Without You

  “Watch Lauren and Taylor if they go, okay? They’re younger.”

  I nodded my head as I leaned up and kissed my father on the cheek. Then, the doorbell rang. I smiled as I bolted to the door and threw it open. Will was standing there, looking hot as hell in his Wranglers, boots, and light-blue T-shirt. His hair was peeking out from under his cowboy hat before he took it off. I was instantly turned-on. We hadn’t been together again since our first night. I was hoping he would take care of that tonight.

  Will walked in and shook my father’s hand. Then, he said, “Hello,” to my mother.

  “Don’t keep her out too late, Will. If y’all decide to stay, you call me, Alex.”

  “Yes, sir. Night, Mama! I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Will, please be careful driving.”

  Will placed his hat back on his head and nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Always.”

  Will grabbed my hand, and we made our way to his truck. He opened the passenger door and held my hand until I sat down.

  He leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. “I love you.”

  I smiled and placed my hand on his face. “I love you, too.”

  “I’m going to take you again tonight, Lex.”

  My mouth barely opened, and I instantly felt the wetness between my legs. I whispered, “Will…”

  He gave me another look that had me sucking in a breath of air before he stepped away and shut the door. He walked around the front of the truck and then jumped in.

  “Do we have to go to the party?” I asked when he shut the door.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Yes! This is our last summer before we head to college.”

  I sighed. “We’ll be home every summer, and I’m sure Claire will throw a party each summer. Besides, I don’t even like Claire.”

  Will looked over at me, shocked. “What? Since when?”

  I shook my head and thought back to a few days ago when Libby, Grace, Lauren, and I had all gone for a ride at Lauren’s place.

  Grace brought her horse alongside Libby’s. Grace had told me something had happened between Libby and Luke the night Will and I slept together. Luke had been pouting since Libby left with Will.

  “Libby, spill it. You got upset with Luke the other night when Alex and Will came back. What gives? Y’all seemed to be having fun at the party, and then the next thing I knew, Luke was in the corner, feeling up Claire Montgomery,” Grace said.

  Libby looked at Grace, who stared straight ahead. “I guess I was just upset to see Luke and Will fighting. I hate when they fight. You know that, Grace.”

  I glanced over to Lauren, and she was frowning.

  Grace was not about to let it go. “Bullshit, Libby. You and my brother used to be so damn close. Then, he pulled the whole kissing-you shit before he left for college, and things haven’t been the same. The other night, y’all seemed to be back to your old selves, having fun and dancing. How did Claire come into the picture?”

  Libby turned away from us, and I could tell she was upset. I stopped my horse, and Lauren and Grace stopped as well. Libby turned her horse around to face us. When I saw the tear moving down her face, my heart broke.

  “Oh, Lib, what did my asshole brother do to you? I’m going to kick his ass,” Grace said.

  Libby attempted to laugh but failed. “He didn’t do anything. That’s the problem, Grace. We were having fun, dancing and all. He even asked if I wanted to go to the diner for something to eat. Then, a slow song came on, and he pulled me closer to him as we danced. I really thought…”

  A sob escaped her throat, and Lauren sniffled. I glanced over and looked at Lauren. I saw she was attempting to hold back her tears. We all knew how much Libby liked Luke. With Maegan always talking about wanting to sleep with him and Luke’s player ways, we knew it bothered Libby to even be around him.

  Grace jumped off her horse and walked over to Libby as she began getting down. Lauren and I quickly followed.

  “You really thought what, Lib?” Grace asked.

  Libby swallowed hard. “I thought he might have feelings for me. He looked like he wanted to kiss me, so I figured I’d just go for it.”

  I put my hand up to my mouth and let out a gasp.

  “Did you kiss him?” Lauren asked.

  Libby shook her head. “No. I told him that I missed him, I missed us, and I wanted him to kiss me again.”

  “What did he say?” all three of us asked at once.

  Libby’s eyes filled with tears. “He leaned down, and he was about to kiss me, but then he stopped right before our lips touched. He looked into my eyes and said…”

  I noticed Grace’s hands balling into fists.

