Chapter 21
“Hey, Maisie. Nice to see you again.”
I smiled, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. “Thanks. Good to see you as well.”
We both ordered burgers and fries with a coke and settled into an easy conversation about what we have both been up to and how he was back in town to help his family prep for the wedding. I forgot how easy it was to talk to him and how charming he was. He started asking about how the bakery was doing and if I was excited for my first wedding cake order. It was nice and relaxing, laughing at his jokes, forgetting—just for a moment—about the cowboy who’d left my place earlier this morning.
But every now and then, my mind drifted. I started to wonder what Wes was up to, if he was still out riding and checking fence and if he was thinking about me and if he regretted last night at all. I wondered that when we saw or if we saw each other again if it would be awkward at all.
Preston reached across the table, his hand brushing hers. “You okay? You seem a little distracted.”
I forced a smile. “Yeah, just didn’t sleep much last night.”
He grinned. “Wild night?”
I laughed, the sound a little too high. “Something like that.”
We finished our lunch and Preston insisted on walking me back to my apartment. Once we climbed the stairs and got to the door, he hesitated, looking at me with those captivating brown eyes.
“I’d like to see you again,” he said.
I smiled, my heart fluttering. “I’d like to see you again as well.”
He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to my cheek before turning to go. I watched him walk back down the stairs and back towards Main Street. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions.
Once inside, I collapsed onto the couch and closed my eyes. I had spent so long not wanting a relationship with any man after what I went through with the last boyfriend and now all of a sudden I have two men that have waltzed into my life making things very complicated.
My phone buzzed again, and this time, my heart skipped for a different reason.
Hey. I think we should talk more about what happened last night… Can we talk later this evening? - Wyatt
I stared at the screen, my breath catching in my throat. I didn’t know what to say or how to even feel at this point. I should be relieved that maybe he thought this was all a big mistake and that it wasn’t ever going to happen again. But at the same time I knew that whatever was going to happen, my life was going to get a whole lot more complicated—and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for it or not.
But as I typed out a reply, my fingers started to tremble and I had to keep repeating to myself that this is for the best and that maybe, for the first time in a long time, I was exactly where I was supposed to be—caught between the past and the future, my heart wide open to whatever was supposed to come next.
My finger hovered over the send button; I was rereading Wes’s message until the words blurred. About last night… Can we talk? I could almost hear his voice—low, uncertain, the way it had sounded in the dark when he’d whispered my name. My heart thudded in my chest, a mix of nerves and anticipation.
I typed back: Sure. When?
The reply came quickly.
I’ll be done at the ranch around 6. Can I come by?
I stared at the message, my mind racing. I glanced at the clock—just after 3, but Hattie was stopping by for dinner around 5. So, he would need to wait for Hattie to leave if he wanted to talk tonight. But in the meantime, at least that gave me time to prepare and to figure out what I wanted to say to him.
I typed back: Your sister is coming over for dinner at 5 tonight. I don’t know what time she will leave. I pressed the send button and started to pace back in forth in the living room, my thoughts were in such a tangled mess.
I tried to distract myself while I waited for him to respond. I started to do some housework by folding laundry while attempting to watch my tv series on Netflix, but nothing could quiet the questions swirling in her mind. What did Wes want? Did he regret last night? Did I?
My phone buzzed again, and I jumped, half-expecting Wes. But it was Preston, sending me a photo of the inside of the barn where the wedding reception will be held and inside the barn is a large tractor. Preston and his brother are standing inside the tractor’s bucket smiling so big. They finished stringing the lights up in the rafters and they were so proud of themselves. I smiled despite myself, replying with a laughing emoji and telling him that he needs to be more careful. Preston was easy, uncomplicated. He made me feel good about myself and like he truly cared to get know me. But Wes… Wes was a storm that I would never been able to outrun.