Page 57 of Bourbon & Bonfires

“I know,” I groan. “I didn’t know what to do. I felt like the kid learned his lesson, and he’s had a tough go of it, ya know. His dad bailed, and he got himself into some shit before they moved here. Plus, Addison was on her way back from burying one of her childhood best friends. It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Lying is never the right thing to do. Did you not pay attention to anything that has happened in the last few years? If you’ll recall, Piper and I lied for months, and it only caused a shit-load of problems. Jameson and Ashton? Yeah, those little lies didn’t cause a shitstorm,” Ben snorts. Those little lies caused us all a lot of grief. “And, fucking Owen, while he didn’t lie, he’s an idiot and we should all pay attention and not follow in his footsteps.”

“Fuck off.” Owen says. I look to Jameson, and he shrugs in agreement. Somehow, my lunch with Ben turned into all four of us sitting around this table with sandwiches in our hands and each of them offering me some sort of advice.

Dicks. My friends are dicks. They know I didn’t want to lie and normally wouldn’t. I’m fucking honest to a fault. I’m the guy who confessed my attempt to shoplift a pack of gum when I was seven years old before I even made it to the cash register. The guy who couldn’t turn a blind eye to watching kids cheat on tests in high school.

To a fault.

“You have to tell her,” Ben says, pointing at me with his sub sandwich in his hand.

“I will. Tonight.”

“Nope. We’re all going to be there. The girls will be there. You cannot drop something like this on her with the girls there. They will eat you alive.”

Jameson has a point. Shit. The girls can be a little bit of a force. And honestly, they scare the shit out of me when they’re together. I love them all, and they are some of my closest friends, but they’re like a pack of wild animals, beautiful animals, but scary and sometimes salivating animals. And I’m grateful Addison has them.

“I see your point, but I have to tell her. It’s killing me. I feel like the biggest piece of shit.”

“Maybe the kid should tell her. It’s his gig. He’s the one wh fucked up,” Owen says before taking a large bite of his sandwich.

“Owen, that may be the smartest thing you’ve said.” Jameson teases before Owen flips him off.

The rest of our lunch is much of the same. A lot of advice, agreement from me that I should’ve been honest from the beginning, and the overall consensus that I grovel and beg for Addison’s forgiveness the rest of my life.

As Addison and I walk into Country Road, hand in hand, I have never been happier. She’s jabbering away about her day, her free hand waving around dramatically. I realize this is one of the first times we’ve been out with our friends. We’ve had a few dinners here and there at each other’s houses or out at Jameson’s property for a fire. But tonight, it’s one of the first nights we’ve been out as a couple.

“I’m not going to lie, I’m grateful your brother isn’t going to be here tonight. I’m sorry for the circumstances but don’t really need that level of stare down.”

“Taylor doesn’t do astare down; he’s your friend. But yeah, I get it. He’s a bit overprotective. Or maybe he’s just an asshole. Verdict’s still out on that.” Her sarcasm laces each word as she rolls her eyes.

I laugh and pull Addison toward me, placing a kiss on her head. The moment our friends see us, we’re greeted with hugs from the girls and shots from Owen. I guess we aren’t easing into this at all. Thankfully, Mason will be staying at my parents’ house tonight, so he and my dad can go fishing bright and early tomorrow morning.

The guys were right, tonight isn’t the night to tell Addison I’m keeping a secret from her. Tonight is a night to have fun, to be playful, and to show her about our life in Lexington.

A life with good friends and even better times.

This “fake it till you make it” concept is stressful. I’m trying my best to be in the moment, to laugh and smile with our friends. This is good for us. I hadn’t realized it until Landon said something the other day, but we haven’t been out much since we started dating. We spend most nights at my house because of Mason. That isn’t to fair to Landon and another reminder of how very different our lives are.

Dan has been texting me non-stop since his voicemail earlier this week, and I’ve successfully avoided each time he’s called. His ominous warning that I would see him in a few days has had me on edge. Last night, the doorbell rang, and I jumped two feet in the air, scaring not only myself but Mason since he was standing next to me in the kitchen. Thankfully, it wasn’t his wayward father and was only the little boy next door.

Landon commented on my edginess and tried to persuade me for a quickie before we left the house. I know us and if I accepted the offer, we’d never make it out. Instead, I waved him off, talking about hormones and menopause. He laughed and said my hormones made me sexy before he swooped me up in his arms for a panty-melting kiss.

I should probably be honest and tell him what has me on edge. The fact that my ex-husband may show up in town is probably something I should tell the man who spends more nights in my bed than his own. I just can’t seem to find the words. It isn’t a big deal; if Dan lived nearby, he’d be around for Mason anyway. Well, I assume he would be. Never mind, he wouldn’t. Regardless, I know it’s ridiculous keeping this from Landon, but the idea of exposing him to my former life makes me nervous. What if the moment he sees the amount of baggage I’m carrying, he decides it’s too much? The fact of the matter is, I’m not convinced our time together isn’t temporary, and adding Dan to the mix seems like a sure-fire way to put an expiration date on whatever we have.

“Hey, you okay?” Landon asks, gripping my thighs and turning me in my chair. My knees settle between his legs, and he rubs his hands up and down my jean-clad legs.

“Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about something.” I lean in and place a kiss on his lips before I realize what I’ve done. In public. My eyes widen and a smirk appears on his face. Before I know it, he’s sliding my chair closer and pulling me into a real kiss.

With his hand in my hair, tugging me closer, I gasp and he takes that as an unspoken invitation to swipe my tongue with his. The connection is electric and sends shivers down my spine. Lost in his kiss, I don’t hear the cheers around us, but I do feel something hit my head and pull back. My eyes still closed, I embrace the tingle of my lips before slowly opening my eyes. Mischief and promises of more dance in Landon’s eyes as he stares back at me before picking up a straw that’s on the table next to us.

“Stop throwing shit,” he scolds to the other side of the table.

“I thought we were going to have to get you two a room,” Ashton says, smiling with her hands resting on her baby belly.

Embarrassed, I drop my chin to my chest while covering my eyes. Landon laughs, and my head flies up to scold him, but I can’t. It’s funny. We all start laughing and with my head still down, Landon lifts my chin to face him.

“Don’t be embarrassed, babe. That was the first time you’ve done that in public. I fucking loved it.”

---