“I talked myself out of telling your mom how I felt at least a hundred times. So many reasons I wasn’t good enough for her, why she was better off without me, why I couldn’t do relationships—you name it. I believed it too. Her feelings for me were sometimes super obvious and, at other times, very subtle, but I ignored them all. I was too scared to get hurt or that I’d hurt her. Let me tell you, watching the woman you love plan her wedding to another man is the worst fuckin’ pain I’ve ever felt. All my foolish insecurities nearly cost me my entire life. The thought of losing her had me in a tailspin.”

“Then you kissed her the night before her wedding,” I say with a shit-eating grin. By the look on his face, he hadn’t expected me to remember that part.

“Yeah,” he breathes out. “Talk about bad timin’.”

I snort. “Ya think?”

He pats me on the back. “Learn from my mistakes, son. If she even slightly makes her feelings known, don’t let her slip between your fingers. Put yourself out there because then, at the end of the day, at least you can say you tried. That way, you won’t torture yourself with the what-ifs on her wedding day.”

“Jesus. You’re worse than Mom.”

“That’s what happens when you’ve been in love with a woman since you were fifteen.”

“Does that mean I’m going to turn into a love-sick puppy too?”

He grins. “Only if you’re lucky.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

HADLEIGH

The past four days have been weird. I’m almost in a mind-numbing trance, replaying everything that happened last weekend. I had fantasies about being with Knox and Kane, but the fact that it actually happened still blows my mind. At the time, it was fucking amazing. I’d never felt more alive and cherished. Now, I’m not sure I can look either of them in the eye. Which shouldn’t be too hard, considering Knox is back to ignoring me, and I haven’t seen Kane since that night. Thankfully, work keeps me distracted, but it still lingers in the back of my mind.

Kane and I have chatted on the phone during my work breaks, but our conversations have been short and awkward. Right now, we need to talk face-to-face about everything I’m feeling and get it out in the open.

I want the heaviness that sits on my chest gone, and that won’t happen until I see my best friend. Considering I’m off work today, I can drive to Eldorado if he’s free, so I text him.

Hadleigh: Can I come over so we can talk today?

Immediately, his text bubble appears.

Kane: Sure. When?

Hadleigh: In about an hour. I need to get dressed, then I’ll head that way.