Page 11 of Labor of Love

I smile tightly, forcing myself to respect her choice.

My whiskey flows down my throat until the glass empties. I need another. To my left, my sister is sucking Parker’s face...Have they come up for air?

“We’re in public.” Annoyance builds in my stomach. “Can you two not?”

Parker slides his hands out of her back pockets, breaking their kiss.

“Actually, no.” Karli turns. “I’ve never been happier, and he treats me like a princess.”

I realize I’m nodding in agreement.

“I’ll try not to be gropey in front of you, but at the same time, hiding my love for this man isn’t happening.”

I applaud her for taking a stand.

“Fine,” I mutter, turning my attention to Layla who’s lost in thought. Her heavy eyes meet mine. She’s thinking about how we‘d sneak around.

“Ayyyy!” A group of buddies crowds us, putting space between Layla and me. “We’ve missed hanging with you, Hayes!” They welcome me back, starting with another whiskey for me.

Looking to my right, Layla’s traveled to the dance floor with my sister. Carrying on small talk with the guys, I’m not sure how much time has passed when I notice Layla beelining toward the door. She can’t be leaving already.

“I’ll be back,” I tell them before following her out of the saloon. “Layla,” I call out across the parking lot.

She looks over her shoulder, waves, and continues walking. Yeah, hell no. A few large paces, and I’m next to her.

“Where are you going?”

Thankfully, she stops.

“Home. I have a busy day tomorrow, and I’m not in the right headspace to be around you.”

That’s when I hear it. Like a siren programmed within me. The pitch in her voice. She’s holding it together like the morning after we slept together.

“Please let me explain myself,” I beg, not caring how desperate I sound.

“Look, Stetson, I knew what I was getting into with you. You were the hottest guy in town.” She takes a step closer. “I get it.”

“Get what?”

“You took my virginity like a generic souvenir before leaving.” Her hands rest on her hips, but they may as well have slapped me.

“Fuck, Layla.” I scrub my face as my chest tightens. “That’s not…”

All this time, she’s assumed I devalued her. That it didn’t mean anything to me that she gave me her first time.

“I don’t regret having sex with you. It just sucks how you let it all play out, knowing there was a deadline.” With a shake of her head, she takes a few steps backwards, but my feet forget how to move. “But at that point in our lives, our careers kept us apart.” She shrugs. “I moved on like you did.”

“Yeah.” Instability cuts through my tone. “With Clint.” I don’t know how long they were together, but the thought of him has my hand balling into a fist. “What a prize.”

“You and I weren’t dating, Stetson. You left town.” Stopping by her house felt too intrusive considering my sister had never been invited over. “Don’t judge me on how I coped with losing you, and all the shit that went down with my father after.”

I wasn’t home for her dad’s funeral after he drunkenly crashed into a tree, and her mother all unveiled the skeletons in the closet during her funeral speech. My parents still hold guilt for not knowing they were sending Layla home to an abusive alcoholic all those years.

“Let’s go someplace quieter.” It takes every ounce of strength not to reach for her hand.

“Goodnight, Stetson.” Once again, I watch her walk off the hurt I caused.

I wasn’t sure what would happen returning home. Clearly, us slow dancing, finding a quiet place to talk, and kissing it out was a pipe dream.