Chapter 17

17

WES

T oday, I was patrolling on the water, ensuring boaters had their fishing licenses and weren’t keeping fish that weren’t allowed. Over the years, I’d seen crazy things like dads putting fish in the kid’s backpack. One dad saying he didn’t need a license to fish if he was with his kids. I’d seen a lot.

I usually sought solace in my job. I enjoyed being on the water or in the woods. But I missed Sutton. The last few days, we’d spent a lot of time together, and now our time was limited to the morning and evenings when Sutton or I didn’t have other plans.

On our honeymoon, we’d done all the things that I enjoyed. There was something about sharing them with Sutton that I loved. The best part was, it was her idea. She wanted to do these things with me.

I wanted to return the favor, but I hadn’t come up with any ideas yet. She’d happily posted the videos we’d made over the weekend, sharing them on her page, titling them the Honeymoon Reel, and I even enjoyed watching us together .

We looked like a real couple, and I guess in a lot of ways we were. We were married, shared a house, made meals, and did activities together. But most importantly, we were intimate, not something I’d planned on when I proposed marriage. I had this plan of slowly getting her to come around to the idea of us, but then somehow, we came together on our wedding night, blowing that plan out of the water.

Now, I wasn’t sure what I was doing. Giving into my baser desires to enjoy every second of my time as Sutton’s husband. I was married to her. She was my wife. I couldn’t get over the novelty of it.

It was like a dream came true, but it wasn’t quite mine. Not yet.

My phone buzzed, and I turned off the engine so I could hear Sutton. “Is everything okay?”

“I hope I’m not bothering you.” Her voice was hesitant.

“Not at all.” I loved hearing from her during the day.

“I just wanted to let you know that my videos about the wedding and the honeymoon are getting a ton of views and comments. My followers love you.”

“I think it’s you they love.” I’d read the comments. They were enamored with Sutton. Yeah, they might be intrigued because I was new, but it was her they loved. She was electric on camera. Something as simple as a fox crossing our path in the woods was exciting for her, and she was able to convey that to everyone watching.

“I think it’s my gruff husband that has everyone interested.” I heard the smile in her voice.

“You built the online community. It’s yours.”

“Thanks, Wes. You always know what to say.”

Would she realize that we were meant for each other? That this was more than friendship. “How are things at the estate?”

“Mom’s pressuring me to stop filming the estate on social media. She insists it’s because she wants her privacy but I’ve never included my family. It feels like she wants to control what I’m doing with the estate.”

“Your grandmother is giving you the property. She wanted you to have it. She knows your ideas, and she supports them.”

Sutton chewed her lower lip. “But what if my parents aren’t happy?”

“If you inherit the property, it’s yours to do with what you want.”

She sighed. “I feel like everything I’ve ever wanted is within reach.”

I wondered if I was part of those hopes and dreams.

“But I’m worried that something’s going to happen to ruin it.”

I looked out over the water, getting the sense I was living my dreams too. “Your life can be this good. There doesn’t have to be a downside.”

“I hope you’re right.” I wondered if she was biting her lip right now.

“You’ll see that I am.” I scanned the water for any other boaters that I’d need to approach.

“What are we doing for dinner tonight?”

“Let’s grill out. Unless you’re tired of it.” A sense of contentment settled in my chest. Living with Sutton, working in the outdoors every day, and coming home to her was my new reality, and I loved it.

“I adore your new outdoor kitchen. Let’s do it. I’ll pick up some chicken and pineapple. ”

“Sounds great.” It was nice to have someone to share my day and fall into bed with at the end of the night.

“See you at home,” Sutton said before she clicked off, and I wondered if we’d ever get to the point where she’d said she loved me when she hung up.

There was a feeling swelling in my chest, getting bigger each day. I tried to push it down, ignore it, tell myself it wasn’t time, it was too much too soon, but I couldn’t. I was going to tell her I loved her, and I just hoped she was ready for it when I did.

I issued a few citations, chatted with others about plans to stock the lake. Then I ate lunch on the water, remembering how we’d paddleboarded on my lake, wondering when we could do it again.

