Page 9 of Trust Me With Forever

Rafe didn’t hesitate. “No. I’m loyal, Abby. It’s why I stayed with the Dragons so long when better offers came. Even if it’s in name only, I’d never betray my wife that way.”

The part of me that broke after everything with Travis said Rafe’s words were bullshit. I shouldn’t trust him. He was a man, after all. And they’d say anything to get you into bed.

Except, Rafe wasn’t proposing that. Maybe, just maybe, he’d keep his word.

Except, he won’t. Why should he?said the voice inside my head.

Wanting to growl and snarl, I took a deep breath and merely nodded instead. “I’ll think about it. That’s all I can promise.”

“That’s all I ask for, Abigail. Text me when you want to talk again.”

“I will, thanks.”

I shut the door and watched Rafe drive away until he vanished from sight. Turning around, I walked down the road and tapped each fence post I walked past.

The combined familiarity of the tapping and the sight of still-dormant grapevines helped calm my mind a little. I was still in no shape to make a huge decision—that would require some sleep—but the peace and quiet of my family’s land always made me feel better.

It was strange living back here again, after living with Emmy. And yet, I wasn’t going to stay with a pair of newlyweds and the twins. I probably could’ve found a place in town for myself, but I hated living alone. Some people loved it, and that was fine. But all it did was give me time to think of who else might leave me next.

I was happy that my friends were finding love and getting married—even if one of them had married my brother, of all people—but as their families grew, I worried they might nothave time for me. Then I’d end up that awkward single person lingering at the edges of the room.

Sure, everyone would try to set me up. And I had wanted to find love at one point. But after being tricked and conned by Travis, I didn’t know if I could trust any man outside of my family.

So awkward single person it was. Although at some point, I’d have to get over living by myself. Once Beck and Sabrina started having babies, there’d be less and less room for me in the house.

You could live with Rafe for a year and then buy your own place.

Before I could dwell on that, I reached the front door, and it promptly opened, revealing my brother, Zane. He was one of the twins born before me and had only recently come back from deployment as a Navy SEAL because of his injuries. He’d mostly healed but still couldn’t lift anything heavy or stand still for long periods of time.

He asked, “Where the hell did you go yesterday?”

I raised my eyebrows. “I didn’t realize I had to report my every movement to you.”

As soon as the words left my lips, I regretted it. Zane and I were still trying to find our footing with each other after being apart for nearly ten years. So I quickly added, “Sorry. I had too much to drink last night, and I’m cranky.”

“Sugar might help. There are some chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen that I made.”

“You’re a baker now?”

“I can sit on a stool and let the stand mixer do most of the work. So, yes. I bake now.”

Since we’d all learned that Zane would rather be stabbed in the eye than talk about his physical shortcomings since his injuries, I teased, “Don’t get too good at it and put Amber out of business.”

He rolled his eyes. “I can make exactly three things right now. I think Amber’s bakery is safe.” He lowered his voice, “I’m mainly learning to bake so Zach stops being such a grumpy asshole. He has a sweet tooth but avoids the bakery at all costs now. And with Avery moving in with Emmy, he’s going to need someone to feed him.”

Avery was our niece, West’s daughter from his first marriage, and a twin herself—her brother was Wyatt. She also loved making cookies.

I also knew why Zach avoided the bakery—because of Amber King. After loving Zach for years, she’d finally started dating someone seriously, and Zach didn’t like it. However, the situation was entirely his fault—he’d never shown any romantic interest in Amber—and at this point, he either had to do something to swoop my friend off her feet or let her move on.

A timer beeped in the background, and Zane cursed. “They’re going to burn.”

He walked—okay, more like shuffled because of his back injury—and I followed him into the kitchen. The yummy scent of cookies filled the air, and I swiped one off the cooling rack. After demolishing one, I picked up another. “These are pretty good. Make sure to hide some for me so Zach doesn’t eat them all.”

“Look at what the cat finally dragged in,” Zach said from behind me.

I didn’t even turn around and gave him the finger. “I’m going to eat all the cookies just for that comment.”

He stopped next to me, grabbed the cooling rack stacked with cookies, and held it out of reach. “I’ll just take these.”

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