“Of course! Surely, we’ve been friends long enough for you to trust me.”

“I trust you with my secrets. But this isn’t my secret, and I haven’t told a living soul.”

Eve had no idea what to make of this. The two of them had been through a lot of ups and downs ever since Cheyenne’s mother had dragged her and Presley to town in that beat-up old car they’d been living in twenty years ago. Not only that, but Eve and Chey worked together five days a week. How could there be a secret Cheyenne hadn’t shared—with her or Dylan? “Whose secret is it? Presley’s?”

“Yes.”

“And it involves...”

“Wyatt.”

“Why would you have any reason to keep a secret about Presley’s son from—” Suddenly, Eve realized what had been right in front of her all along. “Oh, shit! Aaron’s Wyatt’s father!”

She’d asked if that was a possibility before. Most of the town knew that Presley had been sleeping with Aaron around the time—or not long before—Presley got pregnant. But they’d never been an item. And Presley had insisted that a man she met in Phoenix after she left Whiskey Creek was the father of her child.

“Wait. Aaron knows Wyatt exists—” she started but Cheyenne interrupted.

“He knows Presley has a child. But he thinks the father is from Arizona, like everyone else. They always used birth control.”

“It just didn’t work.”

“Apparently.”

“Isn’t she ever going to tell him?”

“I’ve asked her that repeatedly. She says she probably will—one day. But she keeps putting it off. She’s terrified Aaron will ruin her happiness and maybe Wyatt’s, too. But it’s getting harder and harder for me to be ‘family’ to both sides. I feel disloyal to my husband because this is his brother we’re talking about. I feel disloyal to Aaron, too—as his sister-in-law. And yet...I understand exactly where Presley is coming from. Aaron’s never been stable. He wasn’t ready for a child when she got pregnant. He wouldn’t have been interested, anyway—so she did him a favor by letting him off the hook.”

“I sure hope he looks at it that way when he finds out,” Eve breathed. “Dylan, too.”

“I’m afraid they won’t see it that way at all. And I can’t blame them. Part of me believes Aaron has the right to know, especially now that he’s changing, growing up. He still has his moments. He may deal with anger and resentment his whole life. But I’m seeing some maturity there. And I love him. It’s almost impossible not to love him.”

“You love your sister, too.”

“Exactly. I tell myself she’s never had anything. That she deserves Wyatt. You know how we grew up, what happened with our mother.”

“But Aaron’s led a hard life, too.”

“And what if Wyatt could make a positive impact on him—get him to change his priorities and settle down?”

“You think he might try to get custody or cause problems for her?”

“Maybe. It’s common knowledge that he’s something of a loose cannon. If I told him, and he did wind up making her life hell—or demanded even partial custody—she’d never forgive me. I’m so torn, I don’t know what to do!”

“God, you’ve been carrying this secret for what—two years?”

“Wyatt’s fourteen months old so...yeah, two years, including the pregnancy. I’m telling you, it’s harder every day. As Wyatt gets older, he’s looking more and more like his father. I’m scared that Dylan will eventually see the resemblance, and that no matter what I say, I won’t be able to refute what’s staring him in the face. It’s not as if he hasn’t asked me if I thought there was any chance Wyatt could be Aaron’s.”

Eve tightened her grip on the phone. “When he asked, you told him no?”

“I had to! He’d tell his brother. I have no doubt of that. Maybe they don’t always get along, but he raised Aaron.”

“You’re caught in the middle, all right.”

“And the pressure is mounting. This was just Thanksgiving. What will Christmas be like? Again, Dylan and I will have to work out a way to see Presley separate from Aaron, which’ll leave one or the other alone.”

“Surely Presley understands. She can’t expect you to always accommodate her.”

“She does understand. She tells me all the time that she’ll be the one to bow out. But she needs my support so badly. She’s hardly making ends meet working at that thrift shop while she’s going to massage school. And now she’s hooked up with a guy who’s worse than Aaron ever was. I live in fear that she’ll slip back into her old habits.”

“Gee. Now I feel better about my own problems.”

“What problems?” Cheyenne asked. “We’re going into the Christmas season, which we both love. And you’re dating one of the most eligible bachelors in Whiskey Creek.”

“Was dating,” she clarified.

The phone went silent. Then Chey said, “You just told me you went to his mother’s for Thanksgiving.”

“That’s true. But afterward, we had a talk and decided that...that it’s not working,” she said, coming out with it.

“What part of it isn’t working? What went wrong?”

“You can’t guess?”

Cheyenne sighed. “I doubt you really want me to. It’ll sound too much like ‘I told you so.’”

“I think he’s still in love with Sophia.”

“I’m sorry, Eve. I really am. Maybe I wasn’t all that excited when I first heard about you and Ted, but I wanted it to work out. I mean, what could be better than having two of my best friends get married and start a life together?”

“Ted and I should’ve listened to you and everyone else. If it was meant to be, it would’ve happened long before now.”

“Not necessarily. I could see why you gave it a chance.”

Now Chey was downplaying her initial concern so Sophia wouldn’t feel like an idiot. That was nice, but a bit too obvious to be effective. “So...you said Aaron’s showing signs of maturing. Maybe you could set me up with him.”

“There’s no way I want you dating my brother-in-law—my nephew’s father!” Cheyenne cried. “That situation is complicated enough.”

