Page 74 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
When we got inside, I stepped out of my dirty boots while Silas did the same. As the men shrugged off their coats, I got a better look at “Cupcake’s” face. On one side was a huge scar that went from his temple all the way down his jaw to his chin.
“Felicity, this is Paxon Montero. We were in the army together,” Silas said.
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled and extended my hand.
“Felicity? The Felicity?” Paxon was shaking my hand but looking at Silas.
Uh-oh. The inflection in Paxon’s voice told me that being “The Felicity” wasn’t good. It made sense. Silas and I had just recently reconnected and I doubted he’d called his army buddies to keep them apprised of his love life. But this was just what I didn’t need. Now, in addition to all the other agenda items on Felicity’s Journey Home, I had to try and win over one of Silas’s friends. I needed to start ticking items off my list, not adding to it.
“Well,” Paxon said, turning his attention back to me. He still hadn’t let go of my hand. “This is going to be interesting.”
“What brings you to Montana, Pax?” Silas asked.
We were all standing around his island drinking a beer after Silas had returned from his lap through the pasture to check on the cows. The thirty minutes that he had been gone, Paxon and I had waited together. Awkwardly. He’d walked around Silas’s home, checking it out while I’d sat on the couch and stared at the blank TV. At first, I’d tried to make small talk but all of the questions that I’d asked were returned with grunts and muted “Uh-huhs,” so I’d finally given up.
Damn me for not driving my car here tonight. I desperately wanted to escape.
“I discharged last month,” Paxon said. “Then went home to LA for a bit but it was too loud. Lots of chaos, and I needed to be somewhere quieter.”
“Understood.” Silas’s tone spoke volumes. He’d said that he’d had a rough couple of years after he’d first come home so I figured Paxon was going through that as well. If he needed quiet, he’d come to the right place. Prescott was about as opposite from Los Angeles as he could get.
“How long are you here for?”
Paxon grinned. “Depends on how long it takes you to kick me out.”
“Stay as long as you want,” Silas said immediately. “Where are you staying?”
Paxon tipped his head toward Silas’s couch. “Care if I crash there for a night or two?”
“It’s all yours, man. For as long as you need.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it. Got any work around here you need help with?”
Silas huffed. “More than enough. If you feel like pitching in, I’d be grateful.”
“You got it,” Paxon said, then turned to me. “What about you, Felicity? Are you helping out too?”
I hated the way he sneered my name. It took every ounce of willpower not to sneer his in return. I opened my mouth to answer his question—nicely—but Silas stepped closer to my side and threw an arm around my shoulders, answering Paxon first. “She is. Tonight she helped me pull a calf.”
Paxon glared at Silas’s hand clamped on my bicep, but smiled when he looked back at Silas. “It will be fun to reminisce. Talk about old times. Remember that time we were on leave in Seattle and you hooked up with that bartender? That was an awesome trip. What was her name again?”
I flinched and Silas’s arm b
anded tight. Ouch. I wasn’t sure what hurt worse, hearing that Silas had come to Seattle and hadn’t bothered to look me up or that Silas had come to Seattle and had sex with another woman.
The latter. Definitely.
I hated thinking about Silas with other women. He hadn’t stayed celibate during our years apart; neither had I. But the mental picture of the man I loved with anyone else was not easy to see.
And thanks to Paxon, that image was now front and center. “Asshole,” I muttered.
Paxon opened his mouth, but Silas shut him up with a menacing “Pax.” They glared at each other for a minute until Pax finally lifted up his hands, giving in.
Escape. I needed an escape. If Paxon was staying here, I was not.
I inhaled a deep breath and faked a yawn. “I’m getting tired.” I looked up at Silas. “You guys should catch up. Would you mind taking me home? I’m beat and I need to work tomorrow.” When he frowned, I begged, “Please?”
He sighed. “Okay.”
