Page 18 of Wasted On You

“So weird,” Wanda said. “I never thought I wanted to get married. Never thought I wanted kids. And now I’ve got both, and while some days I don’t recognize myself at all, I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.” She glanced at Ivy. “How’s it feel?”

Ivy frowned. “How does what feel?”

“Falling in love.” Wanda nodded to her left hand. “Being engaged to Kip Lafferty.”

“Oh.” Ivy shrugged. “I don’t feel any different. I mean, it’s just a ring.” God, she sounded like a complete idiot.

Wanda leaned closer. “That is not just a ring. I bet it’s at least three carats.”

It was big. Had made it hard to bowl. But with Mike Paul watching her so close, she didn’t want to remove it.

“I’ve never been much of a jewelry person, you know?” She tried to make light, but Wanda gave her an odd look.

The guys were pouring glasses of beer from the large jugs Aiden had brought over, and Ivy nursed hers and watched. They all seemed so familiar with each other, and a part of her sort of hated the fact. These people had a connection, and it was one she was no longer a part of.

“I always thought you and Mike Paul would end up together.”

“What?” She turned back to Wanda so fast she winced and damn near gave herself whiplash.

“You two always seemed so in sync.” At Ivy’s silence, Wanda blushed. “Or something. I don’t know. I think we were all surprised when you up and left Big Bend with Cal. Not Cal so much, but you?” She shrugged. “I thought you were a lifer, and I thought Mike Paul would be a part of it.” She winked. “Once he grew up.”

Ivy took a long swig of beer, not wanting to think back to one of the most tempestuous times she’d lived through. Her parents had been fighting all the time, which made her mother even more difficult to be around. Then they’d split and there were the rumors. Holy hell, the rumors. Not surprising in a small town like Big Bend. But thenthe thing happened that she’d never told anyone abouthappened ,and she’d left with Cal and never looked back.

Except, Val. She knew.

Ivy took a moment and pushed all that stuff away. Nothing good could come from revisiting it and she didn’t want to ruin the night by digging up a past that would only hurt.

“Do men ever grow up?” Ivy asked lightly.

“Some do.” Wanda’s eyes were on Bryce, and a slow smile curved her lips as if she were thinking of a secret.

“You two seemed to have found your happy ending.”

Wanda nodded to the ring once more. “I bet most folks think you have as well.”

Something in her tone got to Ivy. “Only most?” she responded lightly.

“I haven’t met your fiancé, and I sure don’t have any firsthand knowledge of your life. But what I do know is that it’s hard to move forward with unfinished business.” She nodded to the table of men. “And you and Mike Paul have a shit load of it.”

Ivy’s mouth fell open, and anger made her eyes flash a hard, dark blue. Who in hell did this woman think she was to say something like that?

Wanda took a step back and held up her hands, palms out. “Hey, I’m not looking to start something. Geez, we only just became friends. Kind of. But Ivy, the way he looks at you when you’re not looking at him, is about as hungry as the way you look at him when he’s got his back to you.”

“I…” Something inside her cracked a bit, and she blew out a long breath, more than a little defeated. Turned out it was hard pretending life was rainbows and puppy dogs. “It’s complicated.”

“God, it always is, isn’t it?”

Why was she confiding in Wanda Weatherly, of all people?

Because I have no real friends.

Not anymore. And whose fault was that? She’d tried to forget Big Bend and everything she’d had here. She hadn’t made time to—as her Nana would say—water her garden.

“There’s some history there and not all of it is good,” she admitted slowly.

Okay, now pull out a lie and do it well.

“But I’m with Kip and he’s amazing, and Mike Paul is just part of a past that I don’t think about all that much.”

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