“There’s nothing wrong with trying to get out and live a little.”
“There is when it puts your life in jeopardy and lands you in jail. Besides, this isn’t up for discussion.” He removed his hand from my shoulder and gave me a stern look. “If you want your mother and me to pay for the lawyer and all the court fees, then you’re going to see someone. Your mother is looking around to find out who would be best for you to see.”
“Of course she is.”
“Don’t give me that tone,” he snapped. “You know how much she loves you. We both do, and we just want what’s best for you.”
“I get that, but I’m twenty-five years old, Dad. I’m not a kid. Y’all don’t get to make decisions about my life anymore.”
“I do when you pull stunts like you did last night, and I’m the one stuck dealing with it. So, if you want me to help cover the cost of your mistake, then you’ll go see the therapist.”
His words stung.
They stung deep.
I should’ve been honest with him and admitted what was really going on with me, but I knew what he would do if I did.
He’d freak out and demand that I go straight to the hospital, which would force me to face the very thing I’d been avoiding for months, and I simply couldn’t do it. I needed more time, so if he wanted me to see a stupid shrink, I’d go see the stupid shrink.
I held my hands up in surrender and said, “Okay, okay. I’ll go to the therapist or whatever, but it’s just a waste of time and money.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He let out a sigh of relief, then said, “I’ll call Jack Bivens and fill him in on what happened last night. He’s a great lawyer. Maybe he can settle this whole thing without you and Haleigh having to go to court.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I walked over and gave him a hug. “I’m really sorry about all this.”
“I know you are.” He hugged me back. “But don’t worry. We’ll get this thing sorted.”
I left my parents’ house feeling no better than when I arrived—if not worse.
I wanted nothing more than to go home and crawl into bed, but sadly, I had to get to work. I was already late and didn’t want Tara, my new project manager, to think I wasn’t living up to her expectations.
I worked at Just Grace, one of Nashville’s up-and-coming event-planning companies. We’d just landed the Sutherland wedding, and Tara intended to make it the wedding of the year. That meant we all had to be at the top of our game. I took a great deal of pride in my work and always did everything I could to be an asset to my team. I didn’t want anything to change that, especially now.
As soon as I arrived, I went straight to my desk and got busy gathering all the various checklists we’d need for this event—everything from color and fabric choices to music and seating arrangements. I color-coded each section and then placed them in a binder labeled Sutherland.
Over the next few days, I spent every moment getting that binder together, ensuring I had everything perfect before submitting it to Tara. Once she’d given her approval, I started calling the most prestigious florists, caterers, and entertainment companies in town, making appointments with each. It was enough to keep me distracted during the day.
But nighttime was an entirely different story.
If all the dreadful ‘what ifs’ happened to creep in, I was done for the night. They would bombard my every thought, and I would be up for hours and would become desperate to make them go away. I’d close my eyes and try to think of all the crazy, amazing things I’d done over the past year, from parasailing to swimming with dolphins, but it did little to help take my mind off the sinking knot in the pit of my stomach.
But over the past few nights, it had been Lynch that had slipped into my thoughts. The second I’d start thinking about how unbelievably hot he looked in his white fitted t-shirt and black leather vest, that knot in my stomach would slowly fade. Then my mind would drift to his tattoos, his oh-so-sexy five o’clock shadow, and his broad, demanding shoulders, and it never took long for a smile to slip across my face.
I couldn’t deny it.
The man had made quite an impression on me—so much so that I’d added him to my bucket list. I hadn’t had a great deal of experience with men, especially with anyone like him, and the mere thought of seeing him again sent an excited shiver down my spine.
I knew it was a bad idea.
I’d already gotten myself into enough trouble, and I wasn’t looking for more. I simply wanted to see Lynch one more time and thank him for helping Haleigh and me. So, after work, I fixed my hair and changed into my favorite pair of jeans, then I grabbed my keys and started for the door.