Once we’d finally gotten rid of Beau and Peyton—who’d shown up with nothing to do, looking for entertainment—Masyn and I spent the evening and the better part of the night wrapped up in each other. There were so many things we’d never experienced, and I loved having the pleasuring of being her first. And as much as I’d already fallen in love with being inside her, having my face between her legs came in a close second—tied with having her go down on me. Masyn was as much fun in bed as she was playing pool, arguing about music, or hanging out on the lake. And when she said we had a lot of years to make up for, she committed to righting that wrong and gave it her undivided attention.

I struggled when the alarm clock went off at five thirty. Neither one of us had had much sleep to speak of this week, yet where I was groggy and the fog lingered in my mind, Masyn was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

“You know we have to go over to your house before we go in?” I muttered with my arm draped across my face.

“Why?”

I uncovered my eyes to meet her stare. “You have to stay over, remember?”

Her upper lip lifted in irritation. “Ugh. Thanks for reminding me.” She flopped onto her back with a humph. “Can you come pick me up whenever I get off?” She needed a little cheese to go with that whine.

I turned to my side and propped my head in my hand. “Any other time I would, but I promised Beau I’d have a drink with him and Peyton before she left. That’s how I got them to leave last night.” I smirked, knowing she recalled what getting rid of them had meant for the two of us—and she’d loved every minute. “It was a small sacrifice to make.”

“What time is she leaving?” Masyn trailed her finger down my sternum without looking at me. She probably knew that if she peered up, her eyes would give away the trepidation she tried to hide in her voice.

“I think Beau said she had to take off at five to have time to return the rental car and make her flight.”

“And you promise there’s no chance of you hopping on a plane to go visit the big city with her?”

I tilted her chin up so she could see the truth in my eyes. “Is that what you’re worried about?”

Masyn barely nodded, yet it was enough for me to realize how little faith she had in me when it came to relationships.

“Sweetheart, I’ve never told anyone else I love them. And I don’t plan to ever do so. You’ve seen how Peyton and Beau are together. I don’t know why you’re so worried about her.”

“Because I saw how she was with you at the rehearsal dinner, and it was you that she spent all day with Saturday, and it was you she called on Sunday afternoon, and it was you she asked to come spend a few days with her in New York. Beau’s a consolation prize. You’re the one she wants.”

I couldn’t deny or confirm that. And if Masyn knew she’d kissed me on Saturday night, she’d lose her mind. Peyton and Beau just both needed attention. It wasn’t me she was after, just my time. Beau was hurting whether he was ready to admit it or not, and Peyton bathing him in affection soothed that wound, even if it was only temporary.

Reaching out, I stroked her cheek with my thumb and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Sweetheart, you have nothing to worry about. I’m not racing off to New York. I’ll be here waiting for you when you get off this afternoon. And I’ll leave it up to you just how much time we spend with Beau before he goes back to Atlanta.”

Masyn gave me a weak smile and a meager nod. She needed time to see that what she thought was true about me and women, wasn’t true at all. The only other time she’d ever trusted a guy, he’d burned her publicly. Deep inside, Masyn knew I wasn’t Alex, nor was I capable of decimating anyone the way he had, but I’d sure as hell never intentionally hurt her. Even if we hadn’t slept together and had never bothered to tell the other one how we felt, I wouldn’t get on a plane with Peyton Holstein.

“Come on. We need to get going, or we’ll be late.”

I hated seeing her so insecure; I just didn’t know how to fix it. In some ways, this had been the best week of my life, and in others…well, let’s just say, I wouldn’t be disappointed to see Peyton leave. And truth be told, Beau had thrown quite a monkey wrench into our everyday lives, as well. I didn’t usually wish away the time I had with him in town, but Sunday couldn’t come soon enough.

When we got to Masyn’s house, I leaned over the console, grabbed her by the nape of the neck, and pulled her face to mine. There I planted a kiss on her lips that I hoped would last her through the day. Every emotion I felt for her poured out, leaving me breathless and craving more. “I love you, sweetheart. Be careful driving to the shop.”

“Love you, too. I’ll see you in a bit.” She did a miserable job of masking the sadness in her voice.