“It was a joke!” she said, and this time it was true. “I just don’t seem to be having any luck picking ‘good guys.’ Maybe I should try the odd ‘bad boy’ for a change.”

“You’ll find the right person to love.”

“Maybe I should settle for Martin Ferris.”

“Martin Ferris! Where did that come from?”

“You know him, don’t you?”

“Of course I know him. He’s our bread vendor—and he hits on you whenever he makes a delivery.”

“That’s my point. He likes me—not you or Sophia or anyone else.”

“He also has the IQ of a rock.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers. With luck, my genes will prevail if we have a child.”

Cheyenne laughed. “I’m glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

“Deep down I think I knew that Ted wasn’t over Sophia. I was just...hoping we were all wrong.”

“Ted’s a great person. It was worth a try. But tell me that you’re not mad at him.”

“I want to be mad at him. We could’ve had a good thing.”

“And Sophia will probably break his heart. I doubt she’s in any position to get into another relationship—not after what she’s been through.”

“I’ve considered that. But...he deserves the chance to go after what he’s always wanted.”

“Wow, you’re taking this well. I’m proud of you. Does that mean you’re coming to coffee tomorrow?”

“No. I’m not taking it that well!” she said. “I’m not ready to see him again so soon. And I definitely don’t want to tell the others.”

“Fine, we’ll let them have coffee without us.”

“If he shows up he’ll need to tell them. There’s no avoiding that.”

“No, but at least we won’t be there to hear everyone’s reaction.”

We. That was the earmark of a true friend. Although it was her stupid mistake, one Chey had warned her against, Chey was in her corner.

“That’s tempting.” She cringed as she remembered some of her more intimate moments with Ted, moments when she thought their relationship might last. She’d slept with him last night, for crying out loud—and now he was suddenly nothing more than her friend?

Yes, she should skip coffee tomorrow. The switch was too sudden. She needed some time. “I was really starting to fall for him, Chey.”

“I was getting that feeling—and I was so hopeful for you. It’s not like Ted to be wishy-washy. What did he say?”

“He didn’t break it off. I realized he wasn’t necessarily interested in me, he was just running from her. So I threw him back into her arms.”

“It’s better to face the truth, but...I’m sorry you had to do it.”

“I’ll survive. I survived Joe picking you two years ago, didn’t I?” she teased.

“You took that well, too.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m getting good at being rejected.”

“It only takes one Prince Charming and, like I said, you’ll find him. Meanwhile, I’ll come over first thing in the morning and we’ll start decorating.”

“No, I don’t want everyone to think I’m dividing the group. You and Dylan should go to Black Gold, like always.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.” It was a long shot, but maybe Ted would miss her. Maybe if he got together with Sophia, he’d realize he wasn’t missing anything after all.

Thinking that way was sort of mean. But Eve hadn’t been lying when she told Cheyenne that she’d fallen for him.

27

Ted decided he wasn’t going to pursue Sophia right away. He’d been with Eve too recently, felt he owed her some discretion as a gesture of respect if nothing else. So he’d take it slow, and he wouldn’t get physical until he was absolutely certain that they had a chance of being successful this time around. Sophia had a child, a child who’d recently been through hell. Alexa was flailing around, searching for some stability; he didn’t want her to latch on to him, thinking he might become her new daddy, if Sophia couldn’t convince him that she was capable of the kind of love he wanted—and could remain sober.

So he stayed in his own bed. He didn’t even go back downstairs where he’d left Sophia sleeping on the couch. But it wasn’t as if he could drift off like she had. He’d fantasized about her for so many years, his body felt as though it had waited too long already. It didn’t help that Alexa was at her grandparents’, which meant he and Sophia were alone in the house.

He thought about last night’s conversation with Eve. Would they have made it if not for Sophia?

No. He’d honestly tried to sway his heart; it just hadn’t worked. He felt too much relief that it was over to believe they were as compatible as he’d first hoped.

His mother would be disappointed. She’d fawned over Eve for hours at dinner yesterday, no doubt planning the day when Eve would become her daughter-in-law. But all he’d been able to think about was the woman who’d made him the pumpkin dessert he’d scarfed down in the car.

* * *

Sophia woke up with a hangover—and she knew she deserved every ache and pain. What she’d done last night had been such a huge mistake. Giving into her addiction undermined her confidence and sense of well-being when she could least afford it.

“Stupid...” she muttered as she threw off the blanket and looked around Ted’s living room. Fortunately, he wasn’t there. Although he’d taken care of her last night—she could see that he’d put new bandages on her fingers to protect her cuticles and set out two pain tablets and a glass of water—he’d left her to recover on her own. Thank God. Maybe she could slink off and try to forget that last night ever happened.

Sometimes people needed a second chance.

Sometimes they needed more than that.

How many chances had she burned through?

Too many. But this was her first screw-up since Skip had disappeared from her life. Without him, she was actually happier and more in control, despite her other problems. So why would she succumb and wreck her perfect ninety-four-day record? For this?

She pressed her fingers to her throbbing head and told herself she had to remember what drinking was like once the euphoria had worn off.

A creak from above brought her head up despite the pounding inside it. Was Ted getting out of bed? He usually went to coffee on Fridays. She guessed he was walking to the shower.

Staggering to her feet, she used the walls to steady herself as she made her way to the deck, down the stairs and across the yard to the guesthouse.