Chapter Five

Owen

“There you go, ladies.” I slide a tray of tequila shots onto the table and make eye contact with a woman who I think introduced herself as Rose. Or was it Rachel? Hell if I know. The only name that matters is mine in this case, because she’ll be screaming it later tonight. “What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, nothing really. We just wanted to come out and let loose a little,” Rose or maybe Rachel giggles.

“You came to the right place.” I flash her a grin. It’s one of my go-to moves and one that hasn’t failed yet. She smiles back, eyes glimmering, and drops her gaze to my crotch. A blush comes to her cheeks, realizing that I just caught her staring.

And then she does it again.

“You let me know if you need anything else, all right?”

Rose? Rachel? Ros-chel? Whoever it is, reaches out and touches my arm, letting her fingers trail down my skin. “Oh, I definitely will.” Her friends erupt in giggles and catcalls. I flip my hand over, sweeping my fingers over hers as I walk away, going back behind the bar.

“Please tell me you didn’t just give away all those shots.” Logan fills two beers and sets them on the bar. “Because if you did—”

“It’s coming out of my paycheck,” I say in a voice that’s meant to mock Logan. In reality, it’s hard as fuck to mock someone who sounds exactly like you.

“They’ll pay,” I tell him dryly. “And then I’m taking that redhead home. Maybe the blonde too.”

“I don’t know how your dick hasn’t fallen off from disease yet.”

“Don’t be jealous,” I shoot back. “You’re the one who decided to settle down with one pussy for the rest of your life.”

“It’s good pussy. And the fact that I’m, you know, in love with Danielle, doesn’t hurt.”

I laugh and go around the bar, grabbing an empty glass on my way. I’m happy for Logan, really, I am. It was painful watching him try to cross the friendzone line, and I didn’t want him to become a miserable old bastard in the years to come, beating himself up every night over what could have been.

Which isn’t something I do. Not at all.

The bar gets busier as the night goes on. During the day and into the evening, we serve more food than drinks, and things shift dramatically around ten PM. I’m back at the table with Rose—I heard one of her friends call her by name—when Dean and Archer come in.

“Hey,” Dean shouts over the noise. “Come over here when you get a chance.”

“Awww, what a cute couple,” Rose says, watching Dean and Archer find stools next to each other at the bar.

I let out a snort of laughter. “The cutest.” With the promise of free shots, I leave the table and go around the bar.

“What’s up?” I ask my older brother. “Hiding out from marital responsibilities again?”

“Hardly.”

I give the girls at the table a wink and grab two glasses from under the bar.

“I see you’re hard at work,” Archer laughs. “Though I think they’re looking at us.”

“They are. But it’s because they think you’re some cute hipster couple.”

Archer’s brows furrow. “That’s the second time this week.”

I let out a snort of laughter. “I do wonder sometimes.”

“Do I need to remind you I knocked up your sister? Twice.”

“Fuck you. Who else thought you were a couple, though?”

Archer looks at Dean, who looks across the bar to Logan. Dean shifts his weight and meets my eye. “Charlie.”

Charlie.

My Charlie? No…she’s not mine anymore. I fucked things up with her and I have to live with that. What we had was perfect, and I know I’ll never find anyone who compares. It’s been years, and I’m still kicking myself over losing her, in pushing her away.

She wanted more.

I should have given it to her.

And now I’ll never get another chance to show her I’ll give her the whole fucking world.

She got a job in another city straight out of law school and then started working at some swanky firm in New York City. But the real kicker? She’s getting exactly what she wanted with someone else.

A ring. A wedding. A marriage, and a happy home, and eventually a family. Fuck, I’d give anything to go back, to be the one to put that ring on her finger. I was terrified of settling down then. I was young and didn’t know how to be an adult, let alone a husband.

I was going to let her down, I was sure of it.

A million thoughts race through my head, and I want to spit out some sort of witty comeback. But I got nothing.

“What?”

“We saw Charlie,” Dean says gently.

I nod, turning to grab a bottle of whiskey. “Cool.”

“Cool?” Dean gives me a look. “That’s all you have to say?”

I shrug and pour some whiskey into the glasses I set out for Archer and Dean. And then I drink them both down. “Yeah. I mean…her family is still here. I’m sure she comes to visit.”

“She didn’t look like she was just visiting,” Archer starts. “And we had Quinn do a quick internet search.”

“All her social media is set to private,” I blurt. Dammit. “I mean, I assume so at least.”

Archer just rolls his eyes. “That’s not an issue for Quinn, you know. It’s creepy, really, how easily she can get around that sort of stuff.” He shakes his head. “But it looks like Charlie recently deleted all the photos with her and her fiancé. It looks like she’s single.”

“And we wanted to tell you in person,” Dean finishes. Those two really could pass for a couple. “Because I think she’s going to be in town for a while.”

“That’s fine,” I tell them, swallowing my pounding heart. I was fairly certain Charlie hadn’t stepped foot back in Eastwood in years. I pour more whiskey into each glass and pass them to Archer and Dean this time. “I don’t own the fucking town. She can be here if she wants.”

“And you’re okay with her being back?” Archer asks. He’s not my brother by blood but has felt like part of the family even before he married Quinn. He was there when shit when down with Charlie and, dammit, I think he knows what I’m not willing to admit to myself.

That I’m still in love with her.