“But Sawyer…despite all the shit I put her through…the shit I’ve done. She still loves me.” Exhaling sharply, I look at him. “She loves me so much I forget what hating myself feels like whenever she’s around.”

I feel so fucking much for this girl she fills all the hollowed-out spaces. Makes me whole again.

Jace assesses me for the better part of a minute before he speaks. “Like I said…you’re an idiot.”

It’s all I can do not to deck him. “Seriously? You just said it yourself, I’m hard to love.” I punch my chest. “It’s only a matter of time before I fuck it up and hurt her so bad she never comes back.”

Just like I did with Mom and Liam.

“I said you were hard to love, motherfucker. I didn’t say you were impossible to love.” He clips the remaining blunt in the ashtray. “Fix this shit with her before it’s too late.” His expression turns solemn as he stands up. “I know you don’t believe in God…or anything. But I can’t help thinking that maybe, just fucking maybe…Mom and Liam sent her to you for a reason.” He slaps my back. “This is your wakeup call, brother. Don’t fucking blow it.”

My chest coils. He’s right.

I don’t want to add Sawyer to my list of mistakes.

“Shit.”

He blinks. “What?”

“I can’t let her go to that wedding alone.”

It’s important to her, ergo it’s important to me.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “You think?”

I’m about to walk outside, but Oakley treks through the front door.

Alone.

“Where’s Sawyer?”

He hikes a thumb behind him. “On her way to the airport. Evidently, there's some kind of wedding emergency and the bride is freaking, so they're taking the next flight out.”

Jace rolls his eyes as he pulls out his phone.

“Fucking moron,” he mutters as he brings it to his ear. “Hello, I was wondering when the next flight from California to North Carolina is.” He looks at his watch. “Okay, if everything is booked up for tonight, when is the next one?” He gives me a thumbs up. “Great, I’d like to book the eight a.m. flight for my brother.”

Perfect. Now I’ll have plenty of time to apologize to Sawyer and help set up.

Hell, putting in an effort might even make her father hate me less.

“What?” Jace exclaims. “There’s a chance it might be canceled? Why?” His eyes widen. “Well, fuck.” He cups the receiver. “Evidently the Carolinas are expecting a hurricane tomorrow.”

Oakley looks at me. “That must be the emergency.”

Chapter 76

Cole

“According to my research, there’s only been one recorded hurricane in March,” Oakley says from the backseat of Jace’s car. “Back in 1908.”

“Thirty-two more fucking hours,” Jace mutters, his hand clenching the steering wheel.

We’ve already been in the car for six.

Apparently it takes almost two days to drive from California to North Carolina.

However, I didn’t want to take a chance on not getting a flight out at all, so Jace and Oakley offered to split the drive with me.

And by offered—I mean they bitched that I’d run myself off the road driving straight through without any sleep, so they begrudgingly came with.

By the time I make it to Knightdale, the reception will almost be over.

But I’ll be there, and that’s all that matters.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping, Oak,” Jace reminds him. “Not reading hurricane facts on your phone.”

Oakley brings his blunt to his lips and inhales. “I told you I wanted the first shift since I’m a night owl, but no, you—”

“Thirty-two more hours,” Jace repeats, glaring at me. “You fucking owe me.”

“I need to take a piss,” Oakley says. “Pull over.”

Fuck that. He should have peed at the last stop. I can’t afford to lose any more time.

We only have five more hours until we’re there.

I slam my foot on the gas. “No. We stopped three hours ago.”

“Three hours is a long ass time, man,” he whines. “Come on, dude. Have a heart.”

I do have a heart…and right now, it’s in North Carolina.

Last time I spoke to Sawyer, she said her flight landed safely, but her sister’s outdoor wedding needed to be moved inside and she was having a bridezilla meltdown about it.

Shortly after that, she rushed off the phone.

I was going to tell her I was on my way there, but I didn’t want to, A—freak her out about me driving through a hurricane.

And B—ruin the element of surprise.

It’s worked well for me in the past—namely the time I pulled Izzy’s head off and asked her to be my girlfriend—and I don’t want to ruin my track record.

I might be the shittiest boyfriend in the world, but if there’s one thing I know how to do well in our relationship…it’s woo her.

And from this day forward, I will always woo her when she least expects it.

A groggy Jace passes Oakley an empty water bottle. “Piss in here.”

“If you think any part of my dick will fit in there, you are sorely mistaken, my friend.”

Jace looks at me. “Pull over so he can pee.”

“It’s called aim, motherfucker,” I grit through my teeth.

“Fine, but if I get piss all over Jace’s leather—”

“Pull over, Cole,” Jace growls. “Now.”

Grinding my molars, I veer to the right and slam on the brakes. “If you’re not done in one minute, I’m leaving your ass on the side of the road.”

Oakley looks around. “Where are we? You know…just in case?”

Jace’s lips twitch. “Knoxville, Tennessee.”

“Nuh-uh,” Oakley argues. “Leave my ass somewhere else.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jace gripes. “Get out of the damn car before Cole has an aneurysm.”

“Fine.” Oakley looks at me. “But don’t you leave me here, Covington. I know where you live.”

Closing my eyes, I force myself to remain calm and not throttle my best friend.

I’m coming, Bible thumper.

Eventually.

“Tropical storm,” Oakley declares from the back seat. “Like I tried to tell you mofos, hurricanes in March don’t happen. With the exception of 1908, of course. You should have just taken the flight.”

Jace and I exchange an irritated glance.

We’ll be arriving in Knightdale in forty minutes. Now is not the time for shoulda-coulda-woulda.

“Now a tornado, on the other hand,” Oak continues. “That could happen. In fact, there was a deadly outbreak of them back in nineteen eighty—”

“Should we duct tape his mouth shut?” Jace grunts.

“I vote we put him in the trunk.”

Oakley sits up in his seat. “My incisors are sharper than a vampire’s. Not only will I scream stranger danger, I will gnaw your arms off.”