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“Uh, sure, I guess. I can bring the beer,” I suggested, still trying to figure out what was up with them.
Rhett chimed in, “Or something non-alcoholic? And some snacks? Personally, I’m starving.” He patted his stomach.
Now, I was confused. These guys were notorious for their love of beer, and now they wanted a quiet night in? I studied their faces, noticing how they all seemed to look to Wyatt for approval like they were trying to show him they were following some kind of plan.
Wyatt shifted under their gazes, his jaw clenching. He caught my eye for a moment before looking away, and I could’ve sworn I saw a flicker of guilt there.
“Okay, what’s going on?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. “Since when do you guys pass up a chance to go to the bar? And why do you keep looking at Wyatt like he’s the boss of you?”
“No reason at all,” Grady said. “We’ve been talking about having a bonfire all day.”
I didn’t believe him, but I also didn’t feel like starting a fight with Wyatt because whatever was going on was coming from him.
“Alright, well, I’ll text Maisey.” I pulled out my phone from my back pocket. After sending the message, I inquired, “You guys haven’t seen her, have you?”
“She was in the ring riding a little while ago,” Rhett replied.
Is she, now? I thought, barely containing my smile.
My phone dinged with Maisey’s enthusiastic reply of emojis. I linked my arm through Abby’s. “Let’s go.”
“Umm, maybe I should…” Abby hesitated, looking for an excuse to bail.
“Nope, you shouldn’t. You’re coming,” I declared.
“Of course you are!” Grady put his arm around my sister. He began pulling her down the aisle.
Although she was stiff, she went along. She looked back at me with round, concerned eyes, but I only shrugged and winked at her.
Together, we all made our way out of the barn, the surrounding air laden with the comforting scent of hay and horses. Tension rolled off Wyatt as I slipped into stride beside him.
He shifted away from me as if afraid he might break me. “How are you?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “You worry too much.”
“Nope, I don’t,” he replied, his statement tugging at my heart. “What?” he asked.
The memory of my drunken advances still burned with embarrassment. Maybe that was why he was so closed off, despite him being there for me in the hospital. “Umm, last weekend in my trailer... I’m sorry—"
Wyatt cut me off. “It’s not a big deal.”
I instantly regretted bringing it up. Why did I have to make things awkward?
“I just wanted to thank you for being there for me after my accident,” I said quickly, trying to regain some ground. “And for riding Gambler for me. It really means a lot.”
“It was the least I could do,” Wyatt muttered, still not meeting my gaze. “After everything...” His voice trailed off, leaving the weight of “everything” hanging heavily between us.
I studied his expression, searching for a hint of what he’d meant by that. After everything we had meant to each other? After everything we had put each other through? What?
The silence stretched uncomfortably. Part of me desperately wanted to ask him to clarify, to rip open that door we’d been slamming shut on each other for so long and finally lay everything out in the open. But the other part feared his answer, that “everything” might be his way of saying we were truly done.
As I looked at Wyatt, really looked at him, I saw something flicker across his features. A conflict, an internal war, was being waged behind those rugged walls he always insisted on keeping up.
He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, seeming to struggle with what to say. “Kins, I...” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Dammit, this is harder than I thought.”
My heart kicked into high gear as I waited with bated breath. Could it be... Did he not want us to be over after all? Or was it the opposite? Did he want to end us for good?
Wyatt blew out a harsh breath, squaring those broad shoulders as if bracing himself. “Seeing you get hurt like that, it made me realize...” He trailed off again, jaw tensing.
