Chapter Sixty-Eight
It wasn't until Martha left the dining room to check on her husband that Austin actually spoke to Isabella directly. And only to ask her to pass the salt.
"Are you sure? You don't want to check with Aaron first?" the Colombian sneered, making everyone look at her. She would have blushed or cowered in the past, but she was too angry to do either.
"What? No… Why would he have to ask me first?" Aaron nearly stuttered. She couldn't possibly think he was that horrible. Had he done something wrong? He couldn't remember the last time he'd been mean to Tatum, but maybe he'd said something to upset the sisters.
"I don't know. Austin seems to think he can't have anything unless he's checked with you first," she said, her eyes fixed on the Sheriff's face. It looked like she was starting to upset him as he kept clenching his jaws. Good, she couldn't help but thinking. At least he felt something. She could feel her sister's gaze on her. Tatum, for possibly the first time ever, seemed to be at a loss for words. She had no idea what was going on with her sister.
"You know you don't need to ask me first, right?" Aaron now turned to his friend. Maybe he'd said something to Austin? He honestly couldn't remember if he had.
"I know," the Sheriff said gruffly, sighing when Isabella rolled her eyes.
"You could've fooled me." She'd tried to stay nice throughout the entire dinner. Mostly for her sister's sake. She didn't really care if Sean's parents liked her much, but she did care if they liked her sister. Martha seemed nice enough, anyway. So, she'd stayed friendly until both parents were out of the room. She didn't have to be nice now. She'd been working herself up throughout dinner. It was one thing to have him sat at the table, it was a whole other to have him laughing and joking like nothing was wrong. She wouldn't pretend for him anymore.
"Someone wanna clue us in on what's goin' on?" Sean asked, his girlfriend still staring at her sister with her mouth slightly hanging open. Pregnancy had done a real number on her brain. She looked adorable; he would have to remember this, so he could hug her later.
"I don't want to. Ask him," Isabella shrugged, then pushed her chair back and got up. "I think I need some fresh air," she added as an afterthought before she started to walk away.
Austin's heart raced, it didn't feel like she was merely walking out of the room, it felt like she was walking out of his life. He panicked when he saw Aaron start to get up, and almost jumped out of his chair as he called out her name. What had he been doing? He couldn't just let her go without a fight; he'd hate himself forever.
"Please, Bella, don't go," he told her, clenching his fists so he wouldn't reach out for her. He was pretty sure she'd punch him if he did.
Aaron sat back down, his gaze going from his best friend to the woman he'd fallen in love with, as dread settled in the pit of his stomach.
Isabella turned around slowly, her brown eyes locking with the Sherriff's blue. He looked like he was sorry, like he'd finally say what she'd wanted to hear for so long, but she'd been wrong about him before. "Why?" she asked him. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, preparing herself to say goodbye. This was his last chance, whether he knew it or not.
"Because..." he started awkwardly, clearing his throat as he pushed his fingers through his blond hair. He'd thought about saying this so many times, pictured how and where, and never had he imagined he'd have an audience. He could feel the Miller brothers eye him curiously, he could almost hear Tatum's brain processing what was happening. He just had to pretend they weren't there. "Because I love you," he said, his voice low. "I have since I was twenty."
"Well, tough. It's too little, too late," he got in reply, and he stumbled back as if she'd slapped him. He'd really fucked up this time. He watched her walk away, a sudden lump forming in his throat and suddenly very aware of three sets of eyes on him.
"Since you were twenty?" Tatum asked the most obvious question.
He turned to her and sighed. He didn't feel like explaining. He wanted to leave, to hide in his home and never come out.
"I thought she'd never forgive you for blowing her off that summer," Aaron mumbled, leaning back in his chair as he took his friend in. The man had apparently had not one but two chances at Isabella's heart, and he'd blown them both. What he wouldn't do to trade places. He hated himself for thinking it, but maybe, since his friend seemed to be set on ruining things for himself, maybe he'd have a chance with Isabella in the future.
"Yeah… well…" Austin shrugged before he realised what his friend had said. "You knew?"
"Wasn't that hard to figure out. You were miserable for weeks after she left."
His friend wasn't wrong. He could still remember quite vividly how he'd felt like his world had fallen apart. He'd found the perfect girl and let her go over something as idiotic as his own insecurity. And now he was doing the exact same thing. "I gotta go."