At that, Jace rolled his eyes. “For fuck’s sake. Shall I remind each of you how easily you got your women?”
“Hey, don’t put me in that bunch,” Ryan said. “I’m still happily single. And I intend to stay that way.”
Brice snorted then coughed since he had been taking a drink of beer at the time. “Happily single? You avoid women like the plague.”
“You would too if you had gone through my divorce.” Ryan gave him a nod, then took a long drink of his beer.
Jace found himself smiling. He and Cooper had been friends since the first day of kindergarten when they walked into the same class. They had been inseparable from that day on. They met the Harper brothers in their early teens, and the four of them had formed a bond that kept them together even when they went off to college and the military. It also allowed them to step right back into their roles when they returned home to Clearview.
Ryan had become a recent addition to their group. It had begun with his working relationship to another close friend of theirs—the sheriff, Danny Oldman. Soon, Ryan became part of poker night, and then he was just part of the group. Jace wasn’t sure when it had happened, but he was glad to have someone else he could call a friend.
“I know it isn’t poker night, but how about a couple of games?” Brice asked. “I’ve got a few hours before I need to get back home.”
Jace was about to answer when another knock sounded on the door. He realized it was probably food one of them had ordered. Cooper, who was standing nearest to the front door, answered it.
A beat of silence passed, and Jace expected to hear someone mention whatever food they had ordered. Instead, he heard a soft, feminine voice but couldn’t make out the words. It wasn’t until Cooper looked his way that Jace knew something was wrong.
“Fuck me,” Brice said when he looked at who was at the door.
Jace rose and walked to Cooper, who hadn’t budged. When Jace’s gaze landed on Taryn, the world stilled. All the anger and frustration he’d felt earlier came back, slamming into him like a tidal wave. He stared at her, uncertain if he wanted her in his house or not. But he knew that was bullshit. Of course, he wanted her. As much as he wanted to throttle her, he wanted to kiss her more.
“Hi,” Taryn said hesitantly as she nervously swallowed. She had her fingers in the front pockets of her jeans. her green eyes watching him.
Cooper cleared his throat. “That’s our cue, gentlemen.”
There was a chorus of agreement as his friends filed out the door with a nod to Taryn as she turned to the side. They didn’t welcome her, but they didn’t snub her either. It was their way of letting Jace know that they would be courteous until he decided where he and Taryn stood.
Once the guys were gone, Jace wasn’t sure what to do. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”
“If I’m honest, I didn’t expect to be here.”
“Then why are you?”
She bit her lip and glanced at the ground. “May I come in? You asked some questions earlier that I didn’t answer.”
“And you want to answer them now?” he asked, his tone full of suspicion.
“I deserved that,” she said.
Jace gave her the opportunity to walk away again, but she didn’t leave. He stepped aside, granting her access. After he’d shut the door behind her, he followed her to the living room. His gaze locked on her as she looked around.
“You’ve made some changes,” she said with a grin. “I noticed that last night when I was waiting. I can’t believe you actually chose the gray color for the paint in here. You were so against it when we talked about it.”
Jace didn’t reply. He stopped at the entrance and simply stared. So, she had been here. He hadn’t imagined it, after all.
Taryn couldn’t meet his gaze. “The place looks nice.”
He realized that she needed the small talk, but he wasn’t interested in it. “Based on how you spoke to me earlier, you don’t want anything to do with me. You claim that you came to give me answers. Give them.”
She shifted uncomfortably. “All right.”
“Ah,” he said as he walked to his chair and sat. “Is this where you give me all the answers I want?”
“As many as I can.”
And there it was. Jace should’ve known there would be a catch. He raised a brow and motioned with his chin for her to sit. To his surprise, she chose the spot on the couch closest to him.
“It wasn’t my choice to leave the way I did,” she began after she set aside her purse.
He stopped short of rolling his eyes. “You could’ve called instead of sending that text. Could have given me something.”
“That wasn’t my choice either.”
“You’re a grown woman. You are now, and you were back then. There is no reason for you to do everything your father says.”
There was a slight tremble to her lips as she said, “It wasn’t him.”
Jace narrowed his gaze on her. “Who, then?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does,” he insisted.
She held up her hand before he could say more. “I can’t tell you. Suffice it to say I shouldn’t be telling you any of this, but you deserve answers. What I can say is that Dad got himself into more trouble than I could pull him out of.”
“Ben could’ve done something for once,” Jace said, not hiding his loathing for her brother.
Taryn shrugged halfheartedly. “None of us were given a choice.”
The two years that Jace and Taryn had been together, he had witnessed her coming up with money that her father owed to drug dealers, bookies, and anyone else he could borrow or buy from. Time and again, she rescued her father from having to take care of his problems. Jace had never agreed with any of it, but he had supported her.
The Hillmans were a family held together by only Taryn after her mother died. Only because of Taryn did Payton stay on the straight and narrow and not follow her father and brother down the road of drugs. Taryn had kept Payton away from as much of the ugliness as she could, which had given Payton at least a somewhat normal life.
And when Payton graduated from high school, Taryn had convinced her sister to move out with her. Unfortunately, Phil persuaded Payton that it would be wise to live with them as she attended college. Unknowingly, Payton shackled Taryn to more of the same by agreeing to stay. And Jace had been unable to convince Taryn to move out. She saw Payton as her responsibility, even though Payton was an adult and could take care of herself.
That went on for months, but it never changed the way Jace felt about Taryn. He knew he wanted her as his wife. He had been getting ready to propose and have her and Payton move in with him when the family vanished.
“If you were taken as you claim,” he stated.
She shot him a hard glare. “I’m not lying.”
“Years have passed since your text. You said you and your family wanted a fresh start. Now, you suddenly come back to town, and I’m just supposed to believe everything you say?”
“Yes.”
“If they forced you out as you alluded to, then you wouldn’t be here now, driving around as if you don’t have a care in the world.”
She rubbed her palms down her thighs and drew in a deep breath. “I know it’s hard for you to understand, but I’ve told you the truth.”