Eating is a chore. Sleeping is worse. Visions of Millie crying and Keegan’s fractured emerald stare keep me awake. Such a courageous move. Self-sacrifice. This is my penance for being a selfish prick. If only my father could see his handiwork. I’m sure he’d be so proud.
But the fallout is all on me. I’m to blame. This state of misery is entirely my fault. Am I going to admit defeat, tuck tail, and plead for a second (or third) chance? Absolutely not. It wasn’t a lie when I told Keegan she deserves better. Saddling her to an asshole who carelessly casts aside happiness is a larger injustice than I’m willing to commit.
I glance over at the one companion who’s forced to remain faithful. Patch has been shunning me, as if she somehow knows of the crimes I’ve committed. She’s slumped in her bed and steadily avoiding all attempts at interaction from me. How bad is it when even my dog is mad at me? That almost causes a bump of humor to batter at the fog of sorrow. But the weak attempt falls flat.
Loud rumbling streaks through the suffocating silence. I turn to watch as the growl of an approaching motorcycle interrupts my sniveling pity party. A hum of déjà vu rattles against my skull as two vehicles come into view.
Delaney leads the duo in her red coupe with Decker following close behind on his Harley. Even from deep inside the garage, I can see the deep scratches cutting into the usually flawless paint on his tank. Well, that’s definitely new.
Patch perks up at their arrival. She trots to Decker’s side and lingers for a few scratches behind her ears. Guess she’s not pissed at the entire male population. She’s reserving all the ire for me.
I stride to the edge of the stall, waiting with my arms crossed and a scowl firmly in place. Decker hops off his wrecked chopper with the grin he’s known for. He walks toward me with a pep in his step. His fiancée is more hesitant, her shuffling gait exposing guilt. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to formulate an educated guess on how the damage occurred. Patch nudges Delaney’s hand, earning a laugh and another rub to her furry head. It’s good to know my dog is accepting affection from everyone but me.
When Decker is close enough to get a decent look at me, the simple ease falls from his features. He studies me, almost recoiling from the sight. “Dude, you look like shit.”
I snort, narrowing my eyes into a glare. “Hilarious. Did Erik tell you to say that?”
Deep grooves carve the space between his brows. “Nah, I came up with that all on my own. What’s up, Ford?”
“Same old shit.” I nod toward his dinged ride. “I can see why you’re here.”
Decker waves off my words. “We’ll get to that in a minute. Why does it look like someone took a dump in your Frosted Flakes?”
“Not sure what you mean.” The lie is sticky on my tongue.
“Does this have anything to do with Keegan and Millie?”
“Nope.” I rip my eyes from his, finding a particularly interesting grease spot to focus on.
Delaney seems to perk up, most likely due to the attention being cast over me instead of her misdeed. “Ah, come on. It’s no secret you’ve been spending time with them. You can tell us, Ford.”
I grind my bruised foot into the ground. The shot of pain zaps up my leg. “Nothing to say. We had some fun. Now it’s over. End of.”
“I highly doubt that,” Decker chuckles.
“Nah, we’re done. I made sure of that.”
They exchange a look. If I was fluent in the secret language of couples, their silent exchange might make more sense. Delaney flicks her gaze to mine. “How bad is the wreckage?”
I peer around them into the gravel lot. “Are we talking about Decker’s cruiser?”
He taps his temple. “No, your mental wellbeing.”
“Think I’m crazy?”
His chest shakes with a chuckle. “Well, I wasn’t planning to be so blunt.”
“I’m fine. It wasn’t anything serious to begin with. Ending things was for the best.” The damn irony isn’t lost on me. I wouldn’t accept that bullshit answer from Keegan.
Delaney squints at me while nudging her fiancé. “Sure, I can see that.”
“All right, fine. We’ll quit sniffing at your personal business.” He pauses, as if I’m going to suddenly change my mind about spilling the secrets wedged inside of me.
I lift my chin, staring him down. Good luck, buddy.
Decker sighs, glancing at his future wife. “She hurt my baby, Ford.”
“Oh, please. The machine is fine.” Delaney swipes at the air, as if batting away a gnat.
“You treated her poorly, Dell. She needs to be handled with care,” he scolds.
She pops out her hip. “Well, I wasn’t properly prepared for how complicated it is to downshift.”
“Are you suggesting this is my fault?”
She twists her lips. “You were teaching me how to drive. I tipped us over. We can share the blame.”
“That’s not how things went down. Literally.”
Delaney huffs and rolls her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. It was an accident.”
“I sure hope you wouldn’t do this on purpose.” He gives her a side-eye full of inquisition.
She quirks a brow. “Don’t underestimate a jealous woman.”
Decker reaches over and squeezes her waist. “Not funny, Dell.”
“No?” She wiggles her fingers toward his torso. “Bet I can make you laugh.”
“I wouldn’t try it,” he growls.
She doesn’t heed to his warning. They tumble together in a mass of squirming limbs and lewd noises. Dammit, here we go again. A white-hot stake drives through my chest and I nearly hiss from the burn. My misery craves company and these two aren’t cutting it.
I cough into my fist until their writhing ceases. “I can get started on your bike right away, Deck. You can pick it up at
