such bullshit. I’m livid right now.” She grabs a butter knife and holds it in her fist. I take it from her hand and set it down on the table.
“Has anyone ever told you how scary you are?” I giggle-snort, and I’m so happy to be spending time with her. She’s right, going home would’ve done me no good. I would’ve just sulked and felt like total shit the rest of the day. Maize makes me feel a little better about the whole situation.
She shrugs. “A few times. Just don’t mess with my feelings, food, or my family, and everything will be just fine.”
“Noted, but you not wanting us to eat the food at the B&B really isn’t fair. You know it’s addicting, but then you don’t want us to eat it. Pretty mean if you ask me,” I say, stuffing my mouth full.
“Says the person who got their own personal breakfast buffet this morning.” She snickers.
“Also, you make it sound like Diesel made me sleep with him. It takes two to tango, and trust me when I say I’ll be thinking about the times I had with him for the rest of my life—even if I hate him. No man has ever…” I whisper, keeping my voice low. “Pleasured me the way he did.”
She blushes. “It was that good?”
“Better than good. Mind-blowing. So I can see why Chelsea came back.” I frown, swallowing down my food. “I really thought what we had was more than that. I believed we had something special. Maybe I was nothing more than a forbidden fuck,” I tell her.
“You’re much more than that, Rowan. I honestly can’t believe any of this because of the way he’s always acted when it comes to you. Something isn’t right, but if you saw them together, I will believe you any day of the week.”
“I know. It doesn’t add up, especially when he was dead set on announcing to everyone we’re together just a few days ago. Maybe it’s my fault? Maybe I pushed him away?”
Maize shakes her head. “No, he’s just a man slut. That’s all.”
I yawn and realize I’m still tired from last night, plus I’m emotionally drained from what I witnessed today. I need a nap.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and rest? Our favorite room has no guests in it right now,” she suggests.
“The purple room?” I laugh.
“Mm-hmm. Bed’s made and waitin’ for ya. I’m gonna have to start preparing lunch soon.”
“Whatcha making?” I ask as I finish picking at my plate until it’s nearly empty, but I literally can’t take another bite, or she’ll have to roll me up the stairs.
“Grandma’s Southern chicken salad sandwiches.”
My eyes go wide. “With homemade sourdough bread?”
“Yep.” She nods and laughs. “I’ll make extra for you.”
“You love me so much,” I tell her, standing.
We exchange a hug. “I do, and it’s not just because we’re gonna become nuns together.”
I roll my eyes, thank her for listening to me, then head upstairs. When we were kids, we’d get lost playing in the B&B. It holds so much history and happy memories. We’d use to take our Barbies in here and pretend it was our house. It’s almost fitting that it’s the only room available at the moment.
I walk inside and lie on the tall four-poster bed. My heart hurts, and I’m not sure anything could heal it at this point. After rolling over onto my side and staring out at the blue sky for nearly an hour, tears well and then fall in streams. I really thought we had a future together, but I was so wrong. My eyes feel heavy from crying, and somehow, I eventually fall asleep. When I wake up, I smell the bread Maize’s baking, and though I’m still full from earlier, I could eat her cooking again.
I step into the hallway and immediately hear commotion at the bottom of the stairs. My pulse races when I see Riley reach back and sock Diesel right in the jaw. Surprisingly, Diesel doesn’t try to retaliate against him. Though if I were willing to bet, I think he could take Riley. He’s nearly double his size, but then again, Riley does have some strength behind him.
Before I can break it up, Chelsea walks in and admits what happened this morning. She made a move on him, and he denied her. I must’ve walked away before that happened, too upset to continue spying.
“Is that the truth?” Riley asks.
“I swear. I would never do anything to hurt Rowan, man. I’m