“What about . . . Noah and Holly?” I offer.
She rolls her eyes. “Those are the same names you always say!”
“What are yours?”
I already know what she’ll pick. “Sydney and Dawson.”
“Like that damn show you watch?” Hell no. “I’m not naming my son after some guy on a creek.”
“You live on a creek!” She scoffs and crosses her arm. “And I like his name. It’s Pacey that I like-like.”
I swear she knows what to say to get me jealous. Of course she likes some damn TV star. She forces me to sit through an hour of that crap show every week. I swear. Then we go onto another show right after it. She, Grace, and Emily have a weekly date, but somehow I get drug into it.
“We’re not naming my boy either of those.” I stand firm.
“Fine.”
“How about Babe for a boy and Penelope for a girl?”
Presley stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. “I’m going to pretend that you’re kidding about Babe. Naming him after a famous ball player won’t make him one. And Babe is what we named the potbellied pig we just got. So, no.”
“All right, you pick a girl’s name and I’ll pick the boy. Whatever the next name is, we go with.”
“Okay, for a girl I pick Violet.”
I could handle that.
“For the boy, I pick Logan.”
She smiles. “I like that. Colton, Sadie, Logan, and Violet Townsend-Hennington.”
“What?” I damn near lose my mind. “What the hell makes you think you’re not taking my last name? What the hell is that two last name crap?”
Presley rolls on her back, looking at me with a grin. “A woman has every right to hyphenate.”
“I’ll show you hyphenate.” I drop down and kiss her breathless. She squirms beneath me and I fight ripping her clothes off right here in the middle of the outfield. This girl has no idea what she does to me.
I grip my phone in my hand, squeezing until my fingers turn white. I need to make a choice. Is this worth living the rest of my life without her?
“Go home and shower,” Wyatt says, throwing the door open after he’s cooled off. “Then find your balls and get your head out of your ass, possibly in that order. Because I promise you this.” He steps forward. “If you don’t go after her, I will, and I’m not going to play fair this time. I’m going to show her why I am the better brother, and why she should’ve been with me the whole time.”
My anger rises and I go toe to toe with him. “You listen to me,” I say pointedly. “I haven’t let her go, so don’t make me lay you out. Keep your damn hands off her.”
“Then go hold on to her.”
I walk past him, bumping him with my shoulder.
“Chump.” He laughs as the door slams behind me.
I walk to my house while my mind ping pongs back and forth over what the right thing is. It’s one thing to understand why she did what she did, it’s another to accept it. Then there are the boys and what they’re going through.
Maybe now just isn’t the right time for us.
Maybe there will never be a right time.
I could’ve been there for her through it all. The part that pisses me off the most is the time we’ve wasted. I’ve spent my whole life thinking about her, even when I was trying to forget. I sabotaged every relationship because no one could measure up. She didn’t have to love anyone else. Another man didn’t have to give her the comfort she sought. I would’ve been there.
Instead, she kept it to herself and used it as an excuse. What else is she keeping from me?
I get to my house and groan. I don’t have the patience for this. Felicia stands against the door as I approach. I used to look at her and see beauty, now I see how blind I was. She’s the polar opposite of Presley in every way. Felicia spent hours getting ready when we’d go out. Where Presley takes five minutes. Felicia wasn’t well loved around the town, but I chalked it up to them not knowing her. I think it was me who didn’t know her. She had me fooled, but now, I’m seeing things I never noticed before.
“Hey.” She smiles. “I wanted to come check on you. I was worried when I heard how you closed the bar down and Brett needed to drive you home.”
“I’m fine.” I’m not half as nice as normal. She’s having a really hard time understanding her role. “You should go. I appreciate you checkin’ on me, but I’d rather be alone.”
“Zach.” She sighs. “Please, you need a friend.”
I look at her and wonder if we could’ve worked had Presley not come back. I had plans to marry her because it was time. It was the right thing to do. Trent asked me if I ever loved Felicia. I did, but never close to the way I love Presley.
“I need to think, Felicia. Alone.”
She puts her hand on my arm. “I know how much this hurts you. I’m glad you get to finally see the person she is. She’s a liar, Zach. She’s always been. How could she keep a baby from you?”
“Stop,” I demand. “Stop talking, because I see what you’re doing.”