I watched her open the truck door and hop out. Just before she shut it behind her, I said, “Why don’t you run in and grab enough stuff to spend the weekend at my house?” It wasn’t like she didn’t frequently stay at least one of the two nights; I just wanted her to be certain that I longed to have her with me.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and nodded with the first genuine smile I’d seen all morning. And once I knew she was safely inside, I backed out. I hated this neighborhood and couldn’t wait for the day that I no longer had to worry about her being here.

When I got to the shop, I clocked in and got a cup of coffee while I waited for Masyn in the breakroom. She came sliding in with a couple of minutes to spare and threw her stuff in her locker. The flush on her cheeks from racing through the parking lot resulted in a strong desire for me to throw her across the table and take her in front of everyone.

Instead, I caged her in with my hands on the wall close to her face and stole a quick kiss. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

She grinned, and her eyes twinkled beneath the fluorescent lighting. “See ya,” she whispered, and the husky tone of those two words wrapped around my dick just as seductively as her hand had when she’d dragged me into the shower.

I growled, planted one more kiss on her soft lips, and stalked from the room before I lost all control and took her sexy little ass right then and there against the lockers.

Maybe we could get away during our lunch hour…

Unfortunately, when lunch rolled around, Farley pulled Masyn into his office to discuss the needs on line three and show her the defects. They’d shut down the entire production line when the bell rang for break because they were totally unable to machine parts. Masyn’s position was being taken over for the afternoon by the lead on that line to free her up to work on the programming immediately. She wasn’t any happier about having to sacrifice her lunchbreak than she was about working overtime this afternoon, but maybe if she started on it earlier, then she’d be done by three and be able to leave on time.

Nothing ever worked in my favor. I stopped to see Masyn before I cleaned up for the day, and she was knee-deep in blueprints and covered in grease. She had a lathe disassembled with parts scattered around her on the floor. She brushed her hair out of her face with the back of her hand and it left a black mark from the center of her forehead to her ear.

“They don’t need a programmer; they need a maintenance man,” she admitted.

“Then why doesn’t Farley call one in?” It seemed like a simple solution, and it also wasn’t Masyn’s job.

“He tried. They can’t get anyone out here until Monday afternoon, and these parts have to ship Monday morning. He’s hoping I can get it running again so the guys can come in tomorrow and possibly Sunday to get it out.” There was no denying how unhappy she was with the situation.

“And let me guess… He wants you here tomorrow, as well, in case it goes down again.” There went my plans.

“Ding, ding, ding.”

I searched the area around us to see if we had any witnesses before I squatted next to her. Whispering in her ear, I felt the warmth of my breath radiate off her skin and saw her arms prickle with a chill. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I promise to give you my undivided attention when you get home.” I pressed my lips to her neck, just below her ear, to leave her thinking about all I’d do to her, and with her, once we were alone.

She swatted at my arm and laughed while she spoke, “You need to go before I’m completely useless.”

I stood and backed away, holding her stare until I had to turn around or risk running into a machine, further injuring myself. The smirk that lingered on my mouth was a silent promise of what she could expect. And I loved that a simple glance turned her tomato red—and undoubtedly wet. In true Masyn form, she returned the smart-ass grin and added a greasy middle finger. Laughing, I did an about face and went back across the shop to check in the last truck of the day.

Halfway through the receiving manifests, my cellphone rang in my pocket. Technically, we weren’t allowed to have them on the floor, but since no one ever called me during the day, I didn’t think anything about keeping it in my pocket. Still holding the clipboard, I put the pen in my mouth, expecting to see Beau’s ugly mug and name on the screen. It was a number I didn’t recognize, starting with an Atlanta area code.

I debated answering, but I figured there was little chance of getting caught, and even if I did, I was working with a pen and paper, not a moving machine and metal.

“Hello?” I tucked the phone between my cheek and shoulder to keep working, while I got rid of what I assumed was a sales call for some shit I didn’t need and absolutely didn’t want.

“Mr. Carter?” To my surprise, the woman on the other end wasn’t a voice recording trying to tell me about the wonderful cruise I’d won.

I continued to count the boxes on the pallet so I could check them against the order. “This is Lee.”

“This is Bernice at Atlanta Memorial Hospital. We found your number in George Carter’s cellphone as his emergency contact.”

The world suddenly slipped into slow motion as I stepped out of the trailer to get a better signal and set down the clipboard and pen. “Yeah, he’s my dad.”

