“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kayla lifted her coffee cup for a sip, then cradled the mug between her palms, letting the heat slide into her skin. “It means having him back here is good. But it’s also confusing.”
Angie smiled. “From everything you’ve told me—and by the way let me say again that you should have told me all of this nine months ago—”
“I know,” Kayla agreed. Two weeks ago, she had finally confessed the whole truth about her and Matt’s relationship to her friend. After being furious at having been kept in the dark all those months, Angie had been supportive. “You’re right. Again.”
“Thank you,” Angie said. “I think Matt’s trying to let you get used to the idea of him being with you with none of the sexual tension.”
“That’s what you think,” she muttered.
Angie laughed. “Ooh, interesting. So there’s still tension. But the question is, are you enjoying having Matt around?”
“Absolutely.” The word had popped out before she could even think about holding it in.
Angie grinned. “That’s the good news. Now the bad news?”
“That’s easy. How can I trust him?” Kayla set her coffee cup down on the table. “He lives in L.A., Angie. And I live here. What will I do when he leaves again?”
“How can you trust him? People do occasionally learn and grow, Kayla,” her friend said quietly. “And it sounds to me like he discovered he really didn’t like his life without you in it and so he came back home.”
“For how long?”
“You want guarantees?” Angie asked, shaking her head. “There aren’t any. Even as wonderful as Evan is, as happy as we are together—there’s no guarantee for us, either.”
“And that doesn’t worry you?”
“If I focused on it, it probably would,” Angie admitted. “I choose to focus on the fact that I love him. And I know that he loves me.”
Which was something Kayla didn’t know about Matt. He had never said those three specific words. The words that would maybe make taking a chance just a little easier.
Six
It was a great party.
Matt looked around the room at the friends and family gathered for Evan and Angelica’s rehearsal dinner. Sage Lassiter was standing against the wall, nursing a single beer and looking as though he’d rather be anywhere else. Marlene Lassiter, Angie’s aunt, brought J.D. a tall bottle of water, and Matt was sure the older man wished it was a beer. And J.D.’s nurse Colleen looked fabulous in a red dress that gave the society women here tonight a run for their money.
Angie was cuddled in close to Evan and as the happy couple whispered together and shared a secretive smile, Matt frowned to himself. Where the hell is Kayla? As the maid of honor she had attended the rehearsal but when he’d tried to give her a lift to the dinner, she’d insisted on driving her own car. Had she gone home? Was she trying to avoid him?
Scowling, he took a sip of his scotch. If she didn’t show up in a few minutes, he’d go looking for her. The past two weeks had nearly killed him. To be so close to her and not touch her had been much harder than he’d thought it could be. But that was the plan. Be with her. Be a part of her life. Show her that he wanted her with him. That she could trust him.
But it was taking so damn long, he was ready to pitch the whole plan out the closest window, toss her over his shoulder and cart her off to bed. Once he had her there again, he would spend hours convincing her just how much he loved her. How important she was to him.
He knew it was his own damn fault that he was in this situation, but what man wouldn’t panic when he was unexpectedly slapped in the face by love? Nine months ago, he’d run as far and as fast as he could. Now, he had to find a way to prove to the only woman who mattered to him that he would never run from her, from what they could have together, again. He didn’t have everything worked out yet. He couldn’t promise he’d be staying in Cheyenne forever, but he knew he didn’t want to live his life without Kayla in it. All he had to do was figure out what the hell to do about all of this.