“Well…” I laughed.

“Oh God, Whit. Just go pack up your shit. We’re going home to play dress-up!” She turned and walked toward the stairs and up to the room where she’d stayed last night.

By the time I was packed and ready to go, Courtney was already in her truck and giving me a hurry-the-fuck-up look.

I ran up to the truck, and as I jumped in, I saw Courtney glaring at someone. I glanced in the direction and saw Reed walking toward us. He looked like he was trying to get Courtney’s attention.

I looked back at Courtney. “He looks like he wants to talk to you, Court.”

She watched him as he walked around the front of her truck to the driver’s side. He stopped and knocked on the window. Courtney was staring straight ahead as she gripped the steering wheel tighter. She slowly looked over at Reed. The next thing I knew, she slammed her foot on the gas, and we spun out and took off down the driveway.

“Oh my God! Courtney! You could have hurt him by doing that. What in the hell were you thinking?” I spun around and saw Reed standing there, watching the truck speed away.

“Is his ass still standing?”

I turned and looked at her with my mouth hanging open. “Um…yes, thank God.”

Courtney started shaking her head as she laughed. “Shit. I was really hoping he was standing closer, so I could have run over at least one foot.”

What? This girl has lost her damn mind!

“Courtney! What in the world is wrong with you?”

She turned and gave me an evil grin. “Come on, let’s go find you the perfect dress to wear for Monday night. No more talk of the plant-loving, dickhead asswipe.”

I shook my head and turned to look out the front window. I smiled, thinking about the most amazing few days I’d spent with Layton.

I can’t believe how much has changed in my life in just a few short weeks. I closed my eyes and tried to picture myself in his arms. He made me feel so safe, so loved.

An image of Roger entered my mind, and my eyes snapped open. I instantly had a sick feeling in my stomach.

Thank God he has no idea where I am.

Chapter Twenty: Layton

I pulled up outside of Whitley’s house and put my truck in park.

Shit! I really hate these benefit dinners. Mike was always better at this stuff than I was. The last benefit I attended, I talked more to all the wives and girlfriends than anyone else. I would much rather castrate a bull than spend a few hours with these city folks.

I took a look at myself in the rearview mirror. I was freshly shaven, and my blue eyes seemed to have life back in them. My messy brown hair was still messy, which caused me to smirk.

No way am I changing for anyone. They can either take me or leave me.

I let out a long sigh as I opened the door of the truck and got out. My black tux felt awkward, and the fucking shoes were going to kill my feet by the end of the night.

As I walked up to the front door of Whitley and Courtney’s house, my heart started beating faster.

Why in the hell am I nervous? I spent the last few days with this incredible girl, so why in the fuck am I so jumpy?

Before I could even knock, the door flew open, and Courtney was standing there with a shit-eating grin on her face. I couldn’t help but laugh as I thought back to yesterday when Reed had told me how Courtney had nearly killed him when she pulled out of the driveway.

“Layton,” she said with a wink.

I smiled and returned her wink with one of my own. “Courtney, I heard you almost ran over Reed yesterday. I assured him it must have just been an accident.”

Her smile grew bigger, and she let out a small giggle. “Of course, it was an accident.” She stepped to the side to let me in. “Whitley should be down in a minute. She looks beautiful.”

I smiled, just thinking about Whitley. She always looks beautiful.

“Does she ever not look beautiful?” I asked with a wink.

Courtney’s smile faded, and she walked right up to me. “Nice. Very sweet with all the Southern bullshit and all, but listen, and listen good, bud. That’s my best friend up there. She’s been through hell and back one too many times. You so much as make a tear fall from one of her eyes again, and I’ll hunt you down and make sure you’re never able to use that dick of yours ever again.”

My smile faded, and my mouth dropped open. I went to say something, but Courtney put her finger up.

“I’m not done talking.”

I took a step back and actually began to feel sorry for Reed because he’d pissed off this girl.

“I haven’t seen Whit this happy in—well, shit, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her this happy. Either you’re really good in bed, or you’ve truly shown her how much you care about her. I’m hoping it’s both, but ya know, I’ll be happy with the latter. Treat her right, Layton. She deserves it. She deserves to be loved and looked after, to be spoiled and treated like a princess, to feel safe. Please just don’t ever treat her any less than what she deserves.”

I forced my tears back from seeing the tears building in Courtney’s eyes. I had to take a moment before I could even respond to her.

“Courtney, first off, you scare the shit out of me.”

She smiled and winked at me.

“Second, I’ve never in my life felt this way about anyone. It’s like Whitley has filled something that’s been missing for so long. I feel so renewed and alive. I can hardly breathe when she’s in the same room as me. I can’t keep my hands off her because I have this overwhelming need to have her as close to me as possible. The moment I first laid eyes on her, I knew what was missing in my life—true, honest-to-God love. From the very first day when her eyes looked into mine, I knew that I loved her. I’ll never hurt her, and I will never let anyone else hurt her again. I’d lay down my own life to protect her.”

