"Beau?" I called out from the foyer after letting myself in. Without a reply, I started toward the stairs, hollering his name louder this time. "Beau!""I'm upstairs. Stop yelling." He sounded as hungover as I felt. As I took the steps two at a time, I heard him pad down the hall toward his old bedroom. By the time I reached the landing, he'd disappeared. I'd spent so much time in this house, I could navigate it blindfolded. And I knew exactly where he'd be. On his back on the bed with a forearm covering his eyes and his knees hanging over the side-just as I suspected.I took a seat in the lounge chair in the corner. His bedroom was the size of my living room and kitchen combined."You want to tell me what's going on?""Not particularly.""Do it anyhow."He groaned and sat up, dropping his arm to his side and his hands into his lap. "There's nothing to tell.""The hell there's not. You've done nothing other than fight with Felicity since both of you pulled into town. Y

It didn't matter how many years passed or where the two of us lived, nothing ever changed. I'd never had a hard time convincing Beau to do things my way...which was probably why he hadn't wanted to tell me about any of this. I had no problems playing dirty when the deck was stacked, and it was most certainly stacked in Felicity's favor."Why the hell are there so many to pick from?" "Keep your voice down." With my head bowed, I glanced around to see if anyone was around. "Two guys should never buy a pregnancy test together. Just get that one." I pointed to the box that showed a digital test window. There'd be no mistaking one or two lines. It would either be a yes or no. It was also the most expensive, so I assumed it was accurate."Should I get a couple?" Like I knew. "Sure. That way, she can prove over and over what a liar she is. It'll be great. Get one for each member of the family she's fucked over, too-including yours. Kind of like memorabilia.""You're an ass."Onl

For someone who appeared composed at all times, Mrs. Holstein wasn't maintaining her air of dignity all that well."I hope you're proud of yourself." If hate were a tangible thing, I could hold hers-and choke the crap out of it."Damn straight. I saved my best friend from the worst mistake of his life." "He'll never find another girl like Felicity.""I sure as hell hope not. I don't think I could deal with this shit twice.""Who do you think you are? You're nothing more than a backwoods-"Mrs. Chastain had an uncanny ability to materialize out of thin air. She was like a ninja, she moved so quietly. Although, with this level of chaos, a mariachi band could have made a surprise entrance. "Margaret. I'd suggest you stop right there with the insults. Lee didn't do anything wrong.""I'm flabbergasted by you, Bev. Do you have any idea the shame and embarrassment your son has brought on us? There are hundreds of people who have flown in from out of state to be here today."I

We wove our way through the parked cars and four-wheel drives and made it to the covered entrance. I held the heavy door open so Peyton could step inside. The layer of smoke wasn't quite as dense as usual, and the crowd remained thin. When the steel door slammed behind us, she jumped and grabbed my hand. Her eyes widened in surprise."I promise, no one here bites."She nodded but didn't let go of me. It didn't take long for me to spot Masyn and Beau in a booth in the corner, and I pointed them out to Peyton. She took that as her cue to move away from the door and in the direction of my friends. "Hey, Lee." Sherry, one of the waitresses who'd been here since she could legally serve alcohol, stopped us. "Good to see you. Who's your friend?" Her mouth kept moving even after she quit speaking-gum. Bless her heart; her mama had never told her that a cow chewing cud wasn't an attractive thing to mimic. "Sherry, this is Peyton; Peyton, Sherry."Peyton extended her hand, not expect

The second I laid eyes on what he gaped at, I nearly lost my shit. Toby's hands were all over Masyn's ass, and his thigh was between her legs. This wasn't Dirty Dancing, and he sure as shit wasn't Patrick Swayze. But the longer I watched, I noticed she wasn't trying to get away from him-she was encouraging it. Her head dipped to his chest, and she rocked her hips on his jeans. Any second now, she'd toss her hair back and release the sounds of an orgasm, like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. That would undoubtedly get the town talking. Staring at her, I realized I'd let her pick way too many movies over the years, when all my film references came from sappy chick flicks with happy fucking endings.When the song ended, I went back to the booth, and Peyton went in search of the bathroom. I warned her to squat and not sit, but she just looked at me like she didn't understand-she would when she got there. Masyn stayed on the dance floor with Toby, not once looking in our direction. "What