“Mr. Carter, I hate delivering this news by phone, but your father suffered a massive heart attack at work today. He was brought in by ambulance not long ago, and he’s being prepped for surgery as we speak.”

Panic filled my thoughts and echoed in my voice. “Surgery?” I practically screamed in the woman’s ear. “What’s going on? Is he going to make it?”

“You need to get here as quickly as possible, Mr. Carter.”

“I’m three hours away. And at work. Can’t you tell me what’s happening?” Fear had a way of unexpectedly morphing into anger.

“I don’t have any other details, Mr. Carter. I’m sure the doctor will be able to tell you more when you arrive.”

My jaw ached from grinding my teeth in the few short moments I’d been on the phone, and if I didn’t stop pulling my hair, I wouldn’t have any left. “That’s not good enough. That’s my dad. Is he going to be all right?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I really do wish I could tell you more.”

“Yeah, fine, I understand. I’ll get there as soon as I can. Thank you for letting me know.” I didn’t wait for her to say you’re welcome or goodbye before I hung up and left the receiving dock in the same shape it had been in when I answered the call.

I practically ran through the aisles, jumping over pallets on the floor and dodging forklifts as I went. When I got to Farley’s office, he was on the phone and held his finger up for me to give him a minute. I didn’t have a minute. Frustrated, I groaned and ran to the time clock and punched out, and then slipped into the breakroom to grab my stuff from my locker. Farley was off the phone when I returned to his office.

“What the hell, Carter? You’re white as a ghost.”

“I just got a call—”

He put his hands on his hips and tried to issue a stern warning I wasn’t fucking interested in hearing. “You know cellphones on the floor are against company policy.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, write me up on Monday. I’ve got to go. My dad had a heart attack and is heading into surgery.”

“In Atlanta?”

No, jackass, in the breakroom. “Yes.”

The agitation for the cellphone violation quickly vanished when he realized what I was telling him. He and his pops were close. If anything happened to Old Man Farley, we wouldn’t see Farley in here for days.

“Get the hell outta here. Once you get there and know more about what’s going on, give me a call and let me know if you’ll be in on Monday, but don’t worry about this place, we’ve got it covered.”

I was about to turn around and race to my truck when I remembered Masyn. “Hey, Farley, can you do me a favor?”

“Of course.”

“Can you tell Masyn what happened and that I’ll call her when I know more?”

“Definitely. Now, go.”

I slapped the metal door casing and gave him a curt nod. It was as close as I could get to saying thank you when I was on the verge of losing my shit. My dad and I hadn’t been super close since he’d moved to Atlanta, but he was the only family I had—at least by name and blood—and I loved him just the same. And he’d done his best to be a good father after my mom passed away when I was a kid. He’d just been too heartbroken without her to be Dad of the Year.

The keys fell out of my shaking hands in the parking lot, and by the time I finally got the doors to the truck unlocked, I worried about even driving to my house to pack a bag, much less getting on the interstate for a three-hour trip. With the truck idling, I touched Beau’s name on my contact list and waited for the call to connect.

“Hey, man. You’re off early.” Beau didn’t wait for me to respond. “You want to meet Peyton and me down at Sadler’s? We’re having a drink before she takes off.” He laughed at something in the background.

“Beau…” My voice cracked as I said his name.

His tone shifted immediately, and I knew I was on the verge of losing it. “You okay?”

“My d-dad,” I stammered. “I-I need to go to Atlanta.”

I heard him call for Lani and ask for the check. “I’ll meet you at your house.” And he disconnected.

I wasn’t sure how I managed to arrive at my house in one piece or even how I got there. Beau’s car wasn’t in the driveway, so I ran inside and started throwing shit in a bag. I didn’t have a clue how long I’d be gone or what I would need, but I figured anything I forgot, I could buy in Atlanta once I knew what was going on. Right now, I just needed to get there. When he still hadn’t arrived by the time I finished packing, I took a quick shower to rinse off the stench of a day on the dock and then I put on fresh clothes. I was sitting on my bed tying my tennis shoes when he came down the hall.

“Sorry it took me so long. I had to drop Peyton off at her car and grab my stuff from my parents’ house. You ready?”

“You’re going with me?”

