With an evil smile, she looked directly at me. “Oh, hell yes. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone like him. He’s handsome, funny, a great kisser.”
Squirming in my seat to ward off the jealousy, I looked away briefly before turning back. “Well, good luck.”
Jill lifted her drink and said, “I’ll take all the luck I can get.”
Spinning around on the stool, I stood. “It was nice chatting with you.”
Without really looking at me, she said, “You too.”
As I made my way over toward Colt and Lauren, I saw Brad.
Shit.
Taking a quick detour, I finally made my way over to the lovebirds. “So . . . this is . . . fun. The band is great!” I shouted as Colt and Lauren looked at each other.
“You’re ready to go?” Lauren asked.
With a shrug, I leaned closer so I didn’t have to shout. “It’s just hard being the third wheel and all.”
Lauren flashed me that smile of hers. “I’m feeling tired anyway. Let’s head home!”
The faster we got out of the bar and out of Llano, the better. Seeing Jase had bothered me more than I ever dreamed it would. The only good thing that came out of this was he didn’t see me . . . and Brad never got my number.
Jase
“You sure are far away.”
My eyes lifted from the pasture as I turned to my mother. “A lot on my mind I guess.”
“Courtney called and said Ava was staying in Montana for a bit longer.”
With a frown, I replied, “I bet that doesn’t make Reed very happy.”
She laughed and shook her head. Turning to look at her, I couldn’t help but smile. My mother was beautiful. Her dark hair was piled up on her head and her blue eyes were staring into mine.
“Want to talk about her?”
With a slight smile, I asked, “How do you know it’s a girl?”
She gave me a smirk. “Please, I know you like I know the back of my hand. You haven’t been the same since you got back from France. I can only assume you met someone while you were over there that you’re smitten with.”
With a hard laugh, I looked back over the pasture. “I’m more than smitten with her, Mom. I love her.”
With a gasp, she reached her hand out and touched my arm. “What? Jase, sweetheart, please talk to me. I might be able to help.”
My head dropped as I shook it. My entire body felt cold as I thought about what I had done to Taylor. What I continued to do to her. I couldn’t walk away as hard as I tried . . . I could never forget her.
“Nah, I don’t think so, Mom. She lives in Austin and has her own life. It would have never worked.”
Her hand pulled back as she sat back. “Jase Morris, look at me.”
Doing as she asked, I looked her in the eyes. “My first and last name. Am I in trouble?”
“Is that your only reason, because she works in Austin?”
“One of them.”
With a huff, she snarled her lip. “That’s a stupid reason.”
My head snapped back as I let out a chuckle. “Damn, Mom. Thanks for that.”
She let out a frustrated sigh as she rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Jase. It’s not like Austin is Dallas or Houston. It’s not that far!”
“Mom, when would I ever have time to go see her? I’m always busy here doing something or helping Walker out so he can spend time with his own family.”
“I don’t buy that for one second. If a love is true, you’ll move heaven and earth for it.”
My eyes broke her stare. “Maybe,” I whispered.
“Tell me the other reason.”
“She’s beautiful, smart, innocent beyond belief. She deserves someone so much better than me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Did she say that?”
“No. It’s hard to explain, Mom. I took something from her because I was being a typical asshole guy. I wanted her to myself, but I got . . . I got . . .”
“Scared?”
Standing, I laced my fingers through my hair. “I need to head up and help Walker get ready for tomorrow.”
“Hey, Jase?”
Turning back to look at her, I said, “Yeah?”
“Can I give you a piece of advice?”
With a shrug, I replied, “Sure.”
“Once in a lifetime, someone will walk into your life and turn it upside down. Your whole world will feel like it’s spinning out of control and you’re going to feel so many different things all at once. Being scared is the first thing you’ll feel, but if you let love in and trust it, I promise you it’s all worth it.”
Looking at the ground, I kicked at nothing. My heart physically felt as if it was aching anytime I thought about what we might have together. It wasn’t just that I was scared by how much I loved Taylor, I was also worried about the distance we lived apart from each other. “How do you make it work when I’m here and she’s there?”
“Do you love her, Jase?”
My head snapped up as I looked my mother in the eyes. “I’ve never loved anyone like I love her, Mom.”
“Then you’ll fight to make it work.”
Stepping off the elevator, I took in my surroundings. I had no idea what Taylor’s grandfather really did, but from the looks of this building, whatever he did he made money at it.