And now? With the woman he loved, he was avoiding and being completely dishonest. It was the most cowardly thing he’d ever done.
And he still didn’t know what the hell to do about it.
He needed to talk to someone, and he knew who. He had a road trip coming up, and it would end in Houston, with a day off in between.
He needed to go home and talk to his family.
AUBRY DID NOT WANT TO BE AT THIS DINNER TO CELEBRATE her aunt and uncle’s anniversary.
Love was a crock of shit, and who better to represent that than a philandering uncle and the woman who foolishly stood by him despite his constant affairs.
But her mother would have been offended had she not showed up, and since she was off work, she was here. For her mother, and for no other reason.
And okay, also for her Aunt Farrah, who looked beautiful tonight in a gold dress, her hair worn down in gorgeous red waves. She was the bangle bracelet queen, and she was definitely clanging those bracelets with fervor tonight. At least her uncle would be attentive tonight. He kind of had to, since the party was in their honor. Why Uncle Davis felt he could do better than her treasure of an aunt was beyond her ability to understand.
Then again, she didn’t understand anything about men these days, including the one she’d been dating. The one who was currently all but ignoring her.
She had a feeling she was being dumped, and if Tucker would just come out and say he didn’t want to see her anymore—like a man with balls would—then she’d at least know and she could move on with her life. But this cat-and-mouse game he’d been playing with her where he’d answer her texts and they’d talk like they were still in a relationship, but he couldn’t make time to see her?
That was confusing as hell.
She decided not to think about Tucker tonight, so she hung out with her parents and her aunt and uncle, though she tended to avoid her uncle because she thought he was a miserable asshole. She merely tolerated his presence because of her aunt. And tonight, Aunt Farrah was the center of attention, and Uncle Davis was lavishing her with compliments and telling the entire crowd how much he loved his wife.
It was kind of gag worthy, but at least Aunt Farrah seemed to enjoy it. After a while, Aubry had had enough, so she went into the den to pour herself a glass of whiskey. This night called for hard liquor.
Her dad was in there.
“Avoiding the party?” she asked.
He turned to her and smiled. “I needed a break.”
“I’ll drink to that.” She walked over and her father poured a whiskey for her, then handed her a glass while he poured one for himself.
She took a sip, letting the liquid burn its way down. Mmm, so good. Maybe she should get blitzed tonight so she wouldn’t have to think about Tucker.
Then again, since she had to report to work early tomorrow, maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.
She sat on one of the leather chairs across from her dad. “The party’s nice.”
“It is. I can’t believe Davis and Farrah have been married forty years.”
“You and mom aren’t too far behind them. Only a couple more years.”
Her father smiled. “I know. I think I’ll take her to Europe for our fortieth. Do a month-long trip and see Scotland, Ireland, England, France, Germany, Portugal and a few others. She’s talked for a lot of years about doing that.”
Aubry beamed a smile at her father. “Oh, Dad. She’d love that.”
“Good. Don’t tell her. I’ll surprise her.”
Now this was love, and her father constantly surprised her with how thoughtful he was, especially when it came to her mom. He could be a ruthless businessman one minute, and a sweet, considerate husband and father the next.
She really loved him.
“Where’s Tucker tonight? Since the party started late, I thought maybe he’d show up after the game.”
Her smile died. “I . . . don’t know.”
“Problems between the two of you?”
“Again. I don’t really know, Dad. He’s been distant lately. We’ll talk or text, but we haven’t seen each other. Like at all. And he keeps making excuses as to why we can’t be together. I think we might be breaking up.”
Her father was silent for a moment, studying his glass of whiskey before answering. Then he looked up at her. “I’m sorry, honey. But maybe it’s for the best.”
She frowned. “Why would it be for the best?”
“Oh, you know. Your career is so important. You should focus your attention on work and studies. And the possibilities of a fellowship. Not on romance. Plenty of time for that later.”