Page 29 of (Un)Spoken

My spine straightened at the idea, hating how much I wanted to do the same. How could she leave like that? As much as I hated this for Cole, he wasn’t the only one whofelt betrayed. I thought we were getting closer. I’d opened up to Victoria more than I had anyone in a long time. She’d seen behind my walls then went and pulled this shit? Disappearing again after we—I meant Cole—had just gotten her back?

“She’s right.” Cole’s head snapped up at my words. “You should go to Texas. Shit, I’ll even come with you.”

“Why would you do that?”

I stopped, unsure how to respond. All my reasons were entirely selfish. I wanted nothing more than to see her face once again and finally put into words how I felt last night when she kissed me.

But instead, I went with a modified version of the truth. “Because we’ve become friends since she came to visit, and I think she owes you a reason as well. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to see Texas again. It’s been years since I went back home.”

Not that I thought of Texas as home anymore. I don’t know if I ever really did. It was where I’d grown up, but I’d dreamed of leaving almost the entire time. Since we’d taken a trip to the capital in the fourth grade, I’d plotted my escape, wanting to see so much more than my rural town could ever offer. Maybe it’d be different if my family still lived there, but they’d moved away after I scored my first big role, settling in their dream retirement home closer to the Gulf.

In the decade since I moved away, I’d never imagined returning to Dunville. It was a place on a map, nothing more. But knowing that Victoria was there made me anxious to head down there as soon as possible.

Cole shook his head, running his hand over his face. “This is fucking crazy, you know that, right? Am I reallyabout to fly out the day after my wedding without my wife?”

“It was Alex’s idea. I think that’s a good sign she’ll support this. But if you’re not sure, talk to her and let me know what she thinks.” I shrugged. “It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

But as Cole left my cabin to talk to Alex, I’d already pulled out my phone, searching for flights. I was going to Texas, with or without him.

Two days later,Cole and I were on a plane bound for our hometown. Traveling took longer than I expected, but it was worth it when we walked out into the hot Texas heat. Dunville was just as small as Saint Stephen’s Lake, but that was one of the few similarities.

Where the lake was kept clean and pristine, like a snapshot of a time gone by, Dunville felt more rundown. We’d known the economy had hit a lot of the local businesses hard, but it was difficult seeing so many stores boarded up. The only booming business was Seda’s Sporting Goods, owned by one of the most prominent families in the county. They owned a large ranch, almost 300,000 acres, on the outskirts of town.

Driving along Main Street, the only place that had stayed the same was the high school, a glowing beacon in the middle of town. The bright red banner for the Dunville Raptors covered the fence of the football field, drawing your eye into the astroturf and towering lights. It was like I could still hear the crowds screaming my name. The years in this town had shaped me, had made me the man I was today, but I was grateful I dared to leave when I did.

I glanced down at my phone as we pulled up to a large gate, the only sign of life on an otherwise empty road. This had to be the right place; at least, it was the address Cole’s parents had reluctantly given us.

“This can’t be right,” Cole muttered, leaning over to look at my phone. “Why the hell would she be living on the Seda Ranch?”

“No idea.”

After confirming the address was correct, Cole shook his head and hit the blinker, turning onto the dirt road. The address led us to the main house, where a stern-faced man was waiting for us, leaning on the edge of the porch.

“Can I help you?” he called out as Cole parked the truck. Despite his calm exterior, I could tell this was not a guy to be fucked with. His eyes assessed us, as if trying to decide if we were a threat.

“Sorry to bother you, sir,” I said, stepping around Cole. Not that I didn’t trust my friend, but he wasn’t known for making the best impression on people. “We might have the wrong address, but we’re looking for Victoria Campbell?”

That broke the harshness in his eyes. In fact, he almost smiled when I mentioned her name. “Y’all friends with Tori?”

“I am,” I said, nodding toward Cole. “This is her brother.”

“No kidding,” he mumbled, holding out his hand. “Marcus Seda. This is my land, and you probably know my son, Cameron.”

No, but I wasn’t going to contradict anything this man said—not if he was the one keeping me from seeing Tori again.

He shook both of our hands then nodded over his shoulder. “C’mon back. I’ll take you over to her cabin.”He glanced at Cole, studying him yet again, probably because he was silent, a dark look crossing over his eyes. I elbowed him, mouthing, ‘Get it together.’ Cole was pissed, but the glowering effect wasn’t going to earn us any favors.

Marcus led us behind the main house, taking a small path to three small cabins in a row. Even without telling us, I knew which one was Tori’s. Bold, colorful flowers lined the walkway. My guess—she’d planted them herself. She’d always complained when she was younger, wanting a little garden in the backyard, but her parents never allowed it, not wanting to attract animals into the yard.

As Cole stepped toward the door, Marcus hung back with me. Before I could take another step, he held his arm out to my chest. “This better be a friendly visit.”

“It will be,” I promised.

“That's good. No matter what happened with her and Cam, that girl will always be family. I don’t care who you are; no one steps onto my property and hurts my family.”

“Mr. Seda, sir, I promise we’re here with good intentions. Cole’s protective, just like you, and we want to make sure Victoria is okay. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Better not,” he grumbled.

---