“Based on how you sounded on the phone—which isn’t shit compared to how you look in person—I didn’t think you needed to deal with whatever this is alone.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. His face was lined with pity, even without knowing what happened. “Plus, this way, you’ll have a place to stay and won’t have to worry about a hotel.”

I nodded and swiped up the bag at my feet. He hadn’t asked any questions, which was good since I didn’t have any answers. Beau had his faults, but friendship wasn’t one of them. There’d never been a time in my life when I’d needed him and he hadn’t shown up. And today was no different.

No words were exchanged between us as we got into his BMW. And it wasn’t until we hit the interstate that he finally dared to speak. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Some woman called me from Atlanta Memorial and said he had a heart attack. They were prepping him for surgery. That’s all she told me.”

“Like open-heart surgery?” The shock rang through loud and clear.

I pounded my fists on his dashboard, trying to keep the stinging tears at bay. “Fuck, I don’t know, Beau. She said the doctor would be able to tell me more once I got there.”

“I’m sure he’s going to be okay.” Beau was a shit liar. He didn’t have a clue if my old man would survive any better than I did.

“He’s all I’ve got, man.” That one sentence unlocked the floodgates. I buried my head in my hands and let my fear out the only way I knew how.

“That’s not true, Lee. I know he’s your dad, but as long as I’m alive and Masyn’s breathing, you’ll never be alone.”

He was trying to help, and I knew that—it just wasn’t what I needed to hear. I refused to consider the possibility of my dad not pulling through. It didn’t matter that I was a grown man; no child wanted to live without their parents, and I’d already lived most of my life down one.

“I’m surprised Masyn isn’t with you.”

I welcomed the change of subject. Thinking about her was preferable to my dad in a hospital. “She had to work late. I didn’t even talk to her before I left.”

“Dude, she’s going to freak out.”

“Nah, Farley’s going to let her know what happened. I told him to tell her I’d call her when I knew more.”

“That’s going to go over well.” His sarcasm was unbecoming and made me want to slap the shit out of him. Now wasn’t the time for him to try to be cute.

“I didn’t have a choice, Beau. She was up to her elbows in grease and machine parts, not to mention, she has to work late today and has to be at the shop all day tomorrow. Even if she had wanted to, she couldn’t come with me.” I reached into my bag to grab my cell to send Masyn a message. Even with Farley delivering the news about where I’d gone, I wanted her to know I’d thought about her. I didn’t have time to finish typing the message before Beau interrupted me.

“You going to tell me how all that ended up coming together?”

I hated when Beau was right about something; the smug look that crossed his face anytime that subject came up again made me want to smack him.

“I don’t know. After I dropped you and Peyton off on Monday night, I went to Masyn’s house, and she was drunk as piss. I shouldn’t have tried to talk to her then. I just had to get some things out of my system, only I didn’t get a chance to tell her anything other than the fact that I didn’t have any interest in Peyton.”

“Why couldn’t you tell her anything else?”

I sat my phone in the cup holder, leaned back in the seat, and tried to relax. Worrying wouldn’t get us to Atlanta any faster, and talking about Masyn brought a smile to my lips. Even when I was filled with dread, she made my heart happy. “Masyn started blubbering about Peyton taking you and me away, and how she always had to talk to you in code when you were with Felicity. And by the end of the conversation, I thought she was telling me she was in love with you.” I rolled my head to stare at him and witness his reaction. I wasn’t expecting laughter.

“I have no idea what she said to make you think she had feelings for me, but if you’d told me about it that night, I could have set the record straight.”

“Reaching out to you wasn’t the first thing on my mind when I was cleaning up vomit and carrying her to bed.”

He gulped and scrubbed his palm over his scrunched face. “Ew. Dude, that’s definitely love.”

Good thing it hadn’t been Beau she’d puked on, or he would have tossed his cookies, too. “It sucked. I was covered in it and had to wash my clothes before I could leave. By the time I got them into the washer and tried to move her, she asked me to stay.”

“On the couch?”

I shook my head and grinned. “You’d think, but no. She wanted me in bed next to her.”

“That’s torture.” He flicked on the blinker. I leaned in his direction when he switched lanes and the tires screeched. “I wonder if she had any idea what she was doing.”

“Doubtful. She was out within seconds.”

He shot me an irritated, sidelong glance. “And let me guess: you spent the night staring at the ceiling?”

“For the most part.”