  Libby sobbed. “He said…he said that kissing me was a mistake, and he never thought there was an us outside of being friends.”

  I closed my eyes.

  Grace whispered, “Bastard.”

  “He stepped back, and I swear his eyes looked so sad, but he began looking around. Claire had been trying to flirt and dance with Luke from the moment he got there. He must have seen her. I don’t know. He looked back at me and smiled. Then, he thanked me for dancing with him. He told me we were all going back to his house to watch movies and that if I needed a ride, he’d take me. A few minutes later, I saw him with Claire.”

  Lauren walked up to Libby and pulled her into her arms. “I’m so sorry, Libby. He’s just a stupid, scared ass.”

  I looked at Grace.

  She mouthed to me, I’m going to kill him.

  I nodded my head.

  Libby began laughing and pulled away from Lauren. “It’s okay, really. I was stupid to think Luke ever really had any feelings for me. I mean, he probably wants to sleep with Maegan, and I’m just in the way.”

  “No, he doesn’t,” Lauren said.

  I wasn’t so sure about that. Maegan had a way of flirting with Luke, and I knew he had mentioned more than once to Colt that if Maegan kept pushing, he was going to give her what she wanted.

  We all sat down and talked for a bit more.

  “Lib, you’re going to A&M. Are you going to be able to go to the same school as Luke? What if you, you know, see him on dates?” Grace asked.

  My heart sank at the idea of Will being at a different school than me, especially knowing he would be rooming with Luke. I didn’t think Luke was a man-whore, but I knew he had already slept with his fair share of girls.

  Libby shook her head and stood up. “I’ll be fine. I guess it’s my fault for letting my feelings for Luke get in the way of our friendship. I’m going to be fine. I’ll meet someone at A&M and forget all about Luke Johnson.” She turned and climbed back onto her horse. She looked down at us and smiled. “You always forget about your first love after high school anyway, right?”

  Grace laughed and nodded her head. We all started talking about Lauren’s last year of high school.

  I couldn’t help myself, but I kept thinking of Libby’s comment.

  You always forget about your first love…

  “Lex? Hello? Are you still with me?” Will asked.

  I smiled weakly. “Sorry, I was thinking about the other day. Libby told us that Claire and Luke were making out, and she was bothered by it. I just think Claire is out to get Luke before she heads off to college. I just don’t like her.”

  Will gripped the steering wheel and shook his head. “I swear, if Luke hurts my sister again…”

  I placed my hand on his arm, and he looked at me.

  “Let’s just enjoy our evening, okay?”

  He smiled and winked at me. “Deal.”

  Will pulled up and parked next to Colt’s truck. I waited for Will to open my door, and we began walking down toward the river. I could already hear people screaming and laughing. I saw Colt talking to Rachel. She didn’t look happy at all. I knew he was breaking it off with her for good.

  “Has Colt ever mentioned anything about Lauren to you?” I asked Will.

  Will looked over toward Colt and then quickly bac
k to me. “Um…well, um…”

  I smiled and slowly nodded my head. “I won’t make you share a secret. Come on, let’s go find everyone.”

  Will took my hand in his, and we made our way over to Grace and Libby.

  “Hey, y’all!” Grace said as she jumped up. She hugged me and then Will.

  Libby gave me a hug and then looked at Will. They exchanged looks, and Will smiled from ear to ear. I looked between them with a questioning look, but Will quickly kissed me before sitting down on the giant log and pulling me onto his lap.

  “What was that about?” I asked with a smirk.

  He winked and turned to Grace. “So, is Mike here?”

  Grace’s smile faded for a quick second. “Um…yeah, he is somewhere.”

  I looked around and saw him over on the rope swing with his hands all over that bitch, Claire.

  Ugh. What a slut.

  “Grace, why do you even bother with him? He’s such an ass. He flirts with everyone and treats you like—”

  “Alex, please, not again.” Grace looked at me with pleading eyes.

