She took a deep breath, pushed those thoughts out of her mind and tried to concentrate on the conversation at hand. Angie was sitting opposite her at the diner and going through her list of last minute prep for the wedding. So Kayla focused on her best friend’s life rather than her own. It seemed way less complicated at the moment.
“So,” Angelica said between sips of her coffee, “I finally managed to get my brother Sage to promise to come down off his mountain to attend the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night.”
Kayla nodded absently as Angie made notes on her computer tablet. The woman was so organized she could give generals lessons in strategic planning during wartime. Kayla tried to keep her mind on the wedding and being a supportive friend, but Matt insisted on sneaking into her thoughts no matter how hard she tried to keep him out.
She felt as if she was on a tightwire, desperately trying to keep her balance in a high wind.
“Dylan helped of course,” Angie was saying. “Sage is so stubborn it usually takes the two of us to make a dent.”
But both of Angelica’s brothers were crazy about her, so it wasn’t surprising that even Sage the Hermit was willing to please her. Sage had plenty of issues with their father, J.D., so much so that he had split off from the Lassiter Group and built a billion-dollar fortune his own way. Kayla couldn’t help thinking that the rehearsal dinner might be filled with more drama than Angie was expecting.
“And, Dad’s feeling well enough to come, too,” Angie said, smiling. “I’m so glad. Of course, his nurse Colleen will be there just to keep an eye on things and as a guest. She’s really become a member of the family in the last few months.”
“I’m glad your dad’s feeling well enough to come.”
“Me, too,” Angie said, “but he’s still seeming so...fragile to me lately.”
Her father’s health had affected all of the Lassiters in one way or another. J.D. was a legend in Cheyenne, and seeing someone so much larger than life suddenly becoming almost frail was hard. For everyone.
“On another note entirely,” Angie continued, “I noticed you and Matt haven’t been fighting lately. No arguing, no snide comments...”
“We’ve come to an...understanding,” she said without giving away too much information.
“Which is?”
“I’m not sure.” Frowning, Kayla thought back over the past couple of weeks. They’d spent so much time together, yet Matt hadn’t once tried to seduce her. Hadn’t even kissed her. What was he up to? After that frenzied night they’d shared, he’d completely backed off. But he hadn’t gone away, either. True to his word, he was inserting himself into her life, making it impossible to ignore him.
“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.