy nod. Blue inhales heavily just as I approach her.

“He doing okay?” and she just shrugs her shoulder up. I nod again then turn my attention to Morgan.

“Can you just give me a bit...” and I don't have a chance to carry on, she is pressing her finger to my lips and giving me a nod.

“I'll make you a coffee, love,” Blue says as she walks towards the coffee machine and finds a pod and I give my wife one last smile before making my way towards the back of the house to find Austin.

I can hear the sound of his fingers dancing across the keyboard and I pop my head around the door and give him a whistle. His head pops up over the computer screen and his eyes glisten.

“There he is,” I smirk as I step into the room and around to where he is sitting. He pushes to his feet and pulls me into the tightest hug, his face burying between my head and shoulder.

His body begins to shudder in my arms and the pain in my chest radiates through to my shoulders and back.

I say nothing.

Just hold him tight against my body and let him sob into my tee.

He obviously needed this and I wasn't going to be the one to take it away from him.

So I just stood silently until he was ready to talk.

I have no idea how long it has been, but he finally pushes away from me and palms at his tear-stained cheeks.

“You okay man?” I ask as he steps away and sits back in his chair and he gives me a nod.“Sure?” I don't want to press too much but at the same time I want him to know he can talk to me whenever he needs to.

“Yeah, Harlow was just on my mind today,” he admits, locking his fingers into his lap.

He is dressed in a black tee, light washed jeans, dirty boots and his cap twisted backwards.

“That's understandable,” I nod, rolling my lips into a thin line.

“Some days are just harder than others, you know...” and I nod my head, I know that feeling all too well.

“I just miss her,” and he pulls his glassy eyes from mine and focuses on his computer screen.

“We all do bud,” it's true. She may have been a menace between Aspen and Riggs but she was part of us. Always had been.

Silence creeps around the room and I shuffle on my feet.

“How's work?” I ask, looking at his badge sitting on the desk.

“Busy.” he sighs, “had a load of cattle go missing two ranches up,” I watch as he shakes his head from side to side. “I don't get how they can just be taken,” he looks at me and I shrug my shoulder.

“Happens, so close to the border here, what's to stop them taking them straight across?”

He taps his fingers on his stomach.

“Suppose it makes sense,” he spins his chair around, “how about you? How's things with you?” he asks, but his eyes are now fixed on the screen.

“So So,” I admit, “not really sure what I want at the minute, there is so much going on at home and with Morgan and her pops that...”

“Keep forgetting you're married,” his eyes find mine and I don't miss the slither of sadness that fills them just for a moment.

“Me too man,” I laugh, rubbing my hand around the back of my head.

“How is it?”

“How's what?”

“Married life?” and I twist my lips.

“Bit hard to say, we don't know each other, it's one of those... I did it because her granddad asked me too, but I'm also kind of enjoying it if that makes sense?”

“Yeah it does,” he nods.

“But it's all so new, so fresh... I have no idea what I am doing. We're just at the tip of the iceberg, there is so much that is going to be going down in the next few weeks that I am just trying to mentally prepare myself for it.”

“Can imagine it was a bit of a shock to the system.”

“Yeah,” I laugh softly.

“I never thought you would settle down,” he twists back to look at me and my brow raises.

“Nah?”

“Nope, you were so hung up on Aspen, I honestly never thought you would have moved on.”

I laugh a little, but my stomach knots.

“Look, me and Aspen...” I pause and he holds his hand up.

“I don't need to know the details, I swear I am still scarred from the night in the Boot where you confessed everything.”

I roll my eyes.

“I wasn't going into details, all I was going to say was, me and Aspen, we were friends.

.. but then things happened the way they did.

It was never going to be me, we all knew that, I just didn't want to admit it.

But I kind of wrote myself off for finding love.

Once you've been on the receiving end of unrequited love, then well, you kind of don't want to put yourself through that again. She hurt me.”

I pause for a moment and inhale heavily.

“You hurt her too man,” Austin grits his teeth, lips turning down.

“I know.”

“You drove her away...” and I can see the annoying smirk that is teasing the corner of his lips.

“Wasn't just me... Riggs played a part in that.”

“We all did in a way I suppose...” Austin trails off and looks at the photo of Harlow that sits on his desk. “God, we were so young and na?ve when all that happened. We were terrors growing up, we were so flippant with our choices...”

“Yes we were,” I sigh, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms across my chest.

“If you could go back in time, would you do it again?”

I blink at him, brows knitted.

“Do what again?”

“Take Aspen to prom... cross the bro code line.”

My breath rattles in my chest.

“Honestly?” I ask, pushing off the wall.

“Honestly,” he nods, feet now kicked up on the desk, hands in his lap.

“Yeah, I would.”

Because maybe in another life, we would have got our shot.

Just maybe.