She's the One (Boggy Creek Valley Book 3) Read online

  My eyes sprang back open, and I blew out a breath. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Hitting my best friend Kyle’s number, I waited for him to answer.

  “Hey. Trent fix the truck?”

  I scoffed. “No, he needs to order a part for it. What are you doing tonight?”

  “I’m currently sitting on my sofa with a beer in one hand, a bowl of popcorn in the other, and I was two seconds away from starting Pride and Prejudice.”

  “You bastard. You weren’t going to invite me over? You know I love that movie.”

  “Because, Bishop, it’s weird enough that I’m watching it alone, but to have you come over and share movie night with me? Hard pass.”

  “Then let’s go out.”

  “Go out?” he repeated.

  “Yeah, you know that thing we used to do before all of our friends started getting married.”

  “One, Bishop. One friend has gotten married.”

  Aiden O’Hara had been a part of the small group of friends I had back in high school. It was me, Aiden, Kyle, Hunter Turner, and Adam Smith. The five of us were thick as thieves. Aiden went off and joined the Navy after high school, became a Navy SEAL, and had only recently returned to Boggy Creek. He was now married to Willa, Hunter’s sister. Once upon a time, I’d had a crush on Willa—at least before Abby moved to town.

  Now Willa and Aiden were expecting their second baby in late January. Adam was recently engaged, so that left me, Kyle, and Hunter. I was pretty damn sure the three of us were nowhere near settling down. Each of us had our own freaking issues to deal with.

  “Small detail. Let’s call Hunter, see if he’s down for getting out.”

  “I’m not in the mood to pick up women,” Kyle said.

  “Who said anything about that? Fuck, Kyle, I just need to get out. Especially tonight.”

  He was silent on the other end of the line before he groaned. “Ah hell, Bishop, it totally slipped my mind.”

  I kicked at a rock. “Wish it would slip mine.”

  “Tell you what, let me call Hunter and Adam, see if they want to go out with us. Where you thinking?”

  “There’s a new bar that opened up in Lakewood. Heard it’s more for an older crowd.”

  I could hear Kyle moving around. “Fuck, when did we become the older crowd? I’m barely thirty-three. I don’t know about you, but thirty-three don’t feel old, Bishop.”

  Laughing, I said, “Wouldn’t know, I’m still thirty-two.”

  “Yeah, not for long, though.”

  “Okay, well, we could go into Boston.”

  “You paying for the hotel?”

  “How about if we just stay at one I own?”

  He laughed. “Hell, sometimes I forget you’re richer than sin.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ll call up and let them know we’re coming. Just for tonight?”

  “Hunter and I both have the next three days off. I say let’s make it a weekend.”

  “Will Adam go for that, you think?” I asked.

  “We’ll tell him it’s an early practice run for his bachelor party.”

  I chuckled. “Should we invite Aiden?”

  Kyle lost it laughing. “He’ll say no, but I’ll invite him.”

  “Great. I’ll pack a bag and let Ken and Bryce know I’m leaving for a few days.”

  Ken Roberts and his brother, Bryce, both worked for me on the farm. Ken was my right-hand man and helped me with pretty much everything from planting seedlings to wrapping up Christmas trees. Bryce was also a huge help when it came to keeping things running smoothly on the farm. He worked more for me during the Christmas season, though.

  “Did you ever ask that hot horticulturist out?” Kyle asked.

  “Yes.”

  He laughed. “Dude, tell me you slept with her.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Kyle.”

  “Well, if you don’t move on that opportunity soon, someone else will.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I said before changing the subject. “I’ll see you in a few then.”

  “Sounds good. See ya in a few.”

  Henry, the valet for the royal suite at the Marquee Hotel, opened the door for us to walk in. The Marquee was one of the most expensive and luxurious hotels in Boston. It had been my grandfather’s pride and joy, and now I was the proud owner of it. The royal suite had once been Granddad’s apartment. When he passed away, my father and I had it remodeled into the best luxury suite in the hotel. It was twenty-five-hundred square feet. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave guests a sweeping view of the Boston cityscape. There was a mix of modern and vintage décor, with some pieces still in the suite that belonged to Granddad.

