Page 37 of Ride By Your Side

“Did you text Blair to let her know we’re almost there?” Miles asks, his deep timbre pulling me out of my thoughts.

“No, but I will,” I say, reaching for my phone on the center console. “Although, I’m guessing she’s been watching our location for a while now,” I add, having sent her a pin when we left this morning. Given how excited and anxious she seemed, my guess is she’s doing exactly what I’d be doing in this situation and religiously watching our pin get closer and closer to home.

“Probably,” he agrees, keeping his eyes on the road. Looks like I’m not the only one dreading being back home, because even Miles, who usually seems emotionless, is practically vibrating with nervous energy, his knuckles white as he grips the steering wheel.

“So, it’s still the plan to tell Blair?” I ask, needing the final confirmation. While we had discussed keeping this a secret from most people, we did both agree during the drive that we should at least tell Blair and Ford.

“Like you could keep it a secret from her anyway. I know you two. There’s no way you could hide anything from her, even if you tried,” he says, the corner of his lips tugging into a grin.

“I could if I really wanted to.” I huff, even though I’m pretty sure he’s right.

“Whatever you say,” he says before silence settles over the car, broken only by the twang of a country song blaring from the radio. The music does little to soothe my nerves, especially as we roll through Main Street.

Yep. There’s no denying we’re back home now, especially as I spot some of Evergreen’s residents walking around, all stopping to take in Miles’ car, their eyes wide with curiosity.

In a town this small, everyone knows exactly who drives what—and Miles’ cherry-red Ford Mustang might as well be a neon sign. I imagine it’s not much of a secret that I sped off with him after ditching my wedding, so it’s safe to assume the rumor millhas been working overtime. Now that we’re back, I can already feel the weight of all the stares and whispers waiting for us.

“We really are back home, huh?” Miles asks, a quiet chuckle escaping despite the lack of genuine humor in his voice.

“I mean, were we really expecting a different kind of welcome?”

“Not really, but just wait, the real fun is going to be when we’re forced to interact with them,” he says, as I do my best not to shiver at the idea. The stares are bad enough, but I already know the questions will be even worse—loud, intrusive, and completely lacking in tact. It is the Evergreen way, after all.

Slowly, some of the worry dissipates as Miles pulls into his apartment complex parking lot, and just as I figured—or at least hoped—Blair and Ford are standing out front with Miles’ bulldog Bubba on a leash.

“Blair!” I yell, waving my arms wildly. She smiles and waves back, handing Ford the dog’s leash before jogging after the car as it pulls into a nearby parking spot.

“Ronnie!” she giggles, her voice filled with pure joy as she impatiently pulls open my door while I struggle with the buckle. Once free, I hop out and she envelops me in a warm bear hug. “I missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I tell her, holding her close as she rocks us back and forth, the comfort of her embrace filling me with some much-needed relief.

“And what am I? Chopped liver?” Miles asks as he rounds the corner.

“Eh.” Blair playfully shrugs as she pulls back from our hug. “I guess I missed you too.”

“And hey, don’t worry,” Ford cuts in. “I know someone who certainly missed you,” he says as we all look down at the white, chubby ball of fur jumping at Miles’ legs.

“Hey, Bubs,” Miles greets him, effortlessly scooping up the dog like he’s nothing, even though the pup easily weighs 30 or 40 pounds. “Now you, I’ve definitely missed,” he says, his voice taking on a softness you wouldn’t expect from someone like him, and one you can’t help but find incredibly endearing. I know it’s just a dog, but did my ovaries just twitch?

Apparently, I’m not the only one who’s noticed my strange reaction to this tender moment, as Blair nudges my arm, her eyebrows pinching together.

“Please tell me that look is only because this is a cute moment between a dog dad and his baby and that nothing else is going on here,” she chides. While I assume this is all said in jest, I can’t help it as my cheeks turn a deep shade of pink.

“Well, nothing like what you’re insinuating is going on, but um, we do have some things to talk about.”

Blair’s eyes widen, clearly not expecting that sort of answer. “Wait, what?” she asks, her voice cracking with a newfound sense of worry as her eyes search mine.

“You don’t need to stress out. It’s nothing big, or at least nothing like what you’re probably thinking.” I attempt to assure her.

“Miles fucking Bennett, what did you do to my friend?” Blair practically interrupts, placing her hands on her hips, as both Miles and Ford look our way.

“Blair,” I hiss as Miles’ questioning eyes meet mine, before moving back to his sister.

“So she told you?” he asks.

Blair’s icy blue eyes somehow widen even more. “No, not yet, but one of you better tell me what the fuck is going on,” she says through gritted teeth, her eyes shifting between the two of us.

Miles’ gaze locks with mine, his expression a mixture of reluctance and panic. It’s clear he’s not going to take charge here, so I guess it’s up to me.

---