Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Abby

Aunt Lori: Abby, where are you? You promised to help me get ready for the Valentine’s Festival.

Me: Oh, crap. I totally forgot. Sorry! I’ll be home soon.

Aunt Lori: What, did you go home with a hot guy last night? I hope you took pictures. heart-eyed emoji

Me: Um, no to the man and pictures.

Aunt Lori: Then I have a friend, and her son is quite the looker. And single. I can arrange a date with him.

Me: sighing emoji I’ve told you before, I’m not on the market right now.

Aunt Lori: It doesn’t have to be forever. Just for a little fun between the sheets. fire emoji

Me: Aunt Lori! Just no!

Aunt Lori: I’m older but not dead, dearie. There’s this new retired guy who moved into town recently and all the older women are circling. Younger ones, too. But I’m biding my time. My chance will come.

Me: Then focus on that, Aunt Lori. Find a man of your own.

Aunt Lori: I can do both! I’ll show you the picture of my friend’s son when you get home. You are getting home soon, right? Otherwise, I’ll have to get West to help me instead. And he just got married.

Me: sighing emoji I’ll be home soon. Don’t you dare bother West and Emmy!

Aunt Lori: I’ll be waiting, hottie picture and all, when you get here. heart emoji

A fter breakfast with Rafe, he’d driven us home to Starry Hills, and as soon as he got onto the freeway, I promptly fell asleep. Part of it had been exhaustion, but the other part had been that I was overwhelmed with what to do about my accidental marriage. I needed to take a walk through the orchard or around Emmy’s fields or anywhere without Rafe nearby to clear my head.

Eventually, he dropped me off at the entrance to my family’s property so I could walk to the house and avoid Aunt Lori’s keen eyes. Before I shut the door, he said, “When do you think you’ll have an answer?”

I searched his gaze. “I don’t know. But at least give me a day or two. Right now, I just want a shower and some fresh air.” I paused, debated shutting the door and avoiding the question, but decided to blurt, “Would you seek out other women while we were married?”

I had no right to ask that, of course. The marriage would be a fake one.

And yet, after my last humiliation, his answer was important to me.

Rafe didn’t hesitate. “No. I’m loyal, Abby. It’s why I stayed with the Dragons so long when better offers came. Even if it’s in name only, I’d never betray my wife that way.”

The part of me that broke after everything with Travis said Rafe’s words were bullshit. I shouldn’t trust him. He was a man, after all. And they’d say anything to get you into bed.

Except, Rafe wasn’t proposing that. Maybe, just maybe, he’d keep his word.

Except, he won’t. Why should he? said the voice inside my head.

Wanting to growl and snarl, I took a deep breath and merely nodded instead. “I’ll think about it. That’s all I can promise.”

“That’s all I ask for, Abigail. Text me when you want to talk again.”

“I will, thanks.”

I shut the door and watched Rafe drive away until he vanished from sight. Turning around, I walked down the road and tapped each fence post I walked past.

The combined familiarity of the tapping and the sight of still-dormant grapevines helped calm my mind a little. I was still in no shape to make a huge decision—that would require some sleep—but the peace and quiet of my family’s land always made me feel better.

It was strange living back here again, after living with Emmy. And yet, I wasn’t going to stay with a pair of newlyweds and the twins. I probably could’ve found a place in town for myself, but I hated living alone. Some people loved it, and that was fine. But all it did was give me time to think of who else might leave me next.

I was happy that my friends were finding love and getting married—even if one of them had married my brother, of all people—but as their families grew, I worried they might not have time for me. Then I’d end up that awkward single person lingering at the edges of the room.

Sure, everyone would try to set me up. And I had wanted to find love at one point. But after being tricked and conned by Travis, I didn’t know if I could trust any man outside of my family.

So awkward single person it was. Although at some point, I’d have to get over living by myself. Once Beck and Sabrina started having babies, there’d be less and less room for me in the house.

You could live with Rafe for a year and then buy your own place.

Before I could dwell on that, I reached the front door, and it promptly opened, revealing my brother, Zane. He was one of the twins born before me and had only recently come back from deployment as a Navy SEAL because of his injuries. He’d mostly healed but still couldn’t lift anything heavy or stand still for long periods of time.

He asked, “Where the hell did you go yesterday?”

I raised my eyebrows. “I didn’t realize I had to report my every movement to you.”