  Kyle walked in and immediately went over to one of the three sofas that sat in the living room. He dropped onto it and sighed. Hunter made a beeline for the media room. It held a sectional sofa, a pool table, a large-screen TV, and a table that was big enough to sleep on but was used for cards and board games.

  As he walked through the door, Hunter said, “I call the media room.”

  “Damn it,” Adam said, bringing up the rear.

  “Looks like the living room for us, Adam,” Kyle said from where he was sprawled out on the middle sofa. The other two sofas were on either side of it, forming a large U. The open-space suite gave off an airy feeling and was one of the reasons I loved staying here. That and the views of Boston.

  “Won’t be so different from my current sleeping arrangements,” Adam mumbled as he dropped his bags to the floor.

  Kyle and I exchanged a look, and he lifted his brows and shrugged.

  Adam had seemed overly eager to come with us this weekend. Aiden had, as we’d predicted, passed on the guys’ trip. It wasn’t a shock. Willa was pregnant, and he was happy simply being with his wife and his son Ben. Aiden had officially adopted Ben, Willa’s two-year-old son from her previous marriage. They made the perfect little family.

  I headed into the bedroom and let out an overexaggerated sigh. This was the very room Abby had stayed in when she’d moved to Boston. As soon as the manager found out that my wife was checking in, they’d put her in the royal suite. She hadn’t stayed long. Just long enough to meet with her lawyers and serve me papers stating she wanted a legal separation. The divorce papers came soon after that.

  I had called her a few times, only to have her break down on the phone. I’d known at the time she was lost and confused, but once the divorce papers came, I stopped trying to reach out and let the bitterness and anger take hold. That was why, when she tried to call, I’d sent her calls to voicemail.

  She came to Boggy Creek a week before the divorce hearing, but I’d been out of town with Kyle and Hunter. We’d gone to Florida, where I had gotten shit-faced drunk, flirted like a dog in heat, and ended up sleeping with someone. The guilt nearly ripped me in two.

  When Abby had asked to talk to me before the hearing, I was a mix of emotions. Angry, confused, hurt, and guilty as fuck. I’d told her we had nothing to talk about, and the look on her face had nearly dropped me to my knees. I still hadn’t been able to get her heartbroken expression out of my dreams. At the time, all I wanted to do was hurt her like she had hurt me.

  Now I dropped my bags and looked around the room. A king-size bed sat in the middle. Across from it was a huge chair that used to belong to Granddad. He swore it was the most comfortable chair he’d ever owned. The rest of the bedroom was filled with over-the-top contemporary furniture that wasn’t my taste, but the guests seemed to like it, so that was all that mattered.

  I made my way into the ridiculously oversized bathroom. There was a floor-to-ceiling closet system along one wall, and a large claw-foot tub in the middle of the room. On the opposite side of the closet sat his-and-her sinks, a vanity, and a spa. Light blue tones covered the walls, which reminded me yet again of Abby. She’d picked out that color—and had pretty much designed this whole bathroom.

  “Jesus, Bishop, did you call and have them stock the fridge?” Hunter called out.

&n
bsp; Turning on my heels, I walked back into the living area. The kitchen was just as extravagant as the rest of the suite. Marble countertops, a huge kitchen island, top-of-the-line appliances, a wine cooler, an ice maker…hell, you name it, this place had it.

  “No, but I’m not surprised they did.” I peered around Hunter and looked into the refrigerator. It was stocked with my favorite beer and two large boards with cheese, fruit, and meat. There was also milk, orange juice, Cokes, and a dozen pepperoni rolls from my favorite Italian restaurant. “Wow, I’m going to have to give Henry a raise. He pays attention to every little detail.”

  Hunter laughed, shook his head, and then pulled out one of the three six-packs of beer. He pulled one off and tossed it to me, then took the rest into the living room.

  “When was the last time you were even here?” Adam asked.