She took a step closer to me as a smile spread across her face, causing me to smile in return.

“Oh, Layton Morris, I’m not that easily swept off my feet, but that…that just put me totally in your corner.”

I laughed. “Thank you. I think?”

“Oh, trust me, you always want the best friend in your corner.” She turned and started to head into the kitchen.

I followed behind her and leaned against the counter.

She looked over her shoulder. “Speaking of best friends, I hope what Reed said about me didn’t—”

I held up my hand. Now, it was my turn to stop her from talking. “Court, listen, he was drunk. He was jealous, and he didn’t mean a damn word he said.”

Her eyebrows lifted, and she tilted her head. “What do you mean he was jealous? Of what?”

I took a deep breath. I was pretty sure I was fixin’ to break some man code, but it would be worth it. It killed me to think that Courtney would believe anyone thought of her in any negative way.

“Listen, what I’m about to tell you, I’m sure, breaks some kind of man code, so this stays between you and me. Is that a deal?”

She slowly sat down on one of the kitchen bar stools. “Okay. Deal.”

I looked around, and leaning down closer to her, I whispered, “I’m pretty sure Reed likes you…like, as in, likes you a lot.”

She moved in closer and whispered, “What makes you think that?”

“Well, he kind of got drunk last night and told me he…told me he…”

“Told you he, what?” Courtney shouted.

“Shh! Damn, Court.”

“Oh shit! Sorry, go on. Please go on,” she said, going back into our whispered conversation.

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I’m pretty sure I’m also breaking a best-friend code here, so you better take this shit to your grave.”

She sat up a little and used her index finger to cross her heart. “I promise. I won’t even tell Whit.”

Before I knew it, I was spitting out what Reed had spilled to me last night in his drunken fest. “Last night, he told me that he thinks he loves you.”

She pulled back with a shocked look on her face. “What?”

I made a face and nodded. “Yep. I’ve never, in all the years I’ve known Reed, ever heard him say he thought he loved a girl.”

Courtney looked down to the floor and started to shake her head. “But…he said all those things, and every time I see him, he’s always such a jerk to me. I mean, he is always picking a fight with me.”

I used my finger and gently lifted her chin up to me. “Courtney, men are…well, hell, I don’t really know how we are. But I can tell you, I’ve never seen Reed’s eyes so full of hurt and regret like I did when you walked in and overheard him. You have to know that he was just talking bullshit because Mitch had just said he was planning on asking you out. I don’t think Reed really knows what to do with these feelings toward you, and he just panicked and handled it all wrong.”

My heart broke as I saw a tear slowly slide down Courtney’s face. She wiped it away and stood up.

She took a deep breath and gave me a weak smile. “Well, to be honest, I’m glad I walked in and heard him say those things. It just opened my eyes to the type of person he is. I actually enjoyed my time with Mitch the other morning, and if I hadn’t heard Reed running off at the mouth, I would have just been sitting around, waiting for him and waiting to be hurt by him. Instead, I decided to give things with Mitch a try, and…” Her voice cracked a bit, and she forced a bigger smile. “And he is a complete gentleman. We’re going out to dinner tonight. Mitch will treat me with the respect I deserve. Reed Moore is the furthest thing from my mind.”

My heart dropped a bit because her mouth was saying one thing, but her eyes were saying something totally different.

“Listen, Courtney. Reed is my best friend, and Mitch is a friend as well. I don’t want to see either of them hurt. Just be sure you’re not running into Mitch’s arms to avoid your feelings for Reed. Reed is probably one of the nicest guys I know. He would never purposely hurt you, and I know he would love you one hundred and ten percent. Mitch just might not be the safer choice, sweetheart. He seems like it now, but—”

She was just about to say something when we heard Whitley coming down the stairs. I could hear her shoes on the hardwood floor.

“Hey,” her sweet voice said from behind me.

I slowly turned around, and all the air in my lungs was immediately gone.

Her brown hair was pulled up and piled into loose curls on top of her head. My eyes moved down to her neck where she was wearing a small delicate necklace. My dick instantly got hard from thinking about kissing her exposed neck. I looked down at her beautiful red chiffon evening gown, fitting her curves perfectly. I couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked.

I went to open my mouth, but I had to shut it again. Courtney let out a giggle, and Whitley smiled.

“Do you like it?” she asked with the cutest damn smile on her face.

“Um,” was all I could get out.

“It’s Court’s dress. It’s a mermaid gown with a sweetheart neckline. I’ve always wanted to wear it!” she said with a nervous laugh.