  I knew she didn’t want Will to know how Mike had been treating her.

  “Treats you like what? Has that jerk ever laid his hands on you, Grace? I’ll kick his damn ass.”

  Grace laughed. “No, Will. He has never touched me. Alex and Libby just don’t like Mike, that’s all.”

  Grace looked around. She must have found the bastard because when she turned back around, I swore I saw her eyes filling with tears.

  We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming, playing horseshoes, potato-sack races, and tug of war. You named it, and we did it. I was exhausted by the time the sun went down. I looked over and saw Lauren leaning against a tree. She was talking to some guy I’d never seen before. Colt was standing nearby, and I noticed he kept looking over.

  I nudged Will. “You need to go tell Colt that he’d better make his move if he’s interested in Lauren. I have no clue who the new guy is.”

  Will looked up and nodded. “That’s Claire’s cousin, Brax. He just moved here from Montana or something like that.”

  “Huh. Well, Brax sure seems to have his eyes on Lauren.”

  “Yeah, he does.” Will leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

  He got up and walked over to Colt. He leaned in and said something to him. Colt nodded and pushed off the tree, and then they started making their way over to Lauren and Brax.

  “Oh shit,” I whispered.

  Libby sat down across from me and asked, “Oh shit what?”

  I didn’t look at her as I kept watching Will and Colt. “Colt…I think he likes Lauren. The new guy, Brax, is giving Lauren a lot of one-on-one attention. I told Will to tell Colt that he’d better make his move now if he was interested before this Brax guy gets too much into her head.”

  “Oh shit. They’re walking over there, Alex!”

  I looked at Libby. “I know, Lib! That’s why I said, oh shit. The overprotective big-brother syndrome is playing out before our eyes.”

  “What’s going on?”

  Libby closed her eyes at the sound of Luke’s voice. I turned and looked up at Luke staring down at Libby and me.

  I smiled at my handsome cousin. “Oh, um…nothing. I think Colt likes Lauren, and some new guy named Brax has been talking to her. Will and Colt are walking up to them. You know how y’all get with each of us, all protective and stuff.”

  Luke smiled weakly and then looked over at Lauren. “Yeah, Colt likes Lauren.”

  Libby snapped her head to look up at Luke.

  Speaking at the same time, we both said, “He does?”

  Luke took a drink of his beer and sat down next to me. He was sitting directly across from Libby and staring right at her. “Yep. He got drunk and told us how much he liked her.”

  Libby looked away, but Luke kept staring at her.

  Libby was watching what was happening with Colt and Lauren as she said, “Why doesn’t he just tell her he likes her instead of playing games?”

  Somehow, I didn’t think Libby was talking about Colt and Lauren anymore.

  “I don’t know. Maybe he’s afraid.”

  Libby turned her head and looked at Luke. “Of what?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know. Maybe he’s never felt the way he feels when Lauren’s around him. Maybe it freaks him out.”

  Libby just stared at him before she smiled slightly. “Maybe he should stop being such a pussy about it then. Seems to me that Lauren isn’t going to wait around for him, is she?”

  I saw the muscles in Luke’s neck tighten, and I knew neither one of them were talking about Colt and Lauren.

  “Colt, knock it off!” Lauren shouted.

  I looked back at Lauren, and Colt had Brax pushed up against a tree while Will was trying to get him to stop.

  “Great,” I said. I jumped up and walked over there. “Colt Mathews, stop it right now.”

  Colt looked at me and then gave Brax a good push that caused him to stumble.

  Lauren ran over to Brax. “Are you okay?” She looked at Colt with a confused look. “What is wrong with you?”

  Just by looking at Colt, I could tell he’d had too much to drink. “Colt, why don’t you go lie down in the back of your truck for a bit?” I tried to pull him away.

  Colt laughed. “If you want another guy to treat you like a whore again, then by all means, Lauren, have at it.”

  Lauren’s mouth dropped open.

  Will and I said, “Colt!”

  “You want to be treated like that again?” Colt asked.

