All Chapters of Homecoming Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Your brother’s wedding should be considered a happy day, right?But for me, it’s not.In fact, I’m dreading it.Not because of my brother—or his fiancée, for that matter, I do like her—but because I know who will be there, and that’s something I’m not looking forward to.I have what people call a rotten picker—for men, that is.Every single guy I ever hooked up with or had a fling with were stupid assholes.Except one. Spencer Bailey.And he is precisely the reason why I’m not excited for my brother’s wedding.I’m definitely not ready to see him again.But to tell my brother that I won’t attend his wedding because I’m afraid to face my ex would be pathetic.Even for me.And I’m not that person. I’m not someone who runs from problems. I face them head on. Or at least, that’s what I like to think I do.Well, I guess if you’re ready for some drama, then my life is definitely the right place for you to find it.“Stop looking at me like that,” I burst to my sister, Lauren, rolling my eyes

The next morning, Lauren and I go out to pick up our maid of honor dresses. Since Alice doesn’t have a sister, she chose us both to stand up with her. Her brother will be Ryan’s best man alongside Chad. Lauren and I picked two simple, but incredibly beautiful, silk olive green dresses. After the ceremony at the church, we’ll go back to our family ranch where the reception is being held. I wasn’t so sure about it at first, but now I can see it’s actually a good idea. I know every single shortcut in there, and if I want to—or need to—I can hide or escape to the house in no time.“Aren’t you glad Alice picked a color that looks good on both of us?” Lauren asks, admiring herself in the mirror while we do our final fitting to make sure there isn’t anything to be sewed or fixed before we take them home.I admire myself too, seeing the fabric hold my curves in the right places. I do look nice in it. My chestnut-brown hair doesn’t stand out as much as Lauren’s, but I like the way it accentua

It’s not like I can pretend I don’t see him there.He’s literally in my way.Spencer leans against the fence outside of the kitchen door, one hand shoved in his pants pocket and the other holding a glass of whiskey—or whatever that amber liquid may be.I freeze in my tracks, unsure of what to do. He hasn’t noticed me yet, but if I walk back inside the house, it’ll be too obvious that I’m trying to avoid him. I don’t need to be this pathetic in front of him. I look around, trying to spot his skinny blonde sidekick, but she is nowhere in sight.He is taking in the surroundings, almost as if he’s checking if everything is still the way he probably remembers it being in the past. And when he turns his head to the other side, that’s when his eyes find me.I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the next moment.There’s no escaping, no turning back now.Spencer looks slightly surprised when he spots me, but he does a better job than me by hiding it almost immediately.“Hayden,” he simply

I have just enough time to jump from the bed and rush to the bathroom before I let out all the champagne into the toilet. I’m glad I also managed to close the door behind me so Chad doesn’t have to witness this humiliating moment in my life.“Hays, are you okay?” His voice is muffled by the closed door, and I’m still too nauseated to give him a coherent answer, so I just grunt instead, hoping he takes that as a ‘yes.’I wait a couple of minutes to make sure there’s nothing left inside me, and then I get up from the floor, brushing my teeth and wiping my makeup off with a cleansing wipe. I feel a bit better now and ready to go to bed. I should get out of this dress and put on my pajamas, but I don’t feel keen to do that. Maybe it won’t be that bad to sleep in this.I open the door to find Chad offering me a glass of water and an aspirin, the corner of his lips curled up in a grin. “It’ll make you feel better

The rest of the day is uneventful–as much as it can be when it comes to my family.Lunch with everyone is nice, and I get to hear all about the party that I missed. No one brings up the ex-boyfriend topic, which makes me utterly grateful, although I have to ignore Chad’s glances at me every once in a while when someone mentions Spencer or his family. But since it has nothing to do with me, I don’t even flinch when I hear his name.And because I slept poorly the night before, I retreat to bed earlier than usual, taking the opportunity to rest since I have to go to work tomorrow. A week flies by, and eventually, the wedding buzz dissipates, bringing back my calm and peaceful days. I get to work in the morning, leave before the sun is down, go for an evening jog or horseback riding, and then return home for dinner. Sometimes, depending on their work schedule, Chad and Lauren join us back at the ranch, but mostly, it’