Page 95 of Returning to Rockport

Roman’s jaw drops, and as he puts the car in drive, he shakes his head. “Fucking Brooks.”

THE PARTY IS A lot bigger than I thought it would be. I don’t even recognize half the people here. Then again, this is a party for Roman and he’s always had a lot of friends.

We walk through the back gate and onto the patio. As soon as people notice our arrival, shouts of ‘surprise’ fill the large yard. However, the second my eyes find what they were looking for, my heart feels like it was ripped for my chest. Colton is standing next to my brother with a girl hanging on his arm, but it’s not just any girl.

It’s Olivia, his ex-girlfriend.

23

COLTON

I stand on the ladder, trying not to fall as I hang the decorations. It’s bad enough that I have to attend this party, let alone help set up for it. Don’t get me wrong, Rome is one of my best friends, but I’m just not in a celebrating mood.

The shaking beneath me pulls my attention away from the banner and down to the ground. I narrow my eyes at Tatum, who seems to be too engrossed in her phone to actually do her job.

“The fuck, Tate? Hold the ladder before I fall off the damn thing!”

She rolls her eyes, but pockets her phone to grip the base again. “I see you’re still in a lovely mood. Would it kill you to not be such an asshole?”

“It would, actually.”

For a minute, I think she’s going to keep her mouth shut for once, but just as I finish placing the last piece of tape, she proves me wrong.

“I don’t understand why you don’t just go talk to her.”

I groan, climbing down the ladder and walking away. “This again?! Don’t you ever get tired of sticking yourself in everyone else’s damn business?”

“Nope. Especially not when I see the two of you miserable when you don’t have to be.”

Her words, mixed with the frustration of this whole situation, stop me in my tracks. I turn around to face her.

“Please. She’s in her perfect house, with her perfect fiancé, planning her perfect wedding. I’m sure she’s anything but miserable. It’s time to face the facts. She’s never going to leave him.”

Tatum’s eyes narrow. “Oh my god. Have you not talked to her at all?!”

“Not since Monday.” I go to leave again but she grabs my arm.

“Colton, McKenna has been staying at her parents’ house for the past week.”

My stomach drops and time stands completely still. “What?” I shake my head. “But she told me. She told me her and Parker didn’t split up.”

“They didn’t, not yet anyway, but she hasn’t been staying with him since Saturday night. Actually, I’m pretty sure she hasn’t even seen him since then.”

Fuck. So this entire time, I’ve been pissed at her, beating myself up thinking she ended up choosing him, and she hasn’t. This whole week she’s been halfway to being mine, and I’ve been nothing but a prick. I screamed at her on Monday. She came to tell me, and I actually yelled at her. I should have let her talk.

“Shit, Tate. What if I screwed this all up?!” I start to pace back and forth. “I need to go find her.”

“Yeah, that might be a good place to start.” She answers sarcastically.

Just as I’m about to grab my keys, Maverick comes through the back gate. He had gone to pick up the keg from the liquor store. However, it’s not him that makes my jaw drop – it’s who’s with him.

Olivia Benson, also known as the girl I dated for two years in college. We met at a party during freshman year and we got along well enough. What she doesn’t know, however, is that I started dating her to try and keep my attention off McKenna. My best friend’s fifteen-year-old sister was so far off limits that even looking her direction would’ve been grounds for murder. I needed a distraction, and Olivia was a pretty good one – until she wasn’t.

“Look who I found!” Mav announces with way too much enthusiasm. Tatum chokes on air behind me as Olivia comes closer.

“Colton! It’s been ages.” She wraps her arms around me and I breathe through my mouth to avoid gagging from the overwhelming gust of perfume. When she pulls away, she turns her attention to Tatum. “And I see the golden couple is still going strong.”

“Liv, hey.” She graciously hugs her back, mouthing ‘what the fuck’ at me when Olivia can’t see.

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