I was living my dream. I just needed to find a way to keep it.

The next few weeks were blissful. We woke up, showered, made love if we had time, cooked a quick breakfast together, then went our separate ways for work. We’d text and sometimes call during the day, touch base about dinner or our plans. Then meet at home at the end of the night to talk about our days. It was as close to perfection as I’d ever gotten.

The only thing that would make it better was if I could tell her how I felt. I was afraid that she didn’t feel the same way. That she’d agreed to a physical relationship because it was convenient.

It was Saturday, and I was helping Ryder move into a rental home. Faith was with him for the weekend, so I was excited to see both of them. When Ryder’s truck pulled up from Virginia, we were ready for them.

We carried boxes and furniture inside. I was expecting that there would be less, but it ended up taking the whole morning and into the afternoon. We ordered pizzas for lunch, then kept working. Sutton helped Faith set up her room. She was only going to be there sometimes because Ryder was planning to drive home most weekends.

Each time Sutton walked by, I’d touch her in some way, her hand or her shoulder, stealing a kiss if I could. It was fun and exhilarating. If my brothers noticed, they didn’t mention it.

By the end of the day, I was in Ryder’s new master bedroom helping him put together his bed.

“What’s going on?” Teddy asked as he leaned a shoulder against Ryder’s dresser.

Ryder moved the boards in place on the floor. “What do you mean?”

Teddy nodded toward the bed. “You’re moving a lot of stuff, and some of it’s new.”

Ryder sighed. “Stacy wants to use this time as a temporary separation.”

I grimaced, wishing Teddy hadn’t brought up what we were all thinking. Something wasn’t right about this move.

Teddy looked away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“Are you okay with that?” I asked, my blood running cold. Would there come a time when Sutton would want to do the same? I worried she’d wake up one day and decide the ruse was over. She didn’t need to be married anymore. Her obligation would be fulfilled and the estate hers.

Ryder sighed. “I don’t have much of a choice. This is what she wants.”

“How did this happen?” I asked him .

“We haven’t been happy for a while. But I was willing to stick it out for Faith. I don’t want to share custody with my daughter or be hours away from her. This move seemed to push all of our issues to the forefront. Stacy didn’t want to move with me. I didn’t want to commute. We were fighting more and more. When I was packing, she sat me down and said it would be a good time for us to see what we want.”

“What do you want?” I asked him.

He pursed his lips. “I want to be with my family.”

“Even if you’re not happy with Stacy?” Teddy asked.

We could all see it. The toll it had taken on Ryder to keep Stacy happy. To spend all his holidays with her family, to be isolated from ours.

Ryder’s jaw tightened as he knelt on the floor. “I don’t want to share time with my daughter.”

“I can understand that. We miss her too.”

“But now, I’m living hours away from them, and Stacy’s made it clear she won’t be commuting here. It’s going to be tough.”

“What do you want?” I asked him.

Ryder hung his head. “I miss my family. I want my daughter. It feels like an impossible situation.”

Teddy nodded. “You’ll figure it out. The placement here is only temporary.”

“I won’t be able to see Faith as much.”

“If it’s a separation, won’t you be able to see Faith here every other weekend? Maybe a few weeks in the summer? It’s similar to a divorce, isn’t it?” I asked. “She shouldn’t be able to say you have to drive there. She called it a separation.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

Teddy inclined his head. “You might want to talk to an attorney. See what your options are. ”

Ryder nodded. “I’ll do that.”

I touched his shoulder. “We’re happy you’re here, but not about what you’re going through. We’ve missed both of you.”

“I appreciate that,” Ryder said as Faith skipped into the room.

“Can we get ice cream? Izzy mentioned a place she likes in town.”

“Let’s get this bed together. Then we can go.” The sun was starting to set, and Faith’s room was set up. “We can stop by tomorrow and get your kitchen unpacked.”

We got to work and had the bed together in no time.

Teddy dumped the box labeled bedding onto the mattress. “You can do the sheets.”

