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Thankfully, she was worn out, and I kissed her forehead and made my way out to the family room to check on the high-maintenance animals.
I took the laziest dog on the planet out to the backyard and watched as he squatted to pee because Bob was too fucking lazy to lift his goddamn leg and pee like a normal male dog. Then I put Maxine out in the yard where she could spend the next few hours until we went to bed, and I turned on a college basketball game.
My phone vibrated, and I looked down to see a text from Hugh. It hadn’t come in on the ongoing family group chat that my siblings were always blowing up. This was a solo text from him.
Hugh
Hey, brother. I stopped by to check on things at Garrity’s, and Presley Duncan is here. She’s having a damn good time. She was very friendly to me, so I thought it might be a good time for you to come bump into her. Break the ice, you know?
I knew she’d show up after hearing that her dad had a stroke. I hadn’t seen her in years. As far as I knew, she never came back here, as her family had multiple homes in different parts of the country, and I was fairly certain she made every effort to avoid me since we’d ended things.
And she lived in New York with her husband. The dude who’d recently gone viral for impregnating his much younger assistant. He was a famous fucking music producer who, apparently, couldn’t keep his dick in his pants.
Have you forgotten that I have a child I’m responsible for?
Hugh
Have you forgotten that I have a wife who happens to love you and is on her way to your house right now? Come on, brother. I know you want to see her. This way, you won’t have an audience because everyone is too drunk to notice tonight, and it won’t be awkward. Rip off the bandage. You have a history. You shouldn’t avoid her.
I’ve never avoided her. She avoids me.
And she broke my fucking heart. So I should be the pissed-off one. I didn’t say that to him because I didn’t talk about it. About how fucked-up it all was in the end.
Hugh
She’s at the bar that your family owns, so I’m guessing she’d be fine if you showed up. She wouldn’t have come here if she wanted to avoid you.
I rubbed my hands together, unsure of what to do. Hell, a part of me wanted to see her, but the other part of me—the one who hated the way we’d ended things—wasn’t sure it was such a great idea.
And I wasn’t a guy who avoided shit or got nervous about how to handle situations.
But everything had always been different with Presley.
We hadn’t spoken in years, and the last time we spoke hadn’t been pleasant. There was a lot of hurt and a lot of finger-pointing.
The knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts, and my infamous guard dog, Bob “Lazy-Ass” Picklepants, was snoring on the couch.
I pulled the door open, and Lila stood there smiling. My brother’s wife was a part of the family, and we all loved her.
“Don’t argue with me. Go.” She walked past me and pointed at the door behind her.
“When did you get so bossy?”
She raised a brow. “Hugh said you were going to fight me, and I’m not having it. You need to go see her. Stop being a baby.”
“A baby? Oh, for fuck’s sake. I’m not afraid of her. I just don’t feel like putting myself or her in an awkward situation. She probably still hates me,” I said, reaching for my coat.
“Sounds like the words of a big baby.” She laughed. “And I could use some cuddles from Maxine and Ole Bob over there.” She flicked her thumb at the lazy bastard, who had still yet to notice that someone had entered the house.
“I’m going. Gracie should be out for the night. I won’t be long.” I grabbed my truck keys.
“Take your time,” she said, just before I pulled the door open and locked it behind me.
I drove the short distance to Garrity’s and parked behind the bar. I yanked the back door open and held my hand over my head in greeting to Fred, the cook, and the two busboys who’d just been hired recently. Now that I was here, and I knew that she was here, I was suddenly in a hurry.
Would she want to see me?
I doubted it. We’d said some pretty horrible things to one another.
