Page 56 of Wasted On You

“Don’t stop on my account,” Mike Paul shot back sarcastically. “I’m already there.”

Cal took another swig and picked at the label on the bottle. Then he looked Mike Paul dead in the eye. “Sometimes what you want isn’t what’s right. You need to be sure on this one. Figure out if her happiness looks better with you in the picture or if Lafferty is the one she needs.” He shrugged. “If you think Lafferty can make her happy then step back. Even if she thinks it’s you. Be the bigger man. It will be the hardest thing you ever do.” Cal’s voice dropped. “But it will be the most selfless. That’s what real love is.”

His heart sank, and it took a bit to keep his composure. “You think she’s better with him.” The words fell like stones.

“That’s not what I said.”

The anger in Mike Paul’s gut churned hard. He clamped his mouth shut so hard his jaw ached. Cal was the one person he thought would be in his corner. The one person who knew what it was like to fuck up and then want to make things right.

“Look, I love both of you guys,” Cal spoke quietly. Calmly. “It’s that simple. But this is complicated. You two have history, and now she’s with someone. Ivy is the kind of woman who needs commitment. That’s not something you’ve done before, so you need to be one thousand percent sure you’re all in. That you’re the one. The only one who can make her happy because this is our girl,our Ivy, and she deserves the world.”

It was a lightbulb moment, and his heart sank because his buddy was right. This wasn’t about his selfish needs. It was about Ivy. How could he know where her path to happiness lay? It wasn’t with Lafferty. He was sure of that. But maybe hewasall wrong for her. If he fucked up, she was the one who got hurt.

“How will I know that I’m the one for her?” he whispered.

“You need to figure that out.”

“I’ve got a problem then.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m running out of time.”

Cal didn’t have a comeback for that and said nothing. He gave Mike Paul a pat on the back and headed toward his wife and son.

Mike Paul finished his beer and then grabbed another one. In a dark mood, he drifted to the men gathered near the dart board. His sister had arrived, so he didn’t need to worry about his niece, and he sure as hell didn’t want to think about Ivy at the moment. His head wasn’t in the right space. For the first time in his life, he was doubting himself.

It was a novel feeling and one he didn’t care for.

Instead of dwelling on it, he spent the next two hours drinking beers he would regret, throwing darts at the board, and ignoring the woman who watched him from across the room. Ignoring the weird looks from Cal and Millie. Ignoring the burning hot ball of crap in his gut.

He tossed his last dart and hit the bullseye. He was done. The entire evening was a bust, and he needed to think.

“You okay?” Benton grabbed the dart from the board and walked back to Mike Paul. The oldest Bridgestone was like a brother to Mike Paul, and he saw the concern on the man’s face.

“I’m good,” he replied. “Gonna call it early.”

“You’re headed home?”

Mike Paul nodded. “It’s been a long day.” He made a face. “Hell, it’s been a long week, and I’ve got this kid staying with me and?—”

“You don’t need to convince me, though you’ll be in the doghouse if you don’t say goodbye to Millie Sue.” There was a warning in Benton’s tone, and Mike Paul felt like a kid again. He had been considering sneaking out through the kitchen. Dick move, but he wasn’t himself.

He snuck a look to where the women sat near the bar and then cranked his head to the left because Ivy wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“She’s in the bathroom.”

There was no point in denying who he’d been looking for.

“Can I say something?” Benton set down the dart he’d been holding.

“Why the hell not? Everyone else has. But if you’re going to tell me that I’m not good enough for her, you can save your breath. Cal’s already been clear on that point.”

“Calvin’s made his own mistakes and he’s close with Ivy. I think his viewpoint is a bit skewed.”

“Doesn’t matter. I think he’s right.”

“You know what the biggest cliché on the planet is?”

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