Page 50 of Two Risks I'd Never Take Again

“Thank you.” I started the engine. “I had a lot of fun today. And I’m glad you showed me that spot. A house up there would be amazing.”

He smiled. “Good. I’ll talk to you later. Call me when you get home.”

“I will.” I followed his directions and parked in front of the trailer a few minutes later.

Delaney waited on the porch. “Thank you so much for coming. I’m having trouble with the seating arrangements. I’ve stared at it for so long, and Eli isn’t much help. He says people will be happy with whatever. The only thing he said was not to sit Tandy and his granddad anywhere near each other.”

“Yeah. Don’t do that.” I followed her inside.

“In a minute you have to tell me why. Eli won’t talk about it.” She sat down at the table and ran a hand over a seating chart before wiping her eyes. “And thanks to Eli and Garrett, I contacted my mom. She’s coming.”

“Oh, Delaney! That’s wonderful.” I hugged her.

I’d been so wrapped up with Garrett’s injuries and healing, I hadn’t even thought of what I shouldn’t say to Delaney about Eli and Garrett meeting at the doughnut shop. But now, she knew that Eli had hired Garrett, and I didn’t have any secrets to keep.

“I’m so happy Garrett found her. He’s great at the private investigator stuff.” Her smile left no question about how she felt.

“Funny you should say that because he’s getting out of it. He’s going to be a rancher.”

“I’m sure his dad is happy about that.”

“He is. But tell me more about your mom.”

Delaney grinned. “She sounds like she’s doing well. Not perfect, but better than the last time I talked to her. And I think she hadn’t reached out because she wasn’t sure if I wanted contact.”

“It’s great that you found her.” I sat down, and seeing the tears in Delaney’s eyes, I steered the conversation in a more productive direction. “Now, let’s figure this out.”

She pointed at a small table on the chart. “Instead of having a head table for all the wedding party, this table is just for me and Eli. I’m letting everyone else sit at the other tables. Eli has Zach and Harper as groomsmen, and I have you and Cami. Zach will want to sit with Haley, and I was going to seat you next to Garrett because y’all are friends.”

“Perfect. Garrett and I are attending together.” I saw Delaney’s facial muscles twitch and quickly added, “As friends.”

She clasped my hand. “I’m not saying that it’s a bad idea for you to be friends with Garrett, but what’s going to happen if a woman sweeps in and steals him away?”

I’d thought about that many times, and I knew the answer. When Garrett found the love of his life, I’d pull away and nurse a broken heart, but that would be easier than being a disappointment. I told people I wasn’t willing to risk my heart. That was partially true. But ultimately, I wasn’t willing to risk being not enough. That truth had been buried in the story I told Garrett, but I’m not sure he completely understood. As much as I loved and trusted Delaney, I couldn’t tell her that part of my story.

I blew out a breath. “Let’s just work on the seating chart.”

“It can wait a few minutes. Talk to me.” Delaney walked into the kitchen and pulled out hot chocolate packets. “With or without marshmallows?”

“With. Always.” I crossed my arms on the table and laid my head down. “I don’t want to think about Garrett with someone else. But I care for him too much to want him to stay single because of me. This topic came up today on our hike.”

She set two mugs on the table and slid the bag of marshmallows toward me. “And?”

“I made him promise that he wouldn’t ignore an opportunity.” I poured in marshmallows until the chocolate could no longer be seen.

Delaney added only a few to her mug. “How did he respond?”

“He said that when he found the right woman, he’d expend all his energy to win her heart.” I sipped my chocolate, getting a mouthful of marshmallows in the process. “And when that happens, I’m going to need you to take the doughnuts away from me.”

She laughed.

Wiping tears, I shook my head. “I’m pouring my heart out, and you’re laughing.”

“First of all, you make doughnuts for a living. How am I going to take them away from you? You’d only make more.”

“True.”

“And secondly, I can’t imagine Garrett chasinganyone elseanytime soon.” Delaney stirred the marshmallows into her chocolate. “No matter what, I’ll be here. Even if it means slapping doughnuts out of your hands.”

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