Page 57 of Since Day One

I glared at him, the steam and anger finally bursting forth from my ears. “I’m not running; I’m leaving so I don’t punch that no good, two-faced, lying, cock-sucking bitch in the face!” I panted heavily, ready to burn the world down with her in it if that’s what it took to rid the planet of someone as conniving as she was. “I also would like to kick you in the balls, so. Back. Off,” I snarled, huffing.

Gunnar’s eyes widened, and he took a cautious half-step backward, throwing his hands in the air. “Willow, I get why you want to hurt her, but what did I do?”

“You dated her! She is your ex-girlfriend, is she not?” I jabbed a finger in her direction, and he nodded.

“For two months, Princess.”

“And don’t call me the same nickname you use with her!” His brows twitched, rising in confusion at the viciousness of my attack. “Oh yeah, I heard you earlier. Look, it’s done. I’ve had enough; so, if you’ll excuse me, the sun has set, I’m sore and hungry, and you’ve been an ass to me. I get why, but all the same, you didn’t need to act all pissy at me today.”

“I’m not pissy today. But can I explain the whole Emily situation? Please. Please, Willow, give me a chance.” Gunnar stepped forward. His body language was not threatening; he moved the same as he might to soothe a green colt. I gestured at him, silently signaling to tell me, because at this point, I didn’t know what else to do and wanted to be rid of it all.

“We met through her dad. I should’ve taken it as a red flag, but I was recently dumped. You remember the whole ex-fiancée debacle, right? So, I was broken and horny, okay? We shacked up for a couple of months; she stole my dog and took off. That was the end of it.” Gunnar shoved his hands in his pockets and sat back against his heels.

The wheels spun in my head, processing. “Okay, but you googled me. Which means you also knew long before the whole cabin incident that I knew her. You didn’t think it was something worth sharing?”

His shoulders sagged. “It was done a long time ago, and I didn’t realize the rivalry between you two was that intense.”

“She stole your dog, dumbass. Why would you think she was a nice person outside of a relationship?”

“And you calling her a cock-sucking bitch is nice?” He lifted an accusatory brow, trying to lighten the mood, mischievousness glinting behind those sparkling irises.

I pushed my bottom lip out in a pout. “She deserves it for literally causing me to fall off my horse, ruining my chance at winning. I had a splint on my finger and bruised ribs because of it. Moose got hurt too.”

“I’m not saying it’s not warranted, Princess,” Gunnar gave me a small smile, sensing a victory.

“And that name! Stop it! You can’t call me that anymore,” I grumbled.

“Why not?”

“‘Cause you call her that too.”

His brows twitched together, the grin slipping away. “No, I don’t.”

“I heard you!”

“Heard—“ The confusion fled his body, and he shook his head. “She named my dog she stole ‘Princess,’ but I’ve never called Emily ‘princess.’ That, Willow, is reserved for you.”

My mouth fell open. “Then why did you say, ‘No, not even Princess,’ when Emily first got here?”

He paused and glanced over his shoulder. My gaze followed, finding Emily caught up with Rob and Carsen. Whatever they were saying, what they were doing, kept her from darting around to the private conversation that Gunnar and I were involved in. I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe we hadn’t been that sneaky about things since those two silently stepped in protecting us without hearing anything explicit about our relationship.

Gunnar chuckled, and we looked back at each other. “She was negotiating with me about the horse she wants me to start. I kept turning her offers down. She asked if there was something I wanted from her, like a kiss, which I again denied. Then she asked if I wanted the dog back. I said—“

“No, not even Princess,” I gasped, everything settling upon me. We slowly resumed walking toward the arena gate, the horse quietly following behind.

“She wanted me to put thirty days on the horse that she’d be riding against you in exchange for a dog I haven’t seen since she stole it,” Gunnar finished, and immediate foolishness washed over me. I’d met this little German Shorthaired Pointer before more than once, since Emily had brought the dog to a few competitions.

“I’m an idiot,” I muttered, tying off the horse at the hitching rail. Gunnar stopped directly in front of me, the animal’s body blocking us from Emily’s view.

“You, Princess, are not. Considering the sudden nature of everything, I probably would’ve reacted the same way.” His calloused hands rested against my cheeks.

“But what about how she hugged and kissed you? I saw that, too,” I whispered, and he pressed his lips gently against my forehead.

His warm breath brushed against my skin. “Did you stick around to see me push her off?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” he whispered and pulled away with a sigh. “Now, are we all good?”

---