  I popped open my beer, walked over to the large windows, and looked out over the city. Abby was out there somewhere. Living her new life. I couldn’t help but wonder if she thought of me as much as I thought of her. If she’d slept with anyone and compared their every move to mine, like I had done with those other women.

  I closed my eyes tightly and willed thoughts of her away before I answered Adam. “Not often. Only when I have to attend a board meeting or some bullshit like that.” I took a long drink of my beer.

  The guys knew I played off this role as businessman I had been thrust into when my grandfather died. My father was a huge help, even though he could have been pissed my grandfather left nearly everything to me.

  Dad and Mom had moved to Boston a little over three years ago, and Dad filled in for me when I wasn’t able to attend functions or meetings. He knew how much I hated it. I had learned a lot from him since Granddad died. He had, after all, gone to Harvard like Granddad. Gotten his degree in business, followed in his father’s footsteps, and moved back to his hometown of Boggy Creek after he married my mother. They loved Boston, but had wanted to raise me where Dad and Granddad grew up. I would forever be grateful to my parents for that.

  “You ever run into Abby while you’re in town?” Adam asked.

  I shook my head. “Never.”

  “Pete and Crystal ever keep you updated on her?” Hunter asked.

  Pete and Crystal Boyer had been just as caught off guard as I was when their daughter up and left everyone behind. They’d tried to understand, but I knew they had been hurt as well. I met Kyle’s eyes in the window reflection. He looked away as I inhaled, then sighed and turned to face the three of them.

  “At some point, I stopped asking them about her. I just didn’t care anymore. After the divorce, they stopped talking to me about Abby altogether.”

  That was a fucking lie. It was my goddamn pride that stopped me from asking. Crystal had told me Abby was working at a large nursery right on the outskirts of Boston. She also worked part-time at a florist in town. Manager or something like that.

  “Can’t say I blame them. I was a little…”

  “Crazed,” the three of them said in unison.

  To say I had gone a little crazy when Abby served me divorce papers would be putting it lightly. I’d lost my goddamn mind. I had never been so angry in my entire life. After the anger, the hurt came. Then the sadness, before it swung right back around to anger mixed with a whole lot of confusion.

  I laughed. “Yeah. They used to always let me know when Abby was home visiting. If only to warn me away from the house, I think.”

  Hunter shook his head. “I know you don’t like to talk about it, Bishop, but I also know what today is.”

  Adam snapped his head up. “Oh man, it’s your wedding anniversary.”

  I tried to ignore the stabbing pain in my chest.

  Hunter frowned as he looked at me. “I don’t get it, man. You two were…made for each other. I don’t get why she left.”

  Kyle stood and walked to the windows. He was the only person besides my folks and Pete and Crystal who knew the truth.

  I rubbed at the back of my neck and sat down in one of the oversized chairs. “Trent gave me a bit of advice. Told me it was time to move on.” I looked at each of them.

  “And do you agree?” Kyle asked.

  With a nod, I said, “Yeah. I do, I guess. No more one-night stands. Not that I’ve actually had many in the last two years, but I’m tired of playing the game. Pretending to be over her and having everyone think I’m nothing but a manwhore.”

  “Dude, are you saying you’re going to start dating again?” Adam asked.

  “Yeah,” I said with a half-smile. “I think so. Anyway, it’s time for me to move on.”

  “With the hot horticulturist.” Kyle wagged his brows at me.

  “What?” Hunter and Adam both asked at the same time.

  I held up my hands. “It was one dinner date and her kid was with her.”

  Adam dropped back in his seat and sighed. “Love sucks.”

  “Don’t sound so happy there, Adam,” Hunter said with a laugh.

  Staring up at the ceiling, Adam said, “Lori doesn’t want to get married.”

  That caused us all to stare at him with gaping mouths. Lori and Adam had known each other since college and had dated off and on. They had run into each other recently and had only been dating for a couple months before getting engaged. I wasn’t that surprised they were already calling it off, truth be told.

  He lifted his head and nodded. “Yep. She said I was married to my job, and she wants to travel the world.”

  Kyle whistled low. “Damn.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry, Adam,” I replied.

