Did she want to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss her?
“You look—” I swallowed hard. “You look beautiful.”
Then, something in her switched. She stood taller. Her eyes narrowed, turning dark with anger.
Okay, well, I don’t think she wants to kiss me anymore. She wants to do something to me, but I’m not sure it’s a good thing.
“Hell, you might want to take a step back, Anson,” Mindy said.
My gaze darted quickly to her. I smiled when I glanced down and saw her hand on a tiny belly bump. Before I had a chance to say anything to Mindy, Bristol spoke.
“How dare you! Today, of all days, you stroll into town and say, ‘Hey, Bri?’”
“Well, I did also say you looked beautiful.”
“Lord, some things never change,” Mindy said.
Bristol let out a sound like a growl. I should have expected what was about to happen next. I should have thought better than to come over to see Bristol without so much as a warning to let her know I was back.
Six years I’d been gone. Six.
Oh, I’d seen Bristol since then. She just never knew it. I had driven through town in a rental car, my baseball cap pulled down low so no one noticed me. I’d caught glimpses of her. It always left me feeling worse, and every time I vowed I’d never do it again. But I always did.
Today, though. The anniversary of the day I told her that I loved her, and she told me she loved me, would be the day I stupidly showed back up in town and then casually walked up to her.
Yeah. I should have seen the punch coming.
When her fist landed square on my nose, I heard Lanny scream and Mindy cry out.
“What in the hell, Bristol! What are you doing?” Mindy shouted as I stumbled back, my hand covering my nose.
“Wow,” I said with a laugh, “I forgot how hard you hit.”
Bristol walked up to me with a look of utter hate on her face. My stomach dropped, and I shut my mouth before I said anything else to piss her off.
She smiled when I pulled my hand away and saw blood coming from my nose.
I had the urge to hide behind Lanny. Bristol shot me a smile and said, “Welcome home, Anson. Let that burn.”
She walked past me, and I stood there, stunned. When I turned to watch her stomping up the street and people damn near jumping to get out of her way, I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face.
“That was Bristol, huh?” Lanny asked.
“Yep, that was Bristol.”
Lanny let out a small chuckle. “Hell, I like her already.”
“Anson!”
Mindy’s voice made me turn around.
She held out a napkin and gave me a scolding look. Evidently, she was practicing her mom-glare out on me. And it was working.
“What in the hell were you thinking?” Mindy asked. “You just walked up to her—after six years—and said, ‘Hey, Bri?’ Are you having a breakdown or something?”
I shrugged. “I saw her as we were driving by. I wanted to…”
Mindy lifted a brow. I looked at Lanny, who had her arms folded over her chest, a hard stare of her own going on.
“You wanted to what?” they both asked, at the same time, as I jerked my head back. Did women have some sort of telepathic gift to read one another’s minds?
Glancing between the two of them, I asked, “Have y’all met?”
They both glanced at one another and smiled.
“No, of course not,” Lanny stated.
“Mindy, this is Lanny Ross, my assistant. Lanny, this is Mindy Pressler.”
The two women shook hands.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Mindy said.
“It’s a pleasure for me as well.” She pointed to Mindy’s shirt that read I’m Eating for Two. “Congratulations!”
“Aw, thank you!”
Mindy focused back on me, the smile she bestowed on Lanny wiped clean off her face. “Do you know what day it is?”
“Of course I know.”
“Yet, you thought today was a good day to come home?”
“I was forced home,” I said as I dabbed my nose with my shirt.
Mindy’s mouth fell open, then she closed her eyes and shook her head before she glared at me once more. “Okay, so if you happen to talk to Bristol again, I would probably avoid using the word forced,” Mindy stated.
I sighed. “How has she been?”
“Fine,” Mindy stated.
“Is she, um, is she…”
Mindy raised a brow and smirked. “Dating?”
I nodded.
“No, but she was set to go out on a date tonight. I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen now, though.”
That caused my entire body to tense. “With who?”
She shrugged. “No one you know.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Is that so.”
“Yes, that is so. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m feeling my morning sickness come on, and as much as I would love to hurl on you, I don’t want to be part of today’s gossip email or end up on a viral video.”