Tate slammed his beer down on the counter, stood, and walked out of the bar without looking at Declan or Liz because he didn’t know what to do with Declan’s question or how Declan’s words made him feel.
This was Liz. Liz! The girl who played in the rain with him and raced him on horseback and never won but always took it in stride. They double-dated to all the school dances. She warned him when one of his girlfriends did something behind his back and always consoled him after a breakup. She had no problem pointing out all his faults and where he’d gone wrong but in a humorous way that made him smile and laugh and somehow feel better despite the fact that she was probably right.
Honest. Dependable. Smart. Kind. Generous. The list went on of all the good things he liked about her. Her sweetness drew him to her when they were kids.
She was a part of his life. A piece of him.
And with that thought, he went back to what Declan asked.
Did he want to keep her from falling for some other guy just because he didn’t want to lose her as a friend?
He wanted her to be happy. She deserved to have everything she wanted.
What really got to him was that it wasn’t that he hadn’t ever looked at her as a woman he wanted, but that he always stopped himself from crossing that line because he didn’t want to lose what they already had together.
But if he lost her to some other guy, would he forever wonder what might have been if he took a chance on them?
What if he’d waited too long?
What if she really was done with him?
Chapter Two
Liz caught Declan’s eye after Tate stormed out of the bar. Declan shrugged and gave her a half smile. She hated to upset Tate, but she needed some space. She couldn’t keep holding on to him. It left no room for anyone else to come into her life because she was always looking at Tate. What if she missed a good guy who wanted what she wanted because she was pining for Tate and hoping he’d miraculously love her?
He didn’t.
He wouldn’t.
And it hurt to admit that and feel like no matter how hard she loved him it would never change.
After all this time, she’d finally accepted that he’d put her in the friend zone and had no intention of moving her out of it.
Clint hooked his hand around her middle from behind, planted it on her stomach, and leaned down close to her ear. “You came here with me. Forget him.” He nuzzled her neck and gave her a soft kiss. “You’re kind and sweet, beautiful, and sexy as hell.”
They swayed to the music and she leaned back into him, loving the feel of his arms around her.
He took her hand and spun her out, then pulled her back in to his chest as they made their way from the edge of the dance floor back into the flow of couples circling the center and keeping time to the music.
“Was everything okay with your car?”
She focused on him. “Yes. And thank you again for going out of your way to help me out.” She’d put off the oil change and tire rotation longer than she should and took the first available weekday appointment. Clint drove her to work, then to pick up her car during his lunch hour. He did so many nice things for her. He didn’t mind picking up a bottle of wine and the mushrooms she forgot for dinner at her place. He repaired a broken hinge on one of her kitchen cabinet doors. He didn’t get upset when they had to rearrange their plans because she got called in to work on her usual day off. Anything to accommodate her.
“Happy to help. All you have to do is ask.”
These past two months had been really great. Too bad Tate had to remind her that she hadn’t put her whole heart into being with Clint. And he deserved her full attention.
Out of the blue, Clint grabbed her wrist, pulled her off the dance floor, and leaned down close to her face. “I told you to let it go. Stop thinking about him. He doesn’t want you. I do.”
Taken aback, she tried to explain. “I’m sorry, Clint. I just didn’t expect to see him here, or that he’d be so upset.”