She must have seen all of that cross my face in a split second because she suddenly stood. Her chair knocked backward, scraping against the hardwood. “It’s time for me to head out. As much fun as it is to watch Hollin three-date-rule some poor girl and not get to drink at a winery, I have to work in the morning.”
Bradley rose to his feet as well. He hadn’t touched his wine out of solidarity, apparently. He set it down on the table we were all sitting around and dusted his hands off on his cargo pants. “Y’all have a good night.”
The girls all pulled Piper in for a hug before she headed out. Blaire whispered something in her ear, and they plotted for a minute before Piper waved at everyone and then left with her boyfriend. I watched her walk away, enjoying the sway of her ass, clothed in her tight jeans.
Julian shook his head. “Never going to happen, bro.”
I laughed and tilted my head for a better view. “It might.”
“No way. She’s way out of your league.”
That, at least, was true. “Maybe.”
Didn’t stop me from wondering if a few orgasms would loosen her up.
5
Piper
“You can’t drive,” I said, snatching the keys out of Bradley’s hand.
“Come on. I’m fine.”
I ignored him. He’d spilled a glass of wine on me. He wasn’t fine. And sure, he’d sobered up some since then, but I wasn’t going to risk it. I’d drive him home. I opened the driver’s side, grasped the oh-shit bar, and towed myself into his truck. It was a lifted F-250 that he used on construction sites, where he worked for Wright Construction. He’d been promoted to a site manager, but it was still day-to-day construction work. It wore on him, which was why he always drank so much. I almost always drove us home.
He climbed into the passenger seat with a grumble. “I could have driven.”
“Whatever. We’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
“You’re staying at my place tonight?” he asked, dropping his hand onto my thigh.
“Yeah. We’re going to your place.”
I never said I was staying there because I wouldn’t. But I wasn’t having that conversation while we drove to his house in Tech Terrace. I lived on the other side of the popular neighborhood right off of the Texas Tech campus. Though my house was slightly nicer and a lot bigger. Close enough that I could walk, far enough away that I usually didn’t.
Bradley put on the country station, and I let the heartbreak tunes serenade us on the drive home. I remained silent as I parked the truck in his driveway. The garage was too packed with all of his construction tools that he couldn’t get anything else in there.
He hopped out, and I followed him out of the truck. He strode right up to the front door but only stopped when he realized I wasn’t beside him.
“Piper?” he asked.
I took a deep breath. I’d prepared myself for this. I knew what was coming. It didn’t make it any easier to do. “This is over, Bradley.”
His eyes widened, and he stumbled back down the steps. “What are you talking about?”
“This isn’t working.”
“Why not?”
I didn’t even know where to begin. “It just isn’t.”
“Is this because of Hollin? Is that why you’re wearing his shirt?”
My face was a mask of disbelief. “What? No, of course not. I’m not interested in Hollin Abbey. I’d never do that to you. It’s about you and me.”
“It’s awfully suspicious that you’re wearing his shirt and you were flirting with him all night, and now, you’re breaking up with me.”
“For one, you poured wine all over my shirt. Two, we weren’t flirting.”
He laughed hoarsely. “You were flirting.”
“This isn’t about Hollin,” I insisted. “This isn’t working for me anymore. We said when we started dating again that this was the now or never. This was our chance. We’d been dating like this—on-again, off-again—for five years, Bradley. If it’s not working yet, when is it going to start working?”
“I thought it was working,” he said miserably.
“Not for me.”
“What can I do to change your mind?”
I closed my eyes and breathed out heavily in exasperation. “There’s nothing you can do. This is my decision.”
“Let’s decide together, Piper. Come on. You’re going to throw away all of this time?”
“I’m not throwing it away. I’ve thought about it, and I’m making a decision. This is what’s right for me.”
“Please,” he said, reaching for my hand and pulling me toward him. “Please. I’m nothing without you, Piper. Nothing.”
“Bradley,” I said on a sigh. “No, I can’t keep doing this.”
“Sweetheart, we can work this out.”
I wrenched my hand back from him. My heart should have been rending in two, but I felt…done. I was already done with this. “I can’t. We can’t.”
“Why not? Please…”
“I found more than your shirt in your gym bag,” I blurted out.
Bradley went deathly still. He knew exactly what I’d found when I rummaged around in there. The ring that he’d purchased. I’d just admonished Hollin for not having any tact, and then I’d thrown that in Bradley’s face. I had to be blunt. I had to make it perfectly clear where I stood. And if that meant telling him about the ring, then I’d do it. Was that how Hollin justified things too?
“You did?” Bradley said softly, warily.
“I did. And…I don’t want that.”
He winced at my words. “I see.”
“I’m sorry. I…I’m just done.”
He nodded, speechless. As if I’d put the nail in the coffin. There was no coming back from saying that I didn’t ever want to marry him. Jesus.
I handed him the keys to his truck. I considered hugging him one last time, but I couldn’t make myself do it. I didn’t want him to think it was encouragement. So, I swallowed hard and walked away.
Blaire pulled up beside me on the road. She rolled the window down. “That was faster than I thought it would be.”
I got into the passenger seat. “Longer than I wanted it to take.”
“He didn’t take it well?”
I shook my head and stared out the window. “I found an engagement ring.”
“What?” Blaire gasped.
Blaire had been my best friend since college. Even though she was three years younger than me, we’d hit it off and never looked back. I’d been there to help her get her business, Blaire Blush, off the ground. And watch her cross a million followers on Instagram. I’d seen her recently hit three and a half million on TikTok. She was infectious and incredible and empowering for all women everywhere. I loved that about her. And that she’d never told me to ditch Bradley long ago when I was still trying to figure out what the hell we were doing.
“Yeah. That’s why I was outside so long and why I took Hollin’s shirt. Because Bradley was going to propose.”