Five

Morgan

I woke up, wrapped around Patrick. The T-shirt I’d borrowed had snaked up to under my breasts, and he had his arm wrapped across the bare skin. Our legs were locked, and he was breathing gently. My eyes darted to his clock. It was already ten o’clock.

Fuck! I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept that long. Probably not since college. And what a crazy fucking night.

I reluctantly slipped out from Patrick’s arms. Everything that had happened the night before came back to me. I couldn’t believe that we’d almost kissed. That I’d asked him to sleep with me. I hadn’t been that drunk!

Embarrassment hit me fresh. I grabbed my clothes and called an Uber. I needed to get out of there. I didn’t know why I felt like I was making a walk of shame when nothing had even happened between us. I thought he’d kissed me as I was falling asleep, but my delusions had probably invented that. Patrick had made it clear that I wasn’t the type of girl he was interested in. He’d always liked crazy bartenders, easy one-night stands, and uncomplicated flings he never had to commit to. I was obviously none of those things.

I was Morgan Wright.

As he had so eloquently reminded me of last night.

When I got home, I buried myself in work and ignored my phone the rest of the day. I didn’t want to answer if he called. And I didn’t want to be disappointed if he didn’t.

By the time I finally went to sleep later that day, I’d managed to go a full fifteen hours without looking at my phone. I wasn’t caught up by any stretch of the imagination, but I felt like I’d accomplished something.

The next morning, my alarm buzzed at some ungodly hour. I slammed my hand on my phone several times, trying to get it to turn off before I realized that it was for church. I grumbled and finally switched it off.

When I woke again, it was with a jolt.

“Shit!” I cried.

I threw the covers off me and rushed through my morning ritual. I was going to be late for church. Jensen was going to kill me.

It was a Wright family tradition to go to church every Sunday morning. Our mom had gone every week, even when she’d had cancer. If Evelyn Wright could get out of bed, then she was there. Skipping wasn’t an option. Not for me.

I sped all the way there. The cops were on my side, and I didn’t get pulled over. Though that really would have been my luck at this point.

My entire family was already seated in the front row when I burst in through the front doors. I cringed as I heard the music that signaled the beginning of the service.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” I muttered to Jensen as I passed him.

He raised his hands, as if to ask me, Where the hell were you?

I waved him off and kept walking. Landon and Austin were laughing at me behind their hands. While my brothers’ significant others—Emery, Heidi, and Julia respectively—all sent me big smiles and waved. It looked like my younger sister, Sutton, and her son, Jason, hadn’t made it. That was becoming increasingly more common. And I didn’t have words for her as to why she should find solace here when she was grieving and angry at the entire universe.

I reached the end of the aisle and stumbled over my high heels when I saw the face staring back at me.

“Patrick,” I muttered.

“Hey, Morgan.” He slyly smiled up at me and then scooted down further away from Austin to give me room to take a seat between them.

I stared at the space for a second longer than I should have before unceremoniously plopping down.

“Why were you late?” Austin asked me.

“Slept through my alarm.”

“Way to go. You’re making me look good.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “It was an accident.”

“Uh-huh. Does that accident have a name?”

“What?” I snapped. Okay, maybe I was still on edge from the stuff with Patrick.

“I’m not judging,” Austin said with a laugh. “You have a stressful job. What you do in your free time is up to you.”

“Austin, leave Morgan alone,” Julia said. She swatted him and flicked her rose-gold hair off her shoulder.

“She’s my little sister. I’m supposed to mess with her.”

“Aren’t you also supposed to keep her from dating other guys?”

“Right. Forgoing my sacred duty.” Austin turned back to me. “No boys!”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re ridiculous. Listen to the sermon.”

Austin laughed and turned back to face the front. But I felt like I had a laser pointed straight at my head. Patrick’s eyes were drilled into the side of my head. I knew then that this wasn’t going to be a thoroughly enjoyable church service.

The heat from Patrick’s body was noticeable. Our legs almost brushed. I could sense every movement he made next to me. I could feel him shift and rearrange and fidget through the entire thing. While I ignored him. Or tried to ignore him the best I could.

All I wanted to do was turn and look at him. This, this right here, was the reason I hadn’t ever made my move on Patrick. I was remembering quite clearly why. I’d never wanted it to ruin our friendship and the easy way we coexisted together. I just wanted him to see me for me.

Now, I’d been rejected. I understood that I wasn’t what Patrick wanted. Or at least…if he did want me, it was just physical, and he wouldn’t even act on the physical. I didn’t want to deal with that. And I wouldn’t.

So, we both just sat there. Neither of us acknowledging the other since I’d sat down, and I listened to the sermon.

Which turned out to be a huge mistake.

I’d been to services before where I felt like the thing the pastor was saying was directed at me. But, today…the service was about me. Like, he might as well have plucked the story of this weekend right out of my life and put it on display in front of the entire congregation.