  Will grabbed Colt and began pulling him away. “You’re just making it worse, you ass. You want to push her to him?”

  Colt shook his head. “No.”

  “Then, shut the fuck up.”

  Lauren was looking at Colt and Will with a confused look. “What is going on?” she asked as she walked up to Colt. “Why are you so angry?”

  Colt wouldn’t look at her.

  Lauren frowned. “Colt, please talk to me. We’re friends.”

  He turned and grabbed Lauren by the shoulders. “That’s just it, Lauren. I don’t want to be friends with you. I want more.”

  Lauren sucked in a breath of air. “What?”

  “I want more, Lauren. Why can’t you see that?” Colt let go of Lauren. He pushed his hands through his hair and let out a groan before turning and walking toward his truck.

  Lauren just stood there and watched him walk away. Why she didn’t go after him I had no clue.

  She slowly turned and looked at us and then Brax. “Um…Brax, do you want to head down to the fire?”

  “What? Lauren, Colt just—”

  Lauren looked at me and smiled. “I know, Alex. Thanks. I’ll take care of it later.”

  My mouth dropped open as I looked at Will, and he shrugged his shoulders. I turned and watched as Lauren walked away with Brax.

  Libby threw her hands on her hips and said, “Where is she going? She’s going with Brax? What about what Colt just told her?”

  “I have no clue,” Lex said as she looked over to me.

  Luke let out a gruff laugh. “Stupid bastard shouldn’t have told her how he feels. Look at him now—alone and drunk in the back of his truck.”

  Libby spun around and glared at him. “What do you think he should be doing, Luke? Maybe sneaking off with someone and fucking her?”

  The left corner of Luke’s mouth raised in a smile. “Maybe. That’s what I’d do.”

  Libby swallowed hard and slowly shook her head. “Well, you’re in luck, Luke. With the way Claire is walking around with nothing on, you might just find yourself getting lucky tonight.” Libby looked at me and Will as she squared her shoulders off. “Excuse me, y’all. Jason wanted a dance earlier. I think I’ll go find him.”

  Libby started walking away.

  Luke grabbed her arm. “Libby, wait. Don’t…”

  Libby bit down on her lower lip as she looked
at Luke. “Don’t what?”

  Luke looked like he was struggling with something before he smirked. “Don’t be sneaking off to fuck Jason.”

  Right as I was about to grab Luke and knock the hell out of him for saying that, Libby reached back and punched Luke in the jaw.

  Lex let out a small scream as Luke shook his head and looked back at Libby.

  Libby quickly wiped a tear away as she said, “You’re right, Luke. There never was an us, and there never will be.”

  She turned and walked away as Luke stood there, speechless.

  I stepped in front of him. “You ever talk to my sister like that again, and you’re gonna regret it.”

  Luke nodded his head and downed the rest of his beer. “I’m sorry, Will. I’ll apologize to her.”

  I put my hand on Luke’s chest. “No. You’re gonna leave her alone. Stay away from her, Luke.”

  Luke nodded his head and barely said, “Right.”

  My heart was racing a mile a minute as I tried to keep my anger down. I hated that he had just said that to my sister, but Libby had handled it. I was pretty sure her hit was far more impactful than mine would have been. I stepped to the side and let Luke walk by. I let out a sigh as Lex wrapped her arms around me.

  “Will, what’s happening? It feels like everything is starting to fall apart.”

  I placed my finger on her chin and lifted her eyes to mine. “As long as we don’t fall apart, I don’t care. Come on, baby. I have something to show you.”

  She smiled that beautiful smile as I began walking her back to my truck.

  “Are we leaving?” Lex looked over her shoulder at everyone dancing on the makeshift dance area.

  I stopped and looked down at Lex. “Do you want to stay?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I wouldn’t mind a dance or two.”

  I smiled and began leading her over. I pulled her into my arms and gently kissed her lips as “Still Fallin’” by Hunter Hayes began playing. I brought her in closer to me and held her as we danced.