I never thought I would see Tate so mad. But for some reason he was. Courtney was trying desperately to calm him down but nothing was working. He was tossing things and braking things and it confused me as to what he was just so upset about. But all of that stopped when his eyes landed on me. I froze.
What had I done?
He slowly walked closer to me his eyes boring into me. In my head I was thinking holy shit, holy shit, I'm going to die.
"What makes you think that it is okay to run off to Kelby Fords house whenever you want to." He said through gritted teeth.
That's what he is mad about.
"Me and Kelby are friends." I shrugged shifting my weight to the other side.
"Your friends?" He said it sarcastically, before dryly laughing. Finally turning away from me.
"There friends." He said to Courtney.
She just shook her head.
"Tate, it is fine. That all happened years ago it's in the past leave it there. Please." She pleaded.
"I can't Court! You know what he did." He cried.
"I do, but I forgave him, just like everyone else in this town did. Except for you."
I was more than confused now.
Tate and Courtney had a glaring showdown before Tate sighed running a hand through his hair and giving me one last look before storming out of the house.
I jumped when the door was slammed shut and it rattled everything in the house.
"What is so wrong with Kelby?" I asked setting my bag down in a chair.
Courtney shook her head, heading into the kitchen I followed her.
"He has a past." She said grabbing a cup of ice water.
"Doesn't everyone."
She glanced up at me, then took a big swig of her water.
"You'll have to ask Kelby to tell you. It's not my story to tell." She said simply.
"Well of Tate hates Kelby why did he ask him to be one of his best mans?" I asked leaning against the counter.
"He didn't want to but Cody convinced him too." She said placing her glass in the sink and shrugging. "Tate didn't even ask him, Cody did."
"How did I miss this?" I asked.
She turned back around to face me.
"From the moment you got here you have been trying to avoid Cody."
"Well I finally faced him so." I said simply pushing myself off of the counter.
"Why do you go to Kelly's house anyway?" She asked.
I shrugged, pulling out my laptop and turning it on.
"He is an escape from the drama here, I guess."
"Or is he like a rebound."
I was quiet for a moment. Quiet for a minute too long giving both of us the answer.
"So I've ordered everything on this list." I started changing the subject. Courtney side coming around and taking a seat on the stools.
"Did you and Tate ever decide between which pillars you wanted?"
"Tate could care less about which pillars." Courtney laughed.
I smiled a little knowing that was Tate.
"Okay so then should we just go for the straight rectangles ones, then we can wrap some lights and peach or blue around them also."
She nodded looking at the screen, before looking back at me.
"Then we will put the alter right under the gazebo, with the pillars at each corner of it. Oh my mom has a really good idea for behind the alter." Courtney said and just as she said that the doorbell rang.
"Speaking of my mother that is probably her." She said leaving and going to the door.
I was so not looking forward to planning a wedding with Courtney's mother, and two aunts but it's Courtney's wedding not mine and I guess I'll just have to bear through it.
"Hello Emma." Jennie smiled warmly at me.
I didn't have anything against Courtney's mom but I know that she is going to come in and try to change everything Courtney and I have worked hard on planning.
Following Jennie was Courtney's aunts, Marci and Luc.
"Alright where are we at?" Marci said taking a seat at the table.
"We were just planning how the alter should look." Courtney said as she started to explain it to them and I showed them pictures of the items.
"I don't like the straight pillars." Jennie said.
I wanted to bang my head against the counter.
Courtney frowned.
"Why not?"
"There classy." Luc added.
"There to plain." She said resting her chin in her hand.
"So do you like this one?" I asked sliding to the next picture of a pillar that had a little more to it. It had flowers carved into the top and bottom. The top and bottom was square and then in the middle it was a cylinder, with lines.
"I love that one." Jennie replied.
"Really?" Marci asked tilting her head. "It might be too much, after you add flowers and some ribbon."
Thank you, Marci! Someone was thinking the same as me.
"It's okay, can you order four of those?" Courtney asked me.
I nodded adding four to my cart.
"Now that we have that figure out." Courtney started letting out a sigh. "Before you guys came, Emma and I were talking about what my mom wanted to put behind the alter."
"Oh yes!" Jennie shouted pulling out her phone as she fiddled with it encore turning it around to show a picture of a wood crafted piece that had two names carved into it in cursive.