“Lee, man, you know that even if it was me who Masyn was after, I’d never do that to you, right?”

The truth was, I didn’t know what to believe. Sleep deprivation did crazy things to the mind and the imagination. “Let’s just say it wasn’t a fun night, and neither was the following day. She apologized over and over, but keep in mind, she was apologizing for putting a divide in the friendship, not for confessing she loved you.”

“I should be pissed you made a play for her, thinking she had the hots for me.” His cocky grin left no room for doubt that he was fucking with me.

“It wasn’t like that.” I might be known as a player around town, but Beau knew the truth. He’d always known Masyn was it for me. “Maybe it makes me an ass, but honestly, at this point, I don’t really care. If I hadn’t done it, she never would have told me I’d misunderstood everything she said Monday night.”

“Lee, I don’t care how the two of you got there.” He shrugged, swung into the right lane behind a speeding semi-truck, and set the cruise on eighty. “I’m just glad you did. Even though she hasn’t flat-out said the words to me, I’ve listened to her stories about dates and why they never worked out, and I’ve heard the jealousy in her voice any time you and another chick came up. Once I left for college, she and I talked a lot more than we did when I was here. I think it was easier for her to open up because I wasn’t in the thick of it anymore, yet I knew all the guys who ever stood on her doorstep and their history.”

I wished one of us had spoken up, even though I couldn’t fault either one of them since I hadn’t said anything, either. I raked a hand through my hair, squirming in the leather seat, trying to imagine her chatting with Beau about me, while I got blowjobs in the bathroom at the bar. “Just a lot of wasted time.”

And misplaced emotion.

“Probably not. You came together when the time was right. Don’t regret what you haven’t done, and make it happen going forward.”

Don’t regret what I have done, too.

“Yeah. Right.” I glanced at the clock and wished like hell I could call her. I was certain she was still at work, since it wasn’t quite four, and even though I’d told Farley that I would call her, Masyn would text me as soon as she left. She was a stickler for the safety protocols, and she wouldn’t have her phone on her even if I tried to call. Knowing that still didn’t change the fact that I wanted to hear her voice and tell her I loved her.

“How’d you and Peyton leave things?”

“Dude, I met the wrong sister first.” That wasn’t good. “Peyton is everything I wish Felicity had been, but without all the attitude and snarly disposition.” It was good to know he hadn’t been blind to the things Masyn and I saw in his ex-fiancée. “Once I get settled in the new house and job, we’re going to make plans for me to go see her. Until then, she might come back for a week or two since she’s off for the summer.”

“Have either of you considered how you’re going to deal with Felicity? Or her parents? I’m not trying to rain on your parade or anything. I just don’t know if that’s a road you’re ready to walk, Beau. You and confrontation don’t do well together.”

“I’m not thinking that far ahead. Peyton is keenly aware of what all I’m dealing with right now. But the sex is good and so is the company, so I’m going to enjoy it and figure it out as I go.”

“Obviously, I don’t know her well, but I got the impression she didn’t have a lot of experience in the relationship department. Just be careful you don’t end up hurting her while you’re finding yourself.”

“Listen to you, Mr. Compassionate. When did you start caring about women’s feelings?”

I’d never led a girl to believe she would get anything more from me than the moment we were in. I never took them out on dates, I didn’t bring them to my house, and I certainly didn’t share my bed—there was no confusion. And any woman who thought she’d change that did so of her own accord, not because I skipped with them down a primrose path while holding their hand and humming.

“She seemed like a nice girl. And your reputation’s at stake, too. Don’t forget that you’re supposed to be in Gay Paree on your honeymoon right now. You might not have to deal with the fallout of being seen around town shacked up with Felicity’s sister, but you can bet your ass your mom will.”

“My mom loves her.”

“Doesn’t mean she wants to answer for your behavior with Peyton so shortly after you called off a wedding with Felicity.”

“I liked you a lot better when you were just a pretty face holding a beer.”

I groaned. “I’d kill for a beer.”

“Forget it. I’m not adding an open container charge to the list of my offenses this week.”

“Killjoy.”

He turned up the radio and we spent the rest of the ride in relative silence. My thoughts volleyed between my dad and Masyn, neither of which I could reach, and the music helped to stop my mind from wandering. And when we finally got to the cardiac ICU, I worried I’d need a room of my own before this was all over.