Samuel and I make our annual trip down into the city. It’s Memorial Day, and every year, we attend the service at the military cemetery in Boulder City, less than an hour from the Las Vegas Strip. Our men are buried here. Samuel and I don’t enjoy being around people anymore, but we come to pay our respects and recommit to living each day in honor of their sacrifice. And after the ceremony, we head home and share a toast of whiskey in their honor.

In the middle of the service, a familiar face stares back at me in the crowd.

I squint through the blinding sunlight, not sure if the light is playing tricks on me.

No.

I’m not wrong.

It’s Elle.

I give Samuel a nudge and motion in her direction. When he sees her, his face goes several shades redder. I’m pretty sure he’s itching to confront her, but he continues to stand beside me as we wait for the cannon blasts, gun salute, and bagpipes to signal the end of the event. There’s no doubt in my mind that none of us hear a single sound after we catch sight of each other.

The temptation is overwhelming. I want to go to her after the service is over and done with, but Samuel’s adamantly against the idea.

“Don’t waste your time,” he grumbles and turns to go back to where we parked.

I follow him with some hesitation. God knows I want to see Elle again, and tell her how sorry I am about how things went down. But I trust my best friend. He’s never steered me wrong, and if he has such doubts about having a short, polite conversation with her, I’ve got to have a little faith that he knows what he’s doing.

But Elle catches up to us by the time we make it back to our pickup truck.

“Hey,” she says, breathing hard to catch her breath after running in those heels.

“Elle, hi. How’ve you been?” I ask, turning to her, my hand still on the passenger side door handle.

She leans up against the side of the truck. “Guys, can we talk for a minute?”

“I don’t think, so,” Samuel grunts from the driver side and walks around to our side. “Today’s not a good time. I’m sure it’s been as tough a day for you as it is for us.”

She straightens up at his words, ready to walk away. “I understand. Just know that I’m sorry…about everything.”

She’s sorry? My curiosity’s piqued. I want to know more, so I gently hold onto the crook of her elbow to stop her from leaving.

Fuck. Sparks. The same all-encompassing attraction is there, and if anything, it’s stronger than before.

“Wait,” I say to her, and look over at Samuel. “We should clear the air, don’t you think?” He doesn’t reply. I turn back to Elle. “Go ahead. I want to hear what you’ve got to say.”

She takes a breath that makes her chest rise and fall as she prepares to speak. It’s only the end of May, but it’s hot as fuck outside, probably a full twenty degrees warmer than the weather we get in the mountains. I wave a hand to her and open my door for her to get inside. No need for us to all pass out from heat exhaustion after standing for over an hour in the wicked heat.

Once we’re all loaded inside, with Elle sandwiched in between us, our legs brushing against her outer thighs, it kind of feels like all those months ago.

Except she’s squirming in her seat and still hasn’t said a word.

“Just start at the beginning,” I say to her.

There isn’t anything this woman can tell me that’s cause for all her nervousness. Is there?

I instantly fear the worst and blurt out, “Did we knock you up or something? If we did, I’m ready to step up and be there for our kid.”

Her head snaps up and turns to me. “What? No, of course not.”

“What then? Because I’ve thought it all through, countless times, and I still don’t know what made you leave.”

She gets all quiet again. Now it’s Samuel who’s squirming in his seat.

“We’re wasting daylight,” he says in a huff. “Forget about putting her on the spot. She just isn’t that into us. I’ve accepted it. I think it’s time we all just moved on.”

“Please don’t say that,” Elle whispers painfully. “It’s not true. This is all on me.” She takes another long inhale of air. “Okay. I’m ready to talk. I’ll tell you everything, but I don’t want to miss this chance to tell you both face to face, and to apologize for what I’ve done.”

I’m confused as fuck. “What the hell did you do?”