Page 7 of Waiting For Fate

Me

Yep. See you tomorrow.

I adore my best friends, and I admire how much time and effort Taylor has put into throwing this Welcome back to Nashville/Congratulations on getting traded party, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking of a way to get out of it since she told me it was happening. Sawyer used to be one of my best friends and I held him in such high regard that no one could say an ill word about him to me. Until he lost every bit of my affection and loyalty when he stood me up my senior year of high school and continued to pretend like I didn’t exist every day after that without even a hint of a reason why.

I lock my phone and toss it into my bag just as class is dismissed for the day. I think I’ll go home, curl up on the couch and watch 10 Things I Hate About You.

For no particular reason whatsoever.

CHAPTER 2

LEAH

Taylor and Tucker’s new house is absolutely stunning. It’s not massive, per se, but the open floor plan makes it feel immensely spacious. Which might just come in handy since I have a feeling I am going to be finding strategic ways to avoid the man of the hour for the better part of the evening. There are balloons everywhere and enough food platters to feed an army—or by the looks of it, Tank, Tucker, and Max. Seriously, if someone doesn’t remove them from the kitchen there will be no food left for anyone else.

“Do your wives not feed you?” I slap my hands on the top of the oversized kitchen island. Tank is bouncing Poe on his chest in a baby carrier, and all three of them look over at me, then back down at the almost empty platter.

“Taylor wouldn’t let me in the kitchen today while she cleaned the house. I’m starving,” Tucker says over a mouth full of food before snatching another crescent wrapped sausage from the tray.

“You look like starved shelter dogs. For the love of God, pace yourselves, gentlemen. This event just started, the person it’s for isn’t even here yet, and other people are hungry too,” I playfully scold them, grabbing the last pig in a blanket with a smirk on my face.

“Yes, Mom,” Tank groans, making me roll my eyes.

“She keeping everyone in line in here?” The familiar sound of Sawyer’s smooth voice washes over me, causing a pit to form in my stomach. I suddenly wish I was as invisible as he’s made me feel over the last ten years.

My heart is hammering against my chest, my feet unwilling to turn around and face the man standing behind me as my eyes bounce between the guys. Tank, Tucker, and Max all shoot anticipating glances my way, but when I subtly shake my head Tank picks up on it and wipes his hand on his blue jeans before extending it to Sawyer.

“Hey man, I’m Tank. I think I was dangerously drunk the last time we met.” Leave it to Tank to break the tension just by being Tank. Sawyer laughs and reaches across the island to shake his hand.

“Right. Taylor’s birthday party. No, I remember. Good to see you again.” The warm scent of cedar surrounds me as he nearly brushes against my arm, making the breaths I’m already struggling to catch that much harder to take. Then I feel Sawyer’s gaze land on me.

“Yeah, I was insinuating that I didn’t,” Tank mumbles to himself and I have to roll my lips together to keep from laughing.

I finally take a deep breath and turn to face Sawyer, doing my best to show my indifference towards him. To prove how unaffected I am by the way he took our once cherished friendship and drove it straight into the ground. But when I catch those deep, sapphire eyes already on me when I turn around, my plan flies out the damn window.

“Hey, Dove.” His smile acts like a dagger to my heart, but I can’t ignore the warmth from the wound spreading through me at the same time. My throat bobs as I swallow past the emotions threatening to choke me up.

“Hey, Moose.”

More like, hey asshole.

It’s like my mind factory reset and I was transported back to high school. The sense of longing for him that I’ve actively shoved down for the better part of ten years comes crawling back up to the surface.

Not today, hormones. Get it together.

He chuckles when he hears the name and slides his hands into the front pockets of his dark gray slacks. He’s paired them with a dusty-blue dress shirt that’s tucked in, the top two buttons are undone, and his sleeves are rolled up just past his forearms. His long brown hair looks as though he just stepped out of the shower and ran his fingers through it, the curls tousled in a perfectly messy way.

Freaking kill me. He looks delicious.

“You look great.” His gaze slowly glides over my body causing my cheeks to warm instantly. I have on a simple white turtleneck paired with a navy-blue overall dress, my hair is thrown up into a messy bun with a few stray hairs framing my face and my favorite pair of gray booties.

“Thank you.” I tip my chin up confidently, refusing to give in and tell him how great he looks too. He turns to face me head on, making my breath catch in my throat when he does.

“Could we go somewhere to talk? I’d really like to catch up.” Ugh, is he serious? I can feel my nostrils flare as I draw in a breath— acting as if I’m contemplating my answer— then I quickly respond.

“Hmm. No.” His jaw flexes the way it always does when he’s frustrated, and I feel the corner of my lips turn up in a smirk.

“Come on, Dove. I–” Before he can finish whatever he was about to say, Taylor enters the room, and magnetically draws all attention to her.

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