Page 96 of Whiskey Run Heroes

She clears her throat. “Uh, yeah, look, I know this is weird me calling you, but I can't stay out of this.”

I sigh and lean against the wall and throw my head back. “Stay out of what?”

She stutters. “You... You and May.”

I’m shaking my head and spit the words out. “You heard her. It’s nothing serious.”

She’s silent and then clears her throat again. Kinsey’s probably uncomfortable making this call. Hell, I’m uncomfortable with it. “You're right. I heard her say that. And I also talked to her after you left. First of all, I can't believe you've kept this hidden for two years. And then second of all, if you care for her, you need to come to dinner tonight.”

I run my hand through my hair in frustration. “I'm not coming to watch May go on a date with another man. I'm not a glutton for punishment.”

“Okaaaaay, I was thinking you were going to come to dinner and claim her as your woman but—"

I interrupt her. “She doesn't want me. You heard her. Why would I put myself through that—or, hell, the rest of you, for that matter?”

“Aiden, what I heard was my best friend say that she feels things for you and doesn't want to get hurt. Now look, I feel like I'm already going behind my husband's and my best friend's back by calling you, but if you feel anything for May, you better come to dinner because you know as well as I know that any man would be lucky to have her, and she's not going to be single forever.”

Fuck. I know that Kinsey's right, there's no doubt in my mind. I know that half of Whiskey Run would be after her if they thought they had a chance. Kinsey interrupts my thoughts. “And one more thing. If you hurt her, I'll kill you.”

Before I can tell her that there’s no way in hell I’d ever hurt her, the phone goes dead. For the first time since last night, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. There's no way I'm not going to shoot my shot. I have to at least try. May is worth it, and I don't have much time. I pick up the dumbbells and set them on the stand before running upstairs to shower.

As soon as I'm done, I head over to Colt’s house, and even though I usually just walk right in, tonight I ring the doorbell. I already spotted the strange vehicle in the driveway, and it's fucked up knowing that another man is inside trying to get with my woman. And yeah, that's right: May is my woman.

Colt answers the door and looks surprised when he sees me. “What are you doing here?”

“I came for dinner,” I tell him and push him to the side and walk on in. We've been friends for a long time, so I know that he's not going to not let me in.

“Uh, sure, man. Come on in. Make yourself at home,” he jokes.

We’re walking through the house when he nudges me in the ribs and whispers, “This is good. I’d like you to meet Jeremy anyway... see what you think about him.”

I grunt. It’s either that or I tell him exactly what I think about some man wanting to be with May.

When we walk into the dining room, Kinsey is already setting an extra plate, and I’m right next to May. “Thanks, Kinsey, I'm sorry I'm late,” I tell her as I sit down. I scoot my chair over closer to May, and I hear her tiny gasp when my leg hits her thigh.

Kinsey smiles at me. “It’s fine, you’re not too late. You know you’re welcome anytime.” She gestures between me and the stranger across the table. Thank fuck he wasn’t seated next to May because chances are I’d be asking him to move. “Aiden, this is Jeremy. Jeremy, this is Aiden. He works with Colt, and well, he’s a friend of the family.”

“How you doing?” I ask him with a scowl. I can feel Colt’s eyes on me. We've literally been through hell together, and he knows me probably better than anyone, so chances are he has to know that something is up. Jeremy looks between May and me, obviously confused about what's going on.

“I'm good,” he says. I take this moment to check this Jeremy out. I don't even know what Colt was thinking. There's no way he's a match for May. Just looking at him, he looks timid and weak. That's not the type of man that May needs. She needs someone she’s going to butt heads with and then spend hours making up with. That’s me. I’m that guy.

I look over at May. “How about you? How you doing? You look pretty tonight.”

She gets flustered and drops her fork on her plate. “I'm good. Thank you,” she says.

Kinsey starts talking about the kids, and I put food on my plate from the serving platters on the middle of the table. I'm not hungry, and even though the dude doesn't deserve it, I can't stop giving Jeremy dirty looks.

Colt interrupts and says, “So, Jeremy, I was talking to May the other day, and she is thinking about going back to school to get her RN degree. That would be something if she took one of your classes at the college.”

I turn to May, surprised. “I didn't know that.” All this time that we've spent together she's never once mentioned that she was thinking about going back to school. She gives me that look, and I know exactly what it means. Because honestly, we don't do a lot of talking. She clears her throat and looks at Jeremy. It takes every bit of control I have not to reach over and pull her chin toward me. I want her eyes on me and only me.

She nods her head at Jeremy. “Yeah, I was thinking about going back for my master's degree.”

“You should do it,” I tell her. She opens her mouth and then closes it quickly. She’s trying not to look at me, and it’s plain and simple she feels guilty. Hell, she should right now. She’s basically on a date with another man. She’ll definitely be making this up to me once we get everything figured out.

Jeremy says, “Yeah, you should. Jasper University is a great school, and if you'd like to come take a tour, I'd be happy to show you around.”

May clears her throat and looks at Jeremy, and then back at me.Don’t do it. Don’tagree to another date,I tell her with my eyes and a stern look on my face. “Uh, I dunno. I mean, I’m still thinking about it, so I’m not sure.”

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