Page 45 of Every Promise Broken

Oh, Jesus.“Nana, you’re not a bother. I just don’t know what it is you want to do if you don’t speak up.”

“I can take you out on the town,” Roger offers.

“Really?” Nana’s face lights up. “That would be lovely.”

“Just give me your number before you leave, and we can set something up next week.”

Will and I throw each other a look from across the table, and I can’t help but huff out a laugh. After we finish eating, Colt and Whit clear the table before heading inside to clean up the dinner dishes, while Roger and Nana decide to take Winnie on an evening walk.

“Things seem a bit tense between you two,” Will notes, eyeing me from above his glass as he takes a sip.

Breathing out a sigh, I murmur, “Yeah, well, they are.”

“What happened?”

Glancing around the patio like I may see somebody peeking around the corner, I scrub a hand over my mouth as I gather my thoughts. “The three of us went to Cheyenne this morning, and it was actually going pretty well, I think. Whit and I even seemed to have a moment.” I think back to when I called himhusband,the way he looked at me. It was like we wereusagain. “And then we ran into Reggie,” I sneer.

“Oh, shit,” Will chuffs. “What does he think about this arrangement? I can’t imagine anybody would be okay with their partner pretending to be in a relationship with their ex.”

“It was very clear that he had no idea.”

Will’s eyes widen as he rubs a hand over the smile forming on his mouth. “Whit didn’t tell him? How is that even possible?”

“Here’s the kicker,” I say. “He broke up with him.”

Chuckling, Will mutters, “Man, this just keeps getting better. When did they break up?”

“I don’t know. That’s the thing… Whit never told me they weren’t together anymore, and we didn’t get a whole lot of time to talk about it before we had to come here.”

“Do you think it was before or after he started staying with you?”

“Don’t know.” I shrug. “And he’s not exactly forthcoming.”

“Well, Conrad, can you blame him?”

My eyes flit up to meet Will’s, confusion furrowing my brows. “What do you mean?”

“Whit doesn’t owe you anything,” he explains. “He’s doing a huge, probably uncomfortable, favor for you. That doesn’t mean you deserve to be privy to any details regarding his personal life. You guys aren’tactuallymarried.”

Scoffing, I mutter, “I know that.”

“Do you, though?”

“Yes, Will,” I growl. “I’m not fucking delusional. I’m well aware that we are very much divorced.”

Holding up his hands, he breathes out a chuckle. “Okay, calm down. I’m just saying, I feel like you’re trying to win him over, maybe get back together with him, without doing any of the work or having the conversations that need to be had to do that. You can’t trick him into a relationship, Conrad.”

My eyes narrow on my friend, who seems to have lost his ever-loving mind. “Will, are you fucking with me right now?”

“No!” He laughs. “I’m just saying, as your friend, from the outside, it’s looking a little… I don’t know. It’s very clear you still care deeply for him, and I don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s all.”

“I’m not trying to trick anybody,” I sneer.

“Okay, just be careful. And maybe have a conversation or two with him. See where he stands. Maybe he still cares about you too. Maybe that’s why they broke up.”

I’m quiet for a moment, my pulse racing. “You think?”

“Maybe.” Will shrugs. “You never know unless you talk about it.”

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