“If he had, trust me, we’d all know about it. Miles would be six feet under by now, and Boone wouldn’t be hiding the shovel.”
I hadn’t laid eyes on that bastard since Ellie and I got back, and that was probably for the best. For him. I hadn’t forgotten what happened. Hell, I’d made myself a promise, and I still planned to keep it. Sooner or later, I’d handle it.
“He’s been lying low,” Mac added, resuming his methodical drying of pint glasses. “Real low. Since right before you two left.”
If only the whole town knew whatreallyhappened. What Miles tried. They’d run him out of here themselves. Pitchforks, torches—the works.
“Good,” I muttered. “The less we see of him, the better.”
Mac gave a small nod, silent agreement passing between us. Then, as if shifting gears, he brought up Penny. We fell into easier conversation—how she was doing, how things were progressing, and the baby. I still held onto their secret, the one no one else knew, and just like before, it felt like a privilege. An earned kind of trust.
We both agreed it had been too long since the whole crew had been in one room. Vowed to make it happen soon. Maybe next time without any dramatics or assholes trying to ruin it.
I stayed a while longer, letting the conversation drift, still turning things over in my head like river stones.
This new rhythm between Ellie and me? I was going to take it for what it was—a win. A real one.
38
ELLIE
Logan and I were having dinner with my parents.
No one knew that we were wading into something far deeper than the easy friendship everyone had always seen. The sex. The lingering touches. The way our eyes found each other in a room like there was a magnetic pull neither of us could fight. It was becoming a rhythm I craved, and I wasn’t sure I could play it cool long enough to keep our secret.
It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t shame. It just didn’t feel like the right time to announce whatever this was between us… mostly because I wasn’t even sure I could put a name to it myself.
I stood in the kitchen with my mom, helping her pull together the last of dinner before Boone and Logan came in from work. I’d only arrived a short while ago, but I’d caught sight of them in the barn, cleaning up from the day. That meant they’d be walking in any minute.
My heart gave a traitorous kick at the thought of Logan being here.
“So,” my mom said casually, stirring a pot on the stove, “you haven’t told me about the trip or the rodeo.”
I inhaled slowly, keeping my back to her as I rinsed the last of the dishes from her meal prep. “It was fun.”
“That’s it? Fun?” I could feel her gaze burning into me like a spotlight. “I want details. What did you do? How were Logan’s parents?”
I dried my hands on a towel and turned, leaning against the edge of the sink. “Well… we went to this super cool theme park that was made to look abandoned. We played games, rode the rides.” I couldn’t help laughing as I remembered Logan dramatically failing at one of the games, only to still win me a little keychain. The same keychain that now dangled from my car keys, traveling everywhere with me.
“An abandoned theme park? That sounds perfect for you.”
I grinned and nodded. “Then, we went to this restaurant where they write insults on your hats.” Pulling out my phone, I scrolled through my photos and held it out so she could see the picture I’d taken of Logan and me side by side, ridiculous paper hats perched on our heads.
Mom took the phone, her smile softening. “You two are so cute. I swear it feels like just yesterday you were both running around this yard, soaking wet from the sprinkler, asking me what I was making for dinner.”
I dropped my gaze to the floor, memories of us with bare feet on summer grass, his laugh chasing mine across the yard flashing through my mind.
When I looked back up, her eyes were softened with a subtle smile on her lips—like she saw the truth that was blooming between Logan and me.
Before she could say more, the front door swung open. Boone’s laugh and Logan’s deep voice rolled through the house, wrapping around me like a promise I wasn’t ready to explain.
Just in time.
I slipped my phone into my pocket and turned back to the dishes, warm suds still clinging to my hands.
“Ma!” Boone’s voice boomed from the doorway. “We’re here!”
“How could I not hear you two?” she replied with a playful sigh.