Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
He stops, and for the first time tonight, the smile is gone off his face. “Davis, I just got off a mission. You remember what that’s like. I need to let off a little steam. Now are you going to go have a beer with me or what?”
Fuck, I know exactly how he’s feeling, and because of that, I follow him and catch my keys when he throws them at me. I lock the door to Abby’s house and then hit the unlock button on my truck. Zach is inside waiting on me when I get in.
With a turn of my wrist, the motor starts. “Where we going?”
“The Whistler.”
I nod and head toward downtown. I have to park in the side parking lot, and I’m quiet as I follow Zach inside.
We grab a high table next to the dance floor. I’ve only been in here one other time, but it still surprises me looking around. The outside makes it seem like it’s a small hole in the wall, but once you get inside, everything is fancy and nice.
“What do you want?” he asks me.
I shake my head. “I’m not drinking. I’ll drive us home. Live it up.”
He waves at the waitress, and when she comes over, he turns the flirting on. I grab my phone and open the messaging app. “Hey,” I text Abby.
I’m at a loss for words right now. There are so many things I want to say to her, but none of it seems enough. I wait for her to respond, but she doesn’t. I send another text. “I’m coming in to see you when I get back.”
I see that she’s read the message, but she doesn’t respond. I guess it’s a good thing that she didn’t tell me to stay the fuck away.
I pocket my phone and then ram my hand through my hair. Zach takes a sip of his beer when the waitress sets it down. “Fuck, Davis. Maybe I should be DD. You seem to be wound pretty tight.”
Before I can answer him, I hear the guys hollering as they walk in the front door. Sure enough, all the guys are here—Jason, Colter, Elias, Kanan, and they even got Daniel to come out tonight. Zach is on his feet, and he’s hugging and slapping the backs of all the guys. I sit back in my chair and just smile as I watch them. There’s a big part of me that wants to be with Abby right now, but I also know I need this. After the explosion where we were all hurt, we all fell apart. None of us were able to find our way. It was only after Walker brought us to Whiskey Run that we were able to start to get our shit together. And this, having all the guys here—with Zach—has been needed for a long time. Zach’s a goofball and always has been. But when Zach was the only one that left physically unscathed, the guilt almost killed him. Even though no one blamed him, he felt it and has had a hard time with the emotional healing.
The rest of the night is filled with laughter, drinking, and all of us having a good time. But no matter how much fun we’re having, as soon as Zach stands up, swaying on his feet, and says he’s ready to leave, I practically push him out the door to my truck. Kanan is sober and is driving the rest of the guys back to the Center.
As we drive across town, Zach is snoring softly in the passenger seat the whole way to Abby’s house. When we get there, I help him out of the truck, and even though I struggle with his weight, I do what I can to get him inside without making a racket. He hands me his key, and I unlock the door and then help him inside. We go into the living room, and the couch has been made up. I help him sit down, and by the time his head hits the pillow, he’s out again. I take off his shoes and then cover him up.
When I’m sure he’s out, I tiptoe down the hallway and walk into Abby’s bedroom, closing the door behind me.
I sit on the edge of the bed and whisper her name. “Abby.”
Her voice is soft in the darkness. “Yeah?”
When I know she’s awake and I’m not going to scare her to death, I climb on the bed, letting my booted feet hang off the end and then wrap an arm around her, pulling her back to the front of my body.
“Don’t be mad at me, Abby.”
She turns her head to look at me and sighs. “I’m not.” She rolls around so she’s facing me, and her eyes find mine in the darkness. “I was jealous, and I don’t have a right to be.”