As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted it. Zane and I were still trying to find our footing with each other after being apart for nearly ten years. So I quickly added, “Sorry. I had too much to drink last night, and I’m cranky.”

“Sugar might help. There are some chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen that I made.”

“You’re a baker now?”

“I can sit on a stool and let the stand mixer do most of the work. So, yes. I bake now.”

Since we’d all learned that Zane would rather be stabbed in the eye than talk about his physical shortcomings since his injuries, I teased, “Don’t get too good at it and put Amber out of business.”

He rolled his eyes. “I can make exactly three things right now. I think Amber’s bakery is safe.” He lowered his voice, “I’m mainly learning to bake so Zach stops being such a grumpy asshole. He has a sweet tooth but avoids the bakery at all costs now. And with Avery moving in with Emmy, he’s going to need someone to feed him.”

Avery was our niece, West’s daughter from his first marriage, and a twin herself—her brother was Wyatt. She also loved making cookies.

I also knew why Zach avoided the bakery—because of Amber King. After loving Zach for years, she’d finally started dating someone seriously, and Zach didn’t like it. However, the situation was entirely his fault—he’d never shown any romantic interest in Amber—and at this point, he either had to do something to swoop my friend off her feet or let her move on.

A timer beeped in the background, and Zane cursed. “They’re going to burn.”

He walked—okay, more like shuffled because of his back injury—and I followed him into the kitchen. The yummy scent of cookies filled the air, and I swiped one off the cooling rack. After demolishing one, I picked up another. “These are pretty good. Make sure to hide some for me so Zach doesn’t eat them all.”

“Look at what the cat finally dragged in,” Zach said from behind me.

I didn’t even turn around and gave him the finger. “I’m going to eat all the cookies just for that comment.”

He stopped next to me, grabbed the cooling rack stacked with cookies, and held it out of reach. “I’ll just take these.”

“Are you ever not annoying?”

He raised a dark eyebrow. “I was being nice before you threatened to steal all the cookies, but no more.” His eyes looked over my face. “Why do you look like you went to hell and back?”

I flipped him off again. “Says the man who will have to find some woman who pities him to wake up to that face every day.”

Zach grinned. “Now I know you’re tired because that’s not your A-game, Abby. I’m sexy, and you know it.”

I made retching sounds. “Just no. I already have to work at not imagining Emmy with West. Don’t push me over the edge.”

And I suspected I’d soon have to do the same with my brother Nolan and my friend Katie, even with the whole Katie-refusing-to-see-Nolan thing right now.

Zane jumped in. “Zach might have to move away if he ever wants to see a naked woman again. No one in Starry Hills will give him a chance.”

After swallowing my cookie, I said, “I’m sitting right here. And I don’t want to hear about Zach and naked women.”

Zach ignored me and sighed dramatically. “It’s true. They keep turning me down, apart from old Mrs. Easton.”

Zane smirked. “There’s something about an older woman that can be fun.”

“Older, yes. But she’s seventy-two and I draw the line at septuagenarians.”

“Since when do you know words like septuagenarians?” I drawled.

Zach gave me the middle finger. “I read. Not all of us are fancy college graduates.”

Memories threatened to break free, ones about my mentor teacher’s betrayal and how I’d never teach like I’d always wanted to do.

I grabbed a few cookies and headed toward the door. I heard Zach say, “I’m sorry, Abby. Come back!” But I kept walking.

However, instead of going upstairs to shower and crash into bed, I went outside and walked toward the apple orchard. Memories of my mom were the strongest there, especially since she’d tried to make it a fun place to play after my dad’s death when I was seven.

As the bare branches came into view, a sense of peace fell over me. Here, my mom had given so many hugs and kisses. My dad had even chased me and the twins around the trees when we’d been young. Not to mention my friends and I had climbed the trees as kids and pretended they were ship masts and we were pirates on the open sea.

After all the chaos with Rafe this morning, plus Katie’s current dilemma with Nolan’s ex-bitch, and even Zane struggling with the changes to his body after being discharged from the Navy SEALs, I needed some peace and quiet.

Except when I approached the center of the orchard—where the Wishing Tree, stone arch, and bench were located—Nolan paced back and forth, running his hands through his hair, muttering something.

I’d guessed for a while that Nolan was in love with Katie. And while one of my greatest fears was that another of my best friends would get married and eventually forget I existed, I couldn’t be selfish. Two people I loved deserved happiness.

And so I went to talk to my brother and see how I could help him with Katie.