Page 35 of Aisle Come Back to You

“No, you don’t,” I argue. This was not how I wanted this night to end. “Clearly, you don’t get it at all. I want to be with you, in every single way, but…”

“But nothing. There’s a reason we’ve never worked in the past, and I momentarily let myself get distracted, thinking we could somehow work, but we can’t. End of story!” she shouts before slamming the door in my face.

Maybe she’s right. Maybe we can’t work, but that is not what this is about, and it’s also why I refuse to let her walk away from me all over again. I waste no time opening my own door and chase after her as she hurries toward the stairs at record speed. “Blair, please. Just let me explain.”

“No, Ford. You need to stop,” she says, thankfully halting as she turns to look down at me from the steps above.

I open my mouth to speak, but the door above opens and Miles’ intimidating frame comes into view. “Everything okay out here?” he asks, a worried but protective glance moving back and forth between the two of us.

That guy could easily pummel me to death, but I’m willing to risk it. Clearly, I’m also not above begging. “Yes, or no…I don’t know, but Blair, can we please talk about this? You have it all wrong.”

Blair purses her lips as she looks at me for a few seconds before turning to look up at her brother. “No, I’m done with this conversation.”

My shoulders sink as I watch her walk the rest of the way up the stairs. The one upside is that instead of looking at me like he wants to kill me, Miles at least looks vaguely conflicted as he wraps an arm around his sister’s shoulder before leading her inside and shutting the door.

“Fuck!” I curse, my frustration at an all-time high as I lift my hands and place them behind my head and grab a fistful of hair in each hand. So much for trying to do the right thing. There’snothing I would’ve loved more than to keep going, but there was something that hadn’t felt right. I love Blair way too much to ever put her in a position where I could somehow take advantage of her.

She deserves so much more from me than an emotional hookup in the back of my car. If we’re ever going to cross that line, I need her to be sure. I refuse to be yet another mistake in her life.

Then again, I’m pretty sure I just blew whatever chance I had for anything real to ever happen between us. Even so, I’d do what I just did a thousand times over. Blair deserves so much more, even if I inadvertently hurt her in the process. I just have to hope that when things settle down, she’ll give me a chance to explain myself.

18

Blair

Not only do Iget the pleasure of being turned down—again. I now have to be embarrassed about the fact that my big brother had to jump to my rescue and save me. While I should be grateful, I can’t say I’m thrilled about Miles seeing me like this. I’m twenty-eight, for God’s sake—one would think I’d finally be capable of taking care of myself by now.

“So, are you going to explain what that was all about?” Miles asks, clearly not in the mood to waste any time.

With a casual shrug, I shake his arm from my shoulder and make my way over to the couch. As I collapse onto the cushions, I let out a muffled‘oof’. You’d think I’d have learned by now that this thing is anything but comfortable. “You really need a new couch,” I complain, my features scrunching in annoyance.

“Nice try, but you’re not changing the subject,” he says, sitting down, and leaving the spot in the middle open. At least I can be grateful for some semblance of space, I suppose.

“Well, have you ever thought that I’d perhaps be more willing to open up if I wasn’t sitting in pain? I’m pretty sure I just bruised my ass.”

He rolls his eyes as his lips shift into an amused grin. “Well, considering you’ve been nothing but a pain in the ass my entire life, consider us even now.”

“Ha, ha!” I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm and devoid of any amusement. “You know you love me.”

“I do, which is exactly why I’m concerned about how I just saw you running away from Mr. Nice Guy Hastings. That guy couldn’t hurt a fly, which is why I’m wondering what in the hell he could have done to have you doing everything in your power to get away from him so quickly.”

I sigh, just as Bubba, my brother’s overweight bulldog, pokes his head out of the main bedroom and slowly makes his way to join me on the couch. “He is a nice guy, and perhaps that’s the problem.” I shrug, looking down at the white and brown spotted bulldog as he cuddles in close, resting his head on my lap.

“Yeah, sorry, kid. I’m not exactly following. How is him being the nice guy a problem?” he asks, reaching over to give the dog’s backside a few small and loving pats.

“We all know I’m the messed-up white trash girl, and despite trying to fit in with the mayor’s daughter and the sheriff’s son, I’ve never been able to shake my reputation. I’ve never been good enough for any of them.”

His brows furrow. “Please don’t tell me you’re still feeding into that bullshit, and please don’t tell me that Ford said any of that tonight, because if he did…”

I interrupt, since clearly I’m only making things worse. “No, he didn’t, and he never would. It’s me. I know where I stand, and I’m the one who messed things up—like usual.”

“I’m lost,” he says, shaking his head as he tries to keep up, but is clearly failing. “Just tell me what the hell happened tonight.”

Covering my face with my palm, I release a small groan of frustration. This isn’t exactly a conversation I want to be having with anyone, let alone my brother, but I also know he isn’t about to let this go. Plus, I feel like I need to talk to someone about this, and since I don’t want to worry Ronnie with my drama, this feels like my only option.

“He kissed me, and then I kissed him, and then he ended it. I mean, obviously, he regrets it, and I get it. I’m a mess, and I’m not sticking around, so what’s the point?” I ask, throwing my hand up in the air, causing Bubba to jump as he lifts his head and tilts it up in confusion. “Even so, that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”

As Miles looks torn between confusion and annoyance, there’s a small flicker of understanding that takes over as he slowly nods his head. “So you two finally did something about those feelings of yours after all these years, huh?”

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