Page 54 of Lost Trust

“We tried once Ryder came along,” I continue. “Tried to be a family. We even got engaged.”

His eyes flick to my left hand, and his thumb brushes absently over my knuckles before he looks back at me. “What happened?”

I take a breath. “In the end, Blaze decided he wasn’t ready.”

“Ready to be a husband?”

I shake my head. “Husband or father.”

Royce’s expression hardens.

He’s never liked Blaze. Everyone on the circuit knew it. They could tolerate each other when they had to, but calling them rivals is being generous.

Royce has always thought Blaze was a joke and had no problem letting me and everyone else know it.

Now, judging by the look on his face, his opinion hasn’t changed much.

“He’s always been a son of a bitch,” Royce mumbles almost incredulously.

I shrug, trying to make it look like it doesn’t affect me anymore.

His hand settles more firmly at my waist.

“He had you,” he says quietly. “And he walked away?”

“Yeah.”

His eyes hold mine before his gaze drops briefly to my lips.

My heart gives one hard, traitorous beat.

“Stupid son of a bitch,” he whispers, more to himself than to me.

Something about the way he says it makes my pulse stumble.

For a suspended moment, neither of us says anything.

We just look at each other as the music swells around us, soft and slow, while the rest of the reception seems to fade into the background.

Then the song begins to wind down.

I blink, suddenly aware of where we are. Of his hand at my waist and my body pressed against his.

The final notes drift through the barn, and before either of us can move, Matty’s voice carries over the microphone.

“All right, everybody, we’ve got something special for you! Coming to the stage now is Garrett Tuttle!”

The crowd erupts as applause rolls through the barn.

“And we’d like to invite the bride and groom to join us on the dance floor for their very first dance as husband and wife!”

The spell breaks, and I step away from Royce so quickly that I nearly trip over my own feet.

I smooth my dress, willing my racing pulse to settle.

“One song,” I remind myself under my breath.

Royce’s mouth curves.