“Always a big help,” Ryder said. “You don’t have to stop by tomorrow. I can get the rest.”

We made our way downstairs.

“It’s the least we can do. You’ve been gone for years. Let us help you out,” Teddy said.

Outside, Faith climbed into the rear seat of Ryder’s truck.

“Is it okay if we come with? I sell my pies to the owner,” Daphne said.

“The more the merrier,” Ryder said, and I wondered if he enjoyed having us all around again or if it was too much.

He’d stayed away for years, and we didn’t know if it was something he wanted or Stacy insisted on.

“I could go for some ice cream,” Sutton said, and we didn’t have anywhere to be. So, we followed them to the shop, parking in the lot nearby.

The shop was small but close to the harbor. Our family filled the space in front of the ice cream cases .

“My mom’s pies are used to make the flavors,” Izzy explained to Faith who was suitably impressed.

When the woman working there finished helping the customers before us, she turned to Daphne. “It’s so good that you’re here. Everyone loves the peach pie flavor.”

“That’s great news. Violet, this is my crazy family.” Then she introduced us one –by one. When she got to Ryder, she said, “This is my brother, Ryder. He’s moving home temporarily, and we’re thrilled to have him back. This is his daughter, Faith.”

Violet’s gaze settled on Ryder. “I’m so glad you’re home. You must be happy to be around family.”

“It’s good to be back.” But from his tone, it didn’t sound like it was.

I hoped we learned more about what life was like in Virginia while he was married to Stacy. We had our suspicions that she was the one who pressured him to keep his distance from us.

We chose our flavors, then took our ice cream to the back of the shop where there were a few tables. The women sat with Faith and Izzy, and the rest of us stood around, talking about the move and the state of the farm.

“Did you decide to go with that marketing person you met with a few months ago?” Ryder asked.

“Charlotte was hired on a trial basis to do a few things for this past season. We need to talk about how effective her efforts were,” I said, knowing Teddy was blocking our attempts to get together. He kept saying he was too busy with work, or an emergency call would come up. But I had a feeling he just didn’t want to deal with the situation.

“I’ll help if I can,” Ryder offered, and I was quick to say, “Focus on your new position, and whatever’s going on with Stacy. We have a way to go before the next season. ”

“How are things going with you and Sutton?” Ryder lowered his voice.

“Good.” It was almost too good.

“What happens when her grandmother dies, or she decides the obligation is fulfilled? When Sutton gets the house, what happens to you?” Teddy asked.

A chill ran through my body. “It was meant to be temporary.”

“You have feelings for her?” Ryder asked.

I swirled my spoon in the ice cream. “Of course I do. We were friends first. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“You’re the one who could get hurt in all of this. This is real for you, isn’t it?” Ryder asked.

“How would you know? You were only here for Christmas and our wedding.” I felt defensive.

“At the wedding, I could tell how you interacted with her, how you looked at her. It makes me wonder if I ever looked at Stacy like that.”

I shook my head. “It’s been so long since I saw you two in the same room, I don’t know.”

“I don’t know either, man. How messed up is that? You have kids. Real life sets in. Your work schedule. You’re coming and going and not making time for the relationship. I wonder if I’d gone on more date nights, brought home flowers, just made more of an effort, things would be different.” He stabbed his ice cream with his spoon.

“I don’t know enough about your relationship. But if that was the issue, wouldn’t it be easily fixed? You could do those things at any time.”

“Yeah, I guess. Maybe it’s too late.”

Teddy frowned. “Maybe Stacy wanted you to turn down the job and stay with her in Virginia.”

“She doesn’t want to move. That much is clear. But we always knew this was a possibility. If I want to move up in my career, a temporary reassignment is necessary. We’ve been lucky to have stayed in Virginia for as long as we did.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to relocate Faith for something that’s only temporary,” I said.

“I think it’s more than that. Even if I stayed, it might have come to this.”

“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. A marriage coming to an end sucked. And it made me think of my own. How would I feel when Sutton decided ours was done?