"I love it." Courtney said looking to me.
"How cute, it will say Courtney and Tate King." Luc smiled.
I nodded. "That will look great."
"Alright." Courtney clapped. "On to the next thing."
"How are you decorating the isle?" Marci asked.
"And the cake I haven't seen what you two chose yet?" Jennie said as she scrolled through her phone.
"Have you ordered any food? Have you even decided on food yet?" Luc spoke up.
"And girls night, you know before the wedding, what are we doing?" Marci spoke up again.
This time I did let my head fall onto the counter. This was going to be a long day.
________
"So how wedding planning going?" April asked from the other end.
"It is horrible. There is so much that has to be done and the wedding is in less then two weeks. We don't even have the food menu planned out." I huffed in frustration.
"A little part of me is glad I didn't go through all of that, it seems stressful." She replied.
"It is. Tate owes me, because while me and Courtney plan it he goes and messes around with Cody."
April laughed. "Sounds like Tate."
I sighed. "So how's your schooling going?"
"Eh, I was suppose to go to a party tonight but I decided against it."
"Why? You studying or something?"
"Sure." She replied.
"April."
"Fine I'm sitting on my couch watching Seven Wife's for Seven Brothers, and eating a gallon of vanilla bean ice cream."
"Why?"
She was silent.
"I think we both know why."
I sighed. "Can I join?"
"Channel 247."
I walked to Tate's kitchen. No one was home again because Tate and Courtney went out on a double date with Cody and Mollie. Grabbing the probably freezer burned ice cream and packing it back into my room. Turning to channel 247 and face timing April this time.
"Vanilla?" She asked looking at my ice cream knowing I hated vanilla.
I shrugged. "It'll have to do."
I rested against the pillows and turned off the lights as Aprils, as we both watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It was at the part where they go and steal all the girls from there houses. I opened the ice cream and started eating it. It was freezer burned a little but not bad. I think I've been through worse.
We where both quiet as we watched and then April broke the quietness.
"So you know Colten."
I looked over at her and nodded.
"Well when we took those pictures we got along quite well and we talked non stop the whole day. And he may have slipped his number into my phone and we have been talking 24/7."
My eyes widen.
"Really!?"
She nodded looking back at her tv.
"April! How come I'm just now hearing this!"
She shrugged eating a spoonful of ice cream.
"I didn't think it was a big deal."
"Well do you like him!"
"I don't know. I mean his cute and I love his hair." She gushed.
I chuckled shaking my head at her.
"But he lives in Utah and I live here in New York how would that ever work out? I mean I still have two years of collage before I get my degree."
"Why can't you transfer to a school here?"
"I'm not going to move all the way back here for a guy. That was the reason I moved away in the first place."
"Fair enough." I agreed.
"His funny tho, and super cute. My dad would love him." She started to ramble on.
"He doesn't own a big ranch or anything, you know that right?"
"I know he works on his grandpas ranch."
I nodded taking another spoonful of my ice cream. We settled back into the silence watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Both of our minds wandering off to places we never wanted them to but they always seemed to go when we got on the subject of boys.
Because once you love somebody a part of you will always love them, no matter what they did to you.
___________
"Oh, that's good." I said as licked my finger.
Halsey slapped my hand away from the bowl.
"Only I can stick my fingers into the batter."
I rolled my eyes as she grabbed the bowl and stuck her fingers in, getting a lot of chocolate batter on them before licking them in front of my face as she walked out of the kitchen.
"Sometimes I believe she is a 17 year old teenager in a older ladies body." Jane laughed as she ate a cookie.
Halsey was in a big cooking mood. She had made chocolate chip cookies and now moved on to a big chocolate cake.
I laughed.
"I'd believe it."
I took a cookie for myself. They were so good.
"Hey so Sage came back down for the weekend and she wanted to hang out. I told her you were here and she wants to know if you wanna join."
"Yeah sure I'll go, I think I deserve a break from wedding planning."
"Well after today shouldn't you have the menu put together?"
"Ya, that's were Courtney and Tate went off to today they are sampling foods." I chuckled.
"I wish I went." Jane posted as she took a bite of another cookie.
"Oh hey guess what April told me last night." I said coming around to sit by her at the bar.
