When We Met (Fool's Gold #13)(87)

Kenny stepped into the house and closed the door behind him. “No. He left you? Want me to kill him?”

Kenny was taller and had more muscle, but Angel knew things. “You’ve seen the scar on his neck,” she said.

Kenny nodded.

“You don’t want to be the other guy.”

Kenny put down the DVDs, then rested his hands on her shoulders. “What do you need? Are you pregnant?”

She swore and drew back. “Don’t you dare propose.” That had already happened once in her life and she wasn’t going to repeat it. “I’m not pregnant.”

“Want some revenge sex?”

She held in a sigh. While it was a nice suggestion, he didn’t mean it. They were family. It would be like sleeping with his sister. “You’re sweet to offer.”

“We could do it. You’re hot.”

She raised her eyebrows.

He took a step back. “Okay, yeah. Not gonna happen.” His face brightened. “You could sleep with Jack. You two had sex before, right?”

“I don’t need help getting laid, but thank you.”

There was another knock on the door. She opened it to find Sam and Jack. Sam held bags of takeout and Jack had a couple of six-packs and a bottle of tequila.

Five minutes later they were all in her living room. Jack had put in the first DVD. It was all highlights from his career. Next would be Sam’s DVD and then Kenny’s.

The DVD began and an announcer’s voice filled the room.

“The Stallions are down by three with the clock ticking. McGarry’s playing with a bad shoulder, but everyone knows if the Stallions are going to make it out of the play-offs, it’s up to him. We’re watching the clock. There’s the snap. McGarry steps back and finds...”

“Rib?” Jack asked, passing her an open container.

She was about to refuse when she realized she was kind of hungry. She took one and a napkin.

Sam and Kenny had each taken one of the oversize club chairs, while Jack sat next to her on the sofa. She’d already had two shots of tequila, so it was just a matter of time until the ache inside faded just a little.

She’d specifically asked her female friends not to give her one of those “he’s such a bastard, you need to feel better” parties. Looked as though she was going to have one anyway. In a kind of twisted way. With her family. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be.

* * *

“THEY’RE SO PRETTY,” Olivia said as she opened the box from Plants for the Planet.

Angel stood behind her and glanced down. Yup, there they were. Wreaths done in tiny pink flowers. With matching ribbons. Nine of them. The girls would be—

“There’s nine,” he said. “Who gets the ninth one?”

Even as he asked the question, a voice in his head screeched the answer. He held up both hands. “No way.”

Char grinned at him. “You have to. You’re our Grove Keeper.”

“It’s not for him,” Chloe said. “It’s for Taryn.”

“Where is Taryn?” Sarah asked.

Angel knew fighting about the wreath would be easier. “Taryn’s, ah, not coming to the meeting.”

Kate frowned. “But this is our last one. We have to be in the parade.”

Layla shook her head. “She’s not coming. I heard my mom talking on the phone. I wasn’t supposed to be listening.” She bit her lower lip. “Taryn and Angel are getting a divorce.”

Eight pairs of eyes stared at him accusingly.

“We’re not getting a divorce,” Angel muttered. “We weren’t married.” That wasn’t making it better, he thought grimly. “I mean we were going out and now we’re not.”

Regan’s eyes filled with tears. “What happened?”

“Sometimes relationships don’t work out.” He felt small and crappy. Worse, he knew that Taryn would know what to say way better than him. “We’re still friends,” he added lamely, although that was a lie. They weren’t friends. They weren’t anything.

He waited for Chloe to yell at him, but she only turned away. He put his hand on her shoulder. “What is it?” he asked gently.

She looked at him. Her skin was pale and her freckles stood out. Gone was the happy, outgoing girl she’d become.

“We’re getting our family beads today,” Chloe reminded him. “After the parade. You can’t be part of a family if you don’t have Taryn.”

There were a lot of different ways to answer, he thought. Telling her that his relationship with Taryn was a grown-up thing and she wouldn’t understand. Explaining that he’d had a family once and lost it. That he hadn’t been able to keep them safe.

As he stared at Chloe, he saw the flash flood again. Her fear and how she’d reached for him. He’d saved her. He would have died to save her—to save any of them.

He hadn’t had the chance to try to save Marie and Marcus because he hadn’t been there. He couldn’t be there every second of every day. It was an impossible task. Even if he could make it happen, Marie wouldn’t have wanted that for either of them. She had wanted to live her life and have him live his. They had stayed together out of love, but she wasn’t looking for a bodyguard. She’d wanted a partner. He’d been that. He’d been a father and a husband.