“Dude, people grow up.” Alex snorted and pointed at the small coffee shop they passed. “Has anyone been a dick to you this week?”
Ethan hesitated. “No. Everyone’s been nice.”
“Even the ones who were ass**les to you?”
“Yeah.” Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. “It doesn’t mean they’re all these great people now, though. They still treated me like shit.”
“Yeah, I know. But they grew up. Dude, people do that. You need to open your f**king eyes.” Alex swiped his hand through the air. “Timmy, the guy who gave you a black eye? He owns that coffee shop now and is fat as f**k. And remember my friend Bobby, the dickwad?”
“Yeah…”
“School guidance counselor now,” Alex said.
Ethan groaned. “Those poor kids.”
“Nope, he’s actually good at it. Tells them stories of what not to do…” Alex shrugged. “I’m just saying. People change. You did, too.”
Ethan let out a breath. “That’s true. I guess I just never thought of it like that.”
They pushed through the doors of the bar and sat down. The bartender turned to them with a smile, and Ethan flinched. It was one of the football jocks that had taken pleasure in torturing him all throughout high school.
“What can I get for you, Alex?” He looked at Ethan. “Hey, man.”
Ethan clenched his fists. The f**ker didn’t even recognize him. And he was actually thinking about moving back to this place? Man, the things love did to a guy. “I’ll have two fingers of Makers Mark , please.”
“The same,” Alex said, leaning an elbow on the bar and turning to scope out the bar behind him. “Do you recognize who’s with me, Brad?”
Brad poured their drinks then turned back to them, his lips pursed. “Kind of. I know you, don’t I?”
Well, there was no avoiding it now. Time to fess up. “Yeah. Ethan Pierce, Alex’s little brother.”
“Oh, shit.” He set the drink in front of Ethan, then added some more. “I’m Brad. Do you remember me?”
“It’s hard to forget the guy who shoved me into lockers,” Ethan replied dryly, lifting his glass in salute. “How you been, man?”
Brad’s cheeks heated. “I’m good. And yeah, sorry about that.”
Ethan blinked at him. “Uh, okay. Thanks.”
“See?” Alex murmured, kicking him in the shin. “Change.”
“I’m serious.” Brad leaned on the bar and met Ethan’s eyes. “I have kids now, and the things I did to you? Not f**king cool. I guess fatherhood gives you a new perspective on things.”
Ethan couldn’t believe it. Ashley had been right, and so had Alex. They kept insisting that people change and that he might not find the people he’d hated quite so hateful anymore. And now one of his biggest tormentors was being nice to him? Unbelievable.
“It’s fine. We grew up, right?” Ethan shrugged. “People move on.”
“Or leave all together,” Alex muttered.
“Dude, I get it,” Ethan snapped. “Chill.”
Brad grinned, ignoring Alex all together. “Right. I hear you’re doing IT work now?”
“I am.” Ethan took another drink.
Alex leaned in. “Yeah, but he might be coming back to town, though. What do you think about that?”
“Alex,” Ethan growled. “I’m not.”
“That would be awesome if you did, though.” He swiped the bar clean. “The town always talks about you, you know. How much you’ve done with your life, how much you’ve seen.”
Ethan choked on his drink. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, you’re one of the only ones who actually left this place. Went out and saw the world.”
Ethan swallowed hard. “Thanks, man.”
Ashley was right. The world had changed. But he hadn’t.
Ethan downed the last of his drink. “I have to go finish packing, then I have a flight to catch. You coming or staying, bro?”
“I’m staying—which is what you should be doing.” Alex spun his drink in his hand, not lifting his head. “But, hey. Have a great life in Cali.”
Ethan scowled at the back of his brother’s head. “I will.”
“Good,” Alex said, sipping his drink as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Don’t run away so fast that you trip and fall on your face.”
Ethan clenched his fists, not bothering to reply. Then he turned on his heel, stalked to the door, and pushed out in to the sunlight. He finished packing, then drove his rental truck down Rehoboth Avenue. He hesitated at the street that led to Ashley’s house, but then stepped on the gas forcefully.
As he watched her house disappear in his rearview mirror, instead of feeling relief, he felt…hell, he didn’t know what he was feeling. All he knew was he didn’t feel the same freedom he usually felt as he drove away from home. This trip had f**ked with his head, big time. Everything was all messed up now.
He hated this feeling. Wanted to forget all about this whole f**king town. His brother. His mother. Hell, even Ashley. All of those things had become entwined in some confusing, emotional, tangled web. And it kept trying to pull him back under. But he wouldn’t give in.
It was time to leave this godforsaken town and everyone in it behind him...
Again.
Chapter Eleven
Ashley took a long drink of her wine, leaning against the bar and sighing. There was no use denying it anymore. She might have entered this weekend planning to keep her heart safe and her legs spread, but along the way, something had happened.
She’d wanted more from Ethan…
And he’d done what he does best. He’d walked away.
She was trying not to be hurt, angry, or bitter…but right now? She felt all three of those things, which wasn’t fair. He’d given her what she’d asked for. He hadn’t done anything wrong or unjust. She just hadn’t expected to be served a side of heartache with her carefree, fun weekend of sex.
Go figure.
The first guy that made her want to settle down and be serious wanted nothing to do with her or the town she lived in. She knew they had something special—he knew it, too—but it wasn’t enough to make him want to be with her.
And she had to accept that.
She took another sip of her wine, cringing when the person singing karaoke hit a particularly high note. How could she have forgotten it was karaoke night when she’d agreed to come here with Rhiannon? “This sucks.”