I didn't get to tell Jane the sorry because Rowdy came bawling his head off with a scared Dusty behind him and a pile of blood below them. Jane and I jumped to our feet and while Jane was getting a wet rag a bent down to Rowdy's level.
"Hey, hey. What happened?" I asked him as I grabbed his hand that was bleeding.
Halsey came in and gasped behind me.
"I'll get the first aid kit!" She shouted.
Jane came with the rag and I placed it over Rowdy's cut. He had a pretty large sized cut going all across the palm of his hand.
"Dusty, honey what happened?" Jane asked him as he stood behind Rowdy mortified.
"We were just playing-" Dusty sniffles. "On the tractor." He sniffles again wiping his arm across his face. "Rowdy fell."
"It hurts!" Rowdy cried.
"I know, I know. Hold on okay." I told him as I held the wet rag on his hand and rubbed his back. The front door opened and I looked up to see Cody and Mollie.
Cody's eyes grew wide and he fell down to Rowdy's level beside me soothing him. He actually got Rowdy's sobs to calm down. Right as Halsey came back with a big red case.
"Alright watch out." She said rummaging through it.
I carefully wiped away the blood from his hand so we could get a good look at the cut.
"Hmm, I don't think you'll need stitches." She told him. "What did you cut it on?"
"I don't know I fell off the tractor and cut my hand." He said sniffling.
Halsey nodded.
"Alright sweetie this is going to sting okay, but I have to do it."
Rowdy nodded and instead of turning to Cody like I figure he would he turned to me. I wrapped my arms around him as he hide his face against my chest, sticking his hurt arm out for Halsey to work on.
"Here hold my hand." I told him hosting my hand out to him. He took it gripping it tightly.
Rowdy started to cry again as Halsey cleaned the wound. She then put gauze on it and then wrapped it with good ol' vet wrap.
"Hey, buddy it's okay she's done now." Cody said rubbing his back.
Rowdy looked up slowly and I loaded my grip around him. He looked down at his hand and a small smile formed on his lips. Raising it up to show me.
"I have a huge hand now." He giggled.
I smiled wiping away his stray tears.
"Yes you do." I laughed.
Halsey gathered everything she used up packed it away. Rowdy then wanted to help her put it away because he got so interested by the tools in it. Dusty following him like a puppy dog.
I got up and turned around to Jane and the other two in the room. Well this wasn't awkward at all.
"Well I guess we should probably go huh Jane." I said looking to her.
She nodded and as we were just about to leave Halsey called for us. Jane swore under her breath.
"Can you check my cake!" She shouted.
"Yes." Jane shouted back.
"Don't worry I got it." Cody said bitterly.
"Well then someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. What did Mollie not what to do it last night." Jane said.
Cody glared at her and tighten his grip on Mollie.
"Shut up Jane. No one wants to hear your stupid remarks. Especially about my girlfriend." He hissed.
I was a little taken back. I hadn't seen Cody stand up for Mollie come when I said something about her. But when Jane did he chewed her out.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and we left the house.
"I can't believe how much of a douche he is after he and Mollie became a thing. I hate it." Jane cried in frustration.
"Tell me about it." I mumbled as we climbed into Jane's car.
"Like honestly his good when she's not with him but when he is he is a completely different person and I don't like it. Probably why my mom doesn't either. She's changing him."
"So do you really think that she is using him?" I asked.
"Uh duh!" Jane cried. "We try telling him that but he doesn't listen. My dad isn't much help either he encourages it."
"I don't like your dad."
"I don't blame you. I didn't talk to him for 3 weeks after he finally admitted to him being the one behind you leaving and all."
I just nodded and we let the silence settle around us.
"You know when Josh and Cody went to pick out April a ring Cody picked you out a promise ring." Jane said quietly glancing over at me to see my reaction.
But I already knew that.
"I know." I said letting out a deep breath. "I saw it."
"Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I didn't leave him." I continued. "But I just had to. And I left him a note and everything I thought that was enough but I guess not."
"You left him a note?" Jane asked surprised.
"Ya, when we got back to the house we fell asleep together but then I went out in the middle of the night, called my mom, took one last look around the farm. That's where I found the ring I went and cried in his truck and I found it on accident. That's what made me decide to write him a letter it was on a napkin. That's when I finally told him that I loved him."
"I never even heard about it. He must have kept it from us, but then again he never really opened up to anyone but Josh about how he felt. And we had May's funeral to deal with so he must have forgot."
