Bray
SHE CAME.
Why had I expected her to stay away? This was Scarlet. She was strong-willed, stubborn, passionate, and she had a temper. All of that was flaming brightly in her eyes as she threatened me with a glare. I was shocked to see her here. The red hair had been hers this time. I wanted to smile like a damn idiot because she was here. Only a few feet away from me.
She shifted her gaze back to Dixie and Asher, but I didn’t. It had been eight long months since I’d seen her face and I wasn’t taking my eyes off her. Not even to see if Brent noticed her in the crowd. I didn’t give a fuck. His girlfriend was standing beside Dixie. Sadie and Dixie had become good friends. Brent’s attention would be on the bridesmaids, or his particular bridesmaid at least. He wouldn’t be looking out at the guests. I doubted he would realize Scarlet was here until after the wedding.
Red hair must not grab his attention, slam into his chest, and cause a riot with his damn pulse. I believe he had claimed to love her when I couldn’t make that claim, but I was the one who had the stronger attachment. Fuck. It wasn’t an attachment, it was an obsession. Might as well call it what it was. No reason to sugar coat things.
Scarlet was biting her bottom lip nervously. Her mean scowl gone. When she noticed that she had relaxed, her shoulders straightened again. She was mentally coaching herself through this and it was fucking hilarious. Did she think she was going to leave here without talking to me? Seeing me? She knew me better than that. I wanted answers. I wanted what I had deserved when she fled this place without a word.
Fuck all that. I wanted her to come home. Brent was with Sadie now. He didn’t look at me with that hurt expression anymore. He didn’t even talk about Scarlet. No mention. Nothing.
“Shit,” I heard Steel mutter under his breath and his head turned to look at Brent and me. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, but I stayed focused on Scarlet. I was afraid she might vanish if I lost sight of her.
“What?” Brent whispered.
He didn’t respond.
Dixie and Asher said their vows. I knew when they kissed because the place erupted in cheers, but I missed everything else because of Scarlet. Brent was laughing and clapping beside me obviously watching the kiss. Scarlet was stealing glances at me, quickly looking back at the now married couple.
Her eyes never went to Brent. Only me.
“Jesus, let her breathe,” Brent said teasingly to Asher.
I felt Dallas step up behind me. “Don’t make her regret this,” he said quietly. At least someone other than me had noticed her. “It was hard to convince her to come.”
That last comment got my attention. I jerked my gaze off her to look at my youngest brother. “What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “Took a lot of convincing and guilt to get her to this wedding for Dixie’s sake. Don’t make my wedding gift a nightmare.”
“You got her here?” I asked, furious. I’d never wanted to hurt my youngest brother until this moment. I didn’t like the idea of him talking to her. He had warned me that he knew where she was. I hadn’t realized they had been chatting. Fucking communicating. She left me. Sent me into a dark place and instead of contacting me she contacted the fucking kid.
I took off.
“We aren’t supposed to go yet. We wait until—”
I kept walking ignoring Dallas’s instructions. I knew the damn drill. Dixie and Asher were walking out greeting people as they left. We were supposed to follow them out. Steel stopped, offering Momma his arm and escorting her down the aisle. I wasn’t needed. They wouldn’t realize I had left. With the guests all standing and their attention on Asher and Dixie, I escaped out the back of the white wedding tent and circled around away from the people to get to Scarlet’s side.
As I rounded the corner, I saw her red hair. She was dashing away from the crowd, escaping. Like hell. Not until she talked to me and answered my goddamn questions. I broke into a run and although the noise from the wedding was loud, she must have heard my footsteps because she started running too. Back to the Monroe’s barn. Away from all the activity. Good. Perfect. I wanted her alone. Keep running, baby.
She almost stumbled in the heels she was wearing. Her green dress was short, the back kept fluttering with the breeze as her legs did their best to get her away from me. I got two glimpses at the white lace panties she was wearing, and my anger was turning into something else.
When she reached the barn opening and didn’t slow down, continuing to flee, I picked up my pace and grabbed her waist. I tossed her over my left shoulder, taking five more swift strides inside the barn.
I didn’t set her down until I had closed the door behind us.
Bright furious eyes glared up at me. “What are you doing? Are you crazy? YES! Why am I asking that? You’re completely insane!”
I waited until she was done yelling and hitting me in the chest.
“This is Dixie’s wedding day! I am here to see her, not cause a scene. That’s what I was afraid of and why I didn’t think I should come. I don’t want to ruin her day!” She yelled all of this. Now her finger was pointed at my chest and her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
No one had noticed us. Their attention had been on the bride and groom. Only Dallas knew what had happened. I let her continue to fuss though. Simply because I was trying not to throw her on the nearest hay bale and fuck her until we were both sated.
“Do you ever think of anyone other than yourself? Ever? This day is important, Bray! It is your brother’s wedding day! You should be out front with your family. They will notice you are gone! Brent will come looking and this will be a disaster. I can’t even see Dixie now. I will have to leave!” She let out a sob and covered her mouth. A tear finally broke free and rolled down her face.
“You,” I replied.
She frowned through her tears. “What?” she asked.
“You. I think of you.” She’d ask if I ever thought of someone else and that was the truth.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Don’t. We . . . that’s done. It has to be. Just don’t.”
“Nothing has to be.”
She sighed and wiped at her face. “Yes, it does. Us, it hurts people. We can’t hurt people. It’s not fair. What we . . . what I did. It was wrong. We were wrong. Now all we have is regret.”
I’d rather her slap me and call me a motherfucker than feel regret. Anything but that. Hell, she could have taken a damn hoe off the wall and wacked me across the chest and it would have hurt less. We weren’t wrong. Not to me. She’d been the only thing that had ever felt right in my life. I’d thought it was something she felt too.
This changed things. I’d be damned if I fought for someone who didn’t want me.