Page 10 of Pretty Broken Promises

Shane exhales. “Tess, it’s not like that.”

I lean my elbows on the table. “Then what is it like, McKinnick? Because from where I’m sitting there’s a lot of promises you made me, and you managed to break all of them.”

“I should have stepped in,” he agrees.

I shrug. “Yeah, well that’s all in the past now. What are you all doing here now?”

“Stopping you from making a mistake,” Ford interjects.

I toss my napkin on my empty plate. “Do you have a time machine? Because if not, you need to leave me alone.” I hold my hand out to Benji. “Can we go?”

“I’m sorry they destroyed everything you planned,” I say to him when we’re far enough away from the table.

“Are you sure? He came here for you. I know when we first met in Seattle that’s what you wanted, him to show up for you.”

I inhale deeply. “He didn’t come here for me. He came here for him. Ford only wants me when he can’t have me. I’m not interested in playing his games. I want a man who plans the perfect proposal down to the dress I’m going to wear. I want the fairytale.”

He wraps his arms around my waist and spins me around. “And so you’ll have it.”

ChapterSix

FORD

“Doyou actually know how to not piss her off?” Sin asks me as Tessa storms away from the table with Bennet.

He doesn’t give me a chance to answer before he turns to Ted and Shane and asks them, “Tell me the truth, was there a time those two were ever actually good together? Why did we come down here to fuck up that poor girl’s proposal? I didn’t sign on for that shit. She’s been through enough.”

“Whose side are you on?” Shane snaps. I keep my mouth shut, because so far nothing he’s said has been far off base.

“I’m sorry.” Sin leans back in his chair, and casually drapes his arms across the back of the two next to him. “I thought I made that clear. I’m on hers.”

“He’s right,” I speak up before Shane can argue more. “I fucked up. I meant to come here and convince her to leave with me, but then I saw her sitting here, with him, and the sun setting behind them while she was wearing that damn ring, and I lost my mind for a moment.”

“Well, how did that work out for you? Because if she hadn’t already said yes, my guess is she’s screaming it by now,” Sin taunts me.

“How does this help?” I snap at him.

He slams his fist on the table before pointing his finger in my face. “Because you need a wake up call. Do you know why he left with her, why it’s his ring on her finger?”

“My guess is you’re looking for an answer deeper than he’s the one that asked, right?” Ted chimes in.

I glare at him. “I think I liked you better when we all thought you were a shy nerd.”

Ted stands up, his chair scraping loudly across the ground. “All illusions have to be shattered sometime. I believe you just lost the one about Tessa being hopelessly in love with you no matter what you say or do. So, how about we go grab a beer if we’re going to listen to any more of your whining about how you fucked up your own life.”

Shane winces. “Ouch. Be a friend man and dial it back a bit.”

“Remember I was knee deep in thatshy nerdera as Ford called it, so I mostly kept my mouth shut, but he was a dick to her. He got worse when she came back after high school. You sat back, Shane, and let Ford rewrite history. Jen, Amber, Sin, Raven, and Lucien had no idea that she wasn’t the mega bitch he made her out to be. If I had feelings like a normal person, I’d feel pretty bad about keeping my mouth shut.” Ted pulls some money out of his wallet and throws it on the table.

We all add some to his tip and follow him out of the restaurant. There’s a sports bar that caters to tourists a bit farther down the pier. We settle in at a table in the back of the bar and order a pitcher.

Once again I’d let my pride get the best of me and I acted like an idiot. It’s no wonder I was losing her to Bennett Richards. Who am I kidding. I’ve lost her.

“I came out to help you win Tessa back, not watch you whine into your beer. If you’re going to give up that easily then you really don’t deserve her. But, if you are done being a little bitch, then you’ll see that if she loves you, you can’t lose her. You can only push her away. So, does she love you?” Sin asks me.

There aren’t many things I’m certain of in this life, and of those even fewer as confidently as I am that at least at one time Tessa James loved me deeply. “She did, once.”

“Did you love her?” he asks.

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