Page 3 of Wasted On You

“I don’t know,” she replied softly. “But you can’t do this again. Fall apart, act out. That isn’t you.”

“Is she gone?”

Millie Sue got up and refilled his water. “No.”

He finished the glass. Then he got to his feet. He was a little unsteady but made it over to the sink without any issues. He held the glass under the faucet and, once he’d downed two more, set it on the counter and turned back to Millie Sue.

“I should apologize.”

“You might want to wait on that. Give her a chance to calm down.”

“It was that bad.” It wasn’t a question, and when Millie Sue nodded, he hung his head and swore. “What am I going to do?”

“I think an apology is good.” Millie Sue winced. “Eventually. And then you need to leave her alone.”

Auburn hair. Tangled sheets. Slim legs wrapped around his waist. Christ, he couldn’t shake the images.

And it wasn’t just about the sex, which had been next level. It was about the moments after. She was funny. Smart. He got her sarcasm, and she got his humor. They could talk about anything. And the woman likedLord of The Ringsmore than he did.

She was perfect.

Ivy Wilkens had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember. He could still picture her that first day of kindergarten when she’d shown up wearing glasses that made her eyes look ten times bigger than they were, an orange dress that drowned her slim frame, mismatched knee socks, and two ponytails that stuck straight out the sides of her head. Harry Miller had made fun of her glasses, and instead of crying like a baby, she’d punched him in the nose and broke it. Mike Paul and his buddy Cal, impressed by this little whip of a girl, had immediately decided they’d be pals, and after that, they’d been inseparable. Millie Sue had come along, and the four of them became closer than family.

And now he’d gone and fucked things up. He should stay out of Ivy’s lane. Give her space. And yet…

“I can’t do that,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t give her up.” He frowned and thought about what that meant. And the more he thought about it, the more he knew just how dire his situation was. “I won’t give her up.”

Millie Sue took a step forward, alarmed. “What do you mean?”

He looked at his friend and swallowed, wondering if he could say the words that had crept into his head when he wasn’t looking.

“I…” Mike Paul exhaled, and then everything went quiet. “I love her.”

Millie Sue didn’t look as surprised as he thought she’d be, though the alarm on her face hadn’t gone away. In fact, it looked ramped up. “What are you going to do?” The question was asked warily as if she were afraid of the answer.

Mike Paul tried to think past all the throbbing in his head and his hand. He ran his fingers over bruised and swollen knuckles. His brain was slow; he needed a minute. He walked past Millie Sue, and when Wiener and Bun ran over, he gave each of them a scratch.

The dogs had come to him a few years earlier in bad shape. They’d been physically abused, starved, and neglected. It had taken a lot to earn their trust, but he’d persevered because it mattered. To him. To his soul.

It hit Mike Paul then—the answer—because it was the only thing hecoulddo. Slowly, he turned back to Millie Sue, who still watched him from a few feet away.

“I’m going to win her over,” he declared, thrusting his chin up, which made his head ache even more. The ground swayed beneath his feet, but he managed to keep himself vertical. “Make her see that I’m the only guy for her.”

“She’s wearing Kip Lafferty’s ring.”

“Kip Lafferty can kiss my ass.” He scowled. “Just because they’re engaged doesn’t mean they’ll get married.”

“It means they’re more than just friends.”

“Ivy and I are more than just friends.”

“You might have been more than just friends at one point. And I get that you want to repair your relationship with Ivy, but I don’t think the romantic thing is going to work.”

“You’re wrong.”

Millie Sue’s eyes softened. “They’ve already picked a date.”

“What?” His mouth fell open. He was shocked. “But they…she’s only just met him.”

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