  Hunter slowly shook his head. “Women. What in the fuck?”

  We all laughed because it was the truth.

  Hunter stood and clapped his hands. “Well, gentlemen. We’re four single, good-looking men. I say we hit the town.”

  Kyle held up his beer, and the three of us followed his lead.

  “To moving on,” Adam said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  Hunter’s eyes met mine. I knew where his thoughts were. With his old high school sweetheart, Arabella Adams. She had done pretty much the same damn thing to Hunter that Abby and Lori had done to me and Adam. Up and told him it was over. They had both gone off to college and kept dating. Then, one day, Arabella quit school, moved back to Boggy Creek, and told Hunter it was over. No reason why. He had always suspected that she’d maybe cheated on him, but that wasn’t Arabella. I also knew he still loved her.

  Something in his gaze told me he was getting weary of waiting on a woman who clearly still wanted nothing to do with him.

  “To moving on,” Hunter repeated.

  We clicked our beer cans together, then chugged them all down in one gulp.

  Kyle clapped his hands together. “Alright, gents, let’s go get dressed and have some fun.”

  Bishop

  I rolled over and looked at the clock on the nightstand.

  “Christ,” I mumbled as I pulled myself up into a seated position, then ran my hands down my face. I hadn’t drank that much in a long-ass time and my body was feeling it.

  My head pounded. My mouth felt like someone had stuffed cotton into it, and for some strange reason, every muscle in my body hurt.

  I froze, thinking about what had happened last night. Cautiously, I glanced to my left and saw that the bed was empty.

  Sighing, I dropped my head. “Thank fuck.”

  The last thing I wanted to find was some strange woman here.

  I swung my legs over the bed and stood. When I glanced down, I noticed I had somehow managed to get undressed last night before crawling into bed. But my boxers were still on. That was another good sign.

  Heading into the bathroom, I splashed my face with cold water, used the restroom, and then ventured out into the suite. I had no idea what I would find and, to be honest, I was holding my breath.

  I scanned the sofas and found Kyle was passed out on one of them. Alone.

  Adam was sitting up on another sofa and holding
something on his neck.

  “What’s on your neck?” I asked.

  He lifted his finger to his lips. “Shhh…my head is pounding. And it’s ice.”

  The sound of a blender going off made Kyle fly off the couch, stumble, then land flat on his ass. “The fuck?” he shouted as Adam groaned.

  “Sorry, guys!” Hunter called out. “I’m making us…the drink.”

  Kyle stood and fell back onto the sofa. “Fuck no, I’m not drinking that shit, Hunter.”

  “It works!” Hunter replied.

  Adam frowned. “What works is Advil and water, Hunter. Not your weird concoction of eggs and spinach and whatever else you put in that.”

  Smiling, I headed into the kitchen. “Where did you get all of this?”

  Hunter gave me a cheeky grin. “I asked Mark to get it for me last night so we would have it ready.” Mark had been the valet for the royal suite since we’d promoted him after Granddad’s death. He was by far one of my best employees here at the hotel.

  I sat on one of the stools and sighed. “How do you not have a hangover, dude?”

  Hunter laughed. “I do. But I didn’t drink as much as you guys. Someone needed to make sure you didn’t end up with a surprise in nine months.”

  I glanced around. No one had brought anyone back to the hotel. “No one hooked up last night?”

  Adam walked into the kitchen. “Hard to hook up when all you do is talk about the woman who called off your wedding.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. Adam had only had a few drinks in him before he’d started going on and on about Lori and how she’d broken his heart.

  “You’re no better,” Adam stated. “That hot redhead was all over you…until you told her you’re still in love with your ex-wife.”

  That made me stop for a moment. “Redhead?”

  “Yeah, the one in the black dress that barely covered anything,” Kyle added as he walked into the kitchen and sat down. He snarled his lip, watching as Hunter poured us each a glass of his famous hangover drink. “I think we should just order room service.”

  Then it hit me. “Oh yeah! The redhead. That’s right. I didn’t like the way she kissed.”