“What?” I challenge her. “Had you known what, Angie?”

“I could’ve been prepared.”

“Do you want me miserable?” I ask with wariness.

“Yeah, I want you to be sobbing every damn day.” Angie rolls her eyes. “Of course I don’t want that. I wanted you to trust me.”

I wish she knew how much I wanted to tell her. “If I thought that you would’ve been the least bit happy for me, I would’ve. Don’t you see? Your opinion matters, and I knew that this wouldn’t go over well.”

She tilts her face toward that sky, takes a deep breath, and then faces me again. “I hate that I reacted this way. I wanted to make you smile. And I didn’t want it to be Zach.”

But Zach is who helped me. I was in agony until he showed me the way. Angie would’ve been my rock if I could’ve stayed in Pennsylvania. But my path didn’t go that way—it came back home.

“It’s not your choice.”

Her anger returns. “How could you forgive him when he left you pregnant?” she screams at me.

“Dammit, Angie.” I look around to make sure no one is around. “I never told him about the baby.”

“So he doesn’t know?” The judgment in her tone makes me cringe.

“No,” I huff. “I’m . . . I have every intention of telling him, but it never seems like the right time.”

She shakes her head. “You have a real issue with keeping secrets, Presley. They’re going to bite you in the ass.”

This isn’t a conversation to have outside of the bar. “Just stop.”

Angie turns, and I can sense her disappointment. I plan to tell Zach. I’ve said the words in my head a hundred times, but then I can’t say them aloud.

“I’m working on my issues. Little by little.” I feel like I’ve had a mountain of crap to deal with. I’m fully aware that I’m not handling things the right way. “I’m sorry.” I place my hand on her shoulder. I haven’t seen her in a long time. I’ve missed her. “I don’t want to fight. Please,” I beseech her.

“I don’t either.” Her heavy breath releases. “I should’ve known though. I was telling myself the whole time that this was going to happen. I should’ve known you’d find your way back to him.”

I bump her arm. “Did you want to be my savior?”

“I am your savior. I’m the best damn woman in the world.” Her smile cracks. “I hate you. I hate that even when I want to choke you, I still love you.”

“I hate you too.” I grab her arm, yanking her into a hug. “I missed you.”

“Seems it.”

I slap her shoulder. “You have to be a smart ass.”

Angie leans back with a sigh. “Do the boys know about you guys?”

“Not yet,” I admit. “It has all really only become serious the last few weeks. We were taking things insanely slow. I think Logan has an inkling though.”

We both walk over to the bench that sits against the wall. I see her mind is wrestling with this, and to be honest, so is mine. It’s all become very real in a matter of a few hours. Zach and I have been trying to maintain a slow pace, and it just got railroaded. She takes my hand in both of hers, and I’m brought back to the last time we saw each other.

“Your hair still looks like shit,” I say offhandedly.

“You’re too skinny.”

“You really should stop being so pretty.”

Angie grins. “I get it from my sister.”

I rest my head on her shoulder and fight back the urge to cry. “I’m truly sorry.”

“Me too.”

“We should get back in before Zach and Grace come out with a search party. You know how the South feels about you Yankees.”

She gives me a dirty look. “I swear. It’s an alternate universe down here. Did you know there are no Starbucks anywhere around here?”

“Yeah, I’m aware.”

She would die down here. Her city life is all she knows and loves. Angie almost lost it in Maine for four years. But we had a lot of bars. She found a way to swap her coffee for beer. “I think I should say hello to him,” she says as her head rests on mine.

“It would mean a lot to me if you and he could be civil. For the boys too. They really like him.”

“He got them fucking horses!” She laughs. “I would like him too if he got me a damn horse.”

I shake my head. “Let’s go.”

We both get up, but when we turn, Zach is heading toward us. My stomach clenches, and I pray this is easy. Angie huffs from behind. We’re off to a good start.

“Hello, Zachary,” Angie almost croons.

“Angelina,” he says her full name with a smile. “It’s been a long time.”

“Has it?” Her sarcasm is thick. “I guess it has been. I’m sure you’ve missed me.”

“Okay,” I say loudly, trying to diffuse what’s building. I know Angie, and I also know Zach will step to her challenge.

“You okay?” he asks while rubbing my arm.

I grab his hand and move toward him. “I’m fine. Angie didn’t know . . .”

I haven’t told anyone until tonight, but I see the flash of disappointment in his eyes. He knows that Angie is truly a sister to me. They always got along until he left me. Then she loathed him.

“I’m so sorry about your brother.” Zach steps forward and her head falls. “I remember that you were close when we were younger.”

“Thank you,” she says sincerely.

Angie may be a lot of things, but cruel isn’t one. She’s been through hell as well. She’s not an unkind person, just a little feisty. One thing I always could count on was her being by my side. Her loyalty and friendship are unwavering.

“Let’s go get a drink,” I suggest.

We all head inside, and I introduce Angie to everyone. She and Grace have their love of painting in common. Angie tells her all about the museums and galleries in Philadelphia and New York. Trent and Angie also seem to instantly hit it off. He flashes his badge, and she tells him how unimpressed she is. It’s hysterical to watch, and Grace loves that a woman is putting him in his place. I wish she’d try a little to talk to Zach, but stubborn is one thing Angie most definitely is.