But as I drove down the dark highway, tears streaking my face, the truth clawed its way in.
And truthfully, that had been set out in black and white before we ever even started the whirlwind of whatever this was. Friendship. Marriage. Lie. It blurred somewhere in the middle. Regardless, he told me he was using me, and I let him.
I let him because it felt safe. Because in the shadows of our little arrangement, no one else would know about us.
And now I felt like a fool.
I never should’ve tried to deceive my dad. But I was going to make it right.
The old Toyota rattled beneath me as I pushed it down the dark highway, windows rolled all the way down. The night air whipped at my hair, hot and sticky against the tear tracks on my face.
I blinked hard, fighting the sting, but more kept coming. My chest ached with every mile, every thought of him, every reminder that while I’d been clinging to the idea of “us,” West had already let go.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
WEST
Easton tookme back to his house, promising me that Jesse and Max were asleep so I could go inside and patch myself up for a few minutes. On the way, I asked him to text Marcus for me, to tell him to come pick me up. Easton was almost offended that I’d wake up my driver in the middle of the night and make him drive all the way to Harmony Haven just so I didn’t have to stay. But he didn’t understand that what I really needed was the solitude of my penthouse, not a house full of warmth I didn’t deserve.
Despite Easton’s assurances that I wouldn’t disturb anyone, Jesse rushed out of the bedroom anyway, fussing over me like a mother hen. I imagined that was exactly how Max felt when he scraped his knee. Her soft hands, her worried voice, the way she worried over me until I wanted to laugh despite the swelling in my jaw. For a second, I remembered my mom doing the same thing when we were kids, and the ache of it almost knocked me flat.
Easton gave Jesse the rundown, including the part where I finally admitted that what I had with Blue had been a lie. Just like my brothers, Jesse took it in stride, like she’d already known. Then she asked what she could do to help.
I just shrugged, stretched out on the couch, and closed my eyes. There was nothing more to do where Blue was concerned. In the moments before I found out she was tied to my past, I’d let her go. I’d handed her Fiddlers and the lake house, trying to rewrite what we were so that she no longer had to feel the obligation of our deal. But now I wasn’t sure I could ever look at her the same again.
Would I always see the echo of her sister in her face?
Would she ever forgive me for the mess I’d made?
I was a master at pretending I was fine, and that’s exactly what I intended to do.
When Marcus pulled up, I thanked Easton for everything and hugged Jesse, promising I wouldn’t scare Max with my bruised face. She waved me off and told me to be at Sunday dinner anyway. I nodded, but the thought of facing my grandparents’ wrath made my stomach twist.
I slid into the SUV, stretching out across the backseat, and laid my head against the leather. The highway hummed beneath us, and for the first time all night I had silence. No phone. No calls from work. No endless buzzing from North Dakota. Just an hour to breathe.
The only thing I hated was the thought of Blue needing me and not being able to reach me. I told Marcus to call my office and get a new phone delivered to the penthouse ASAP. I was about to suggest he text Hattie personally when the car slowed.
“West.” Marcus’s voice was low, sharp. He’d dropped the formality, which meant something was wrong.
I sat up as he pulled over behind an abandoned car.
“That’s Blue’s,” I said immediately, recognition punching me in the gut. It had been parked outside Fiddlers when Easton and I left.
Marcus parked and we both jumped out, using his phone flashlight to sweep the dark. The car was empty. Blue was nowhere to be found.
His phone rang, and he answered quickly. I could only guess it was Marshal, because Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose like the conversation was costing him patience. I stepped closer, ready to snatch the phone, but he hung up before I could.
“She stayed home for a few hours after you left,” Marcus said, his tone careful. “Then she asked Marshal to take her to Atlanta. On the way, they drove past Fiddlers. Police were still there. Marshal stayed to help your brother clean up. He thought Blue went into the office, but when they finished, she was gone.”
“Gone?” My voice came out harsher than I meant. “Why the hell would she leave in her car?”
“Marshal said she seemed upset about something Miles said, or maybe it was just the destruction of the bar. She probably decided to drive herself back to Atlanta.”
I dragged my hands through my hair, pulling hard. My chest burned. Fiddlers had looked like a war zone when we left. Broken glass, overturned chairs, destruction everywhere. The last thing Blue needed tonight was another disaster tied to me.
“Fuck,” I snapped, climbing back into the car. This time I took the front seat, snatching Marcus’s phone to call Hattie and tell her what I needed. Then I ordered Marcus to drive straight to the hospital. That’s where Blue would be.
Still, my eyes combed the dark highway shoulders as we sped toward the city, just in case she’d decided to walk the rest of the way. It would be just like her. Tough. Stubborn. So damn loyal to her dad she’d do anything to get back to him.
