Free Say You'll Stay by Corinne Michaels Page B

more filled out. Age has only made him better than I remember.
    Grace clears her throat. “I’ll let you two catch up.”
    I try to grab her arm, but she moves too quickly.
    “You look great, Pres.” He smiles, and I fight the urge to slap him. I don’t look great. I don’t feel great. I’m a mess, and I’m trying to find a way to get up in the mornings. But there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell I’m telling him that. The Zach I knew would’ve already seen that. “How are you?” he asks.
    I have a voice somewhere, but I can’t seem to get it to cooperate. “Okay,” I murmur. Damn it. Pull it together, Presley. You’re a grown ass woman who doesn’t need or want to ever be hurt like that again. “You?” Great. One word is all I can manage.
    “I’m doing good. Wyatt said you were back in town, but I didn’t believe him. You were pretty clear about never coming back.”
    Wyatt. That son of a bitch. He knew this was going to happen. “I sure was. Wonder why?”
    “Right.” He’s thrown off by something. Probably my hostility. But he continues our very uncomfortable conversation. “I thought about stopping by the ranch. I didn’t think you wanted to see me, though.”
    I let out a heavy breath. “I didn’t know you were here, Zach. He failed to mention that, as did everyone else. If I had known . . .” I trail off while I collect myself a little more. “I don’t know. I’m kind of surprised right now. I didn’t expect to see you.”
    I didn’t want to see him either. I never wanted to lay my eyes on him again. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he’d affect me this way. It’s always been like this for me. I’ve never been able to control my heart where Zach is concerned. He has some kind of special hold on me.
    “We should talk.”
    There’s nothing to talk about.
    “Why are you in Bell Buckle?” I ask with an edge to my voice.
    “Blew out my shoulder,” he says, and I want to laugh. I literally want to laugh in his face. He broke my heart. He left me in Maine to go play pro baseball and winds up back here. “I came back to rehab it, but ended up settling here when my dad had a stroke.”
    Felicia slithers behind him, the whole time watching me. “There you are, baby.” Her fingers slowly glide up his arm before reaching his shoulder. “I was hoping we’d get to talk to you together, Presley. I was telling Zach how long it’s been since the three of us were in the same room. Of course the dynamic has changed a little now.”
    I let out a short laugh. “Yup. It has.”
    Zach’s eyes stay on me. He doesn’t even acknowledge her. “There’s a lot that’s changed.”
    Felicia rests her head on his arm. He looks at her and then back to me. She perks right up. “I would love to have lunch or something. Wouldn’t that be fun, Presley? We could talk all about your life and how Zach and I are doing.”
    “You know.” I let out a dramatic sigh. “I’m really busy these days.”
    “I’m sure you are.”
    I clench my fists, ready to let out months of hostility, but Zach interjects. “Felicia.”
    She, of course, doesn’t take well to him defending me. “Really, Zachary?” She rips her arm away before raking her fingers through her hair.
    Wyatt comes to stand next to me and tosses his arm over my shoulder, hauling me against his side. “There you are, Cowgirl. I need to put one of those tracking things on you.”
    Felicia snorts. “Like one of the cows.”
    I want to claw her eyes out. Wyatt must sense it because his hand clasps my shoulder. “I meant to ask you, Felicia,” he says with indifference. “Did you get what you wanted for your anniversary? You know, the day after Presley got back in town?”
    “Why don’t you grab us a few beers?” Zach urges Felicia.
    She shoots daggers at him. I have a feeling I’m missing something. “What?” she whines. “You’re kidding me?”
    Wyatt tugs me closer. “Grab us one too, would you?”
    “Fuck you,” she