That heat I’d been feeling turned me crimson. I was a cigarette destined to start a forest fire.

It couldn’t end soon enough. By the time the last song was over and we were dismissed, I actually felt faint. I made some excuse to Austin about having to use the restroom and then disappeared. I needed to find a quiet place to breathe.

I pushed through the crowds, down the hallway that led to the back side of the church, and burst outside. I ground my teeth together and paced the sidewalk. What the hell is wrong with me? Yes, this was Patrick. Of course, that made it different. But I needed to get a grip.

I might have told him that I didn’t want to be Morgan Wright sometimes. But I was Morgan Wright. And I was a badass. I took no shit. I fought for my place and worked my ass off and charged into things headfirst. This running and hiding and fear didn’t suit me. I fucking hated it.

The door crashed open behind me, and I whipped around. Patrick walked outside, hastily shutting the door behind him.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked.

“I needed to get some air. Now, I’m going back.”

Patrick put his hand on the door to keep me from leaving. “Why didn’t you answer any of my calls yesterday?”

“I was working.”

“And you what? Didn’t check your phone?”

“No, I didn’t.”

He breathed out heavily. “Why did you leave?”

“When?”

“Don’t play stupid, Morgan. I know you’re brilliant.”

“I figured you were used to girls sneaking out.”

He didn’t wince, but I could see the fire in his eyes. “Don’t pull that shit with me.”

“We’re at church.”

“You ran out without even a good-bye and then ignored me for twenty-four hours,” he said, not even stopping to acknowledge my comment.

“What does it matter, Patrick? You made your intentions clear. I don’t want to deal with this right now.”

Patrick released his hold on the door. “You’re right. I just don’t want you to think that you needed to leave.”

“You think I didn’t need to leave?” A hysterical, short laugh escaped my lips. “I should have left right away. In fact, I should never have even gone over to your place.”

The words hung heavy between us like a dense fog. Neither of us said a word. I didn’t know what he was thinking. Whether he regretted our interactions from Friday night. Whether he wished, as I suspected he did, that they had never happened. And I couldn’t ask.

Just as he opened his mouth again, the door opened, and Jensen exited the building.

He arched an eyebrow at the two of us standing out here alone. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No,” Patrick and I said at the exact same time.

Smooth.

“All right,” Jensen said disbelievingly. “Can I have a minute, Morgan?”

“Sure.”

Patrick nodded his head at Jensen and then disappeared back into the church without another word to me. My heart panged in his absence.

Fuck, why couldn’t I act like a normal human being about this? Why does it have to be so complicated with Patrick?

“Is something going on between you two?” Jensen asked once Patrick was gone.

“No. He was making sure I was okay. I wasn’t feeling too great during the service.”

“I know you’ve liked him for a long time.”

“Don’t,” I said.

“Okay,” he said, holding up his hands. “Not why I came out here anyway.”

“Why did you come out here?”

“Did you miss the dozen text messages I sent you yesterday?”

I was really kicking myself for not checking my phone. “I kind of got sidetracked in my office at home. I didn’t look at anything but the work I had.”

Jensen sighed. “I know what that’s like. Especially on the weekends, it’s nice to just dig into work. Nothing else distracts you.”

“Exactly.”

“Unfortunately, you can’t have many more days like that. It’s one of the hardest parts of the job. When you take over tomorrow, you’ll have to be more responsive.”

I froze. “Did you just say…”

Jensen laughed. “Yes. No more temporary status. You and David are going to do great. I don’t need to be looking over your shoulder the whole time. I know you’ve been annoyed with me, but I just worry.”

“I know.”

“But Jensen Wright Architecture is in production. The company is yours.”

“I can’t believe this day is finally here.”

“You’ve earned it.”

My love life might be in shambles, but at least, professionally, everything was falling into place. It would have been nice for the CEO position to come with some romantic benefits. Women had flocked to Jensen once he got the position. All I seemed to do was intimidate men. Even Patrick.

Well, fuck it.

I wasn’t going to let that hold me back any longer.

Gone was the girl who had been pining for Patrick Young for twelve long years. I’d made my move. He’d rejected me. The entire thing had crashed and burned. I wasn’t some simpering high school cheerleader anymore. I was the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. I didn’t need to wait around for a guy who clearly wasn’t interested in me.

There were plenty of guys I could date if I wanted to. I’d just held out hope. Young, desperate, irritating hope that Patrick would come around. But he wasn’t going to come around.

I’d thrown myself at him, and he’d done nothing. Twice!

The man who was known for dating around and sleeping around wouldn’t even kiss me. If that didn’t send a clear message, I didn’t know what did.

I’d get over him.

I would.

I’d force myself to move on.

And I’d start this week.

I pulled out the phone I’d neglected all day yesterday and found a number I’d ignored over and over again. Travis Jones. A very cute and flirtatious childhood friend who I wasn’t just picking because Patrick hated him.