"Well he acts like he didn't even care that I told him I loved him. When that was somethings he wanted me to say for so long."
"Maybe his mad you never said it out loud to him."
I shrugged.
"Could have been."
We pulled up to Sage's old house, where her parents still lived. I actually haven't even ever been here. But it was a cute little yellow house. With a white picket fence and old wooden swing under the porch.
I followed Jane up to the door. She didn't even knock just walked through. I chuckled following her towards the laughter coming from what I was guessing was the kitchen. Sure enough I spotted Sage and Besty in the kitchen who both looked up and smiled at us. I couldn't smile back though. I was frowning at the other girl that stood beside them.
Mollie Carter.
Jane looked back at me worried. Mouthing 'I didn't know'
"Emma! Jane! It has been so long!" Sage cried as she wrapped us both in a hug.
"Hey Sage, how's Dixie?" Jane asked taking a seat at one of the table chairs I took one beside her.
"Oh it is just wonderful." She exclaimed as she placed a glass of lemonade in front of each of us.
"Any cute boys?" Besty asked from the counter she was leaning on.
"Tons." Sage laughed.
We all laughed at that or at least everyone but me.
"Well what about you Emma, you and April moved to the Big apple how's running your own company?" Sage asked as she took a seat across from me, Mollie sitting beside her.
I let out a sigh sitting up straighter.
"It's a lot of work." I admitted.
"Oh but I'm sure you change handle it." Betsy waved me off.
"It is way different from here." I laughed. "But me and April love it."
"Oh I miss her so much she is coming down for the wedding isn't she?" Sage asked taking a sip of her own lemonade.
I nodded.
"She is one of Courtney's bridesmaids.
"Oh how fun! I'll be able to see her then." Sage smiled.
She was just glowing with happiness.
"Tate and Courtney are such a cute couple." Betsy gushed.
"They really are." Jane added. "But your already married Bets."
Betsy smiled.
"Ya I know and John is so wonderful I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. What about you and Cody, Mollie?" She asked looking over at Mollie who has been quiet the whole time.
"Oh ya tell us about Mr. Clarke." Sage said squeezing Mollies shoulder.
"He is amazing." Mollie started as she looked up at me. "His so kind and sweet, treats me very well. His kisses are to die for and I just love it when we are in that big ol' house all to ourselves it's like we are married sometimes it feels that way. He always calls me beautiful and gorgeous."
My hands clenched into a fist. I know she was trying to rub it in my face. But I was over him. Right?
"You guys make a cute couple too." I lied but sage and Betsy seemed to believe it.
"Oh defiantly." Sage said nodding.
"When do you think he will pop the big question?" Betsy asked. "I mean you guys have been going out for what two months. That's how long me and John went out for before we got married."
"I don't know, I hope soon." Mollie said looking at Betsy before turning back at me. "We have talked about getting married so I suspect soon."
"Well that will be very exciting, it's about time he moves on." I said smiling at her.
"But have you?" She asked.
I was struck back by her statement.
"Excuse me!" I said standing up.
"I asked if you were over him because to me it sure as hell looks like not!" She cried.
"I'm over Cody Clarke I have been over him for years!" I shouted. This girl was getting me all fired up and when I got mad I tent to say thing I never mean which is probably why I said what I said next.
"Why do you think I left him Mollie! I am over him. I needed to get back to real life and go run a business. I didn't need some guy chasing after me. My mom gave me three months to go have fun and that's what I did. That's all I did. I never loved him anyway!"
Right as the words left my mouth I regretted it. I wanted to shove them back down my throat because my whole body stopped when I saw who walked through the kitchen doorway.
And I could just tell that it hurt him. I didn't know him for as long as Mollie or any of the other girls in this room did but I knew him better than himself. And the words I just said broke him.
"That's how you felt the whole time?" He asked making all eyes turn to him. "You weren't afraid to say that you loved me, you didn't say it because you never did."
"Cody-"
He held a hand up.
"I think I've heard enough, Emma." He spat my name out.
"Come on Mollie." He said wrapping his arm around her waist.
I watched as they left, Sage following after them probably to apologize.
What did I just do?!
Jane stared at me shocked.
I wanted to cry. I wanted so badly to cry. But I've cried to much for that boy there was no more tears to cry.