Small Town Girl

The captain of the football team pinned me with an arrogant stare, narrowed his gaze, and silently dared me to challenge him. "Lee, I see now why you've never bothered to nail Masyn." Alex snickered and high-fived Mark Holloway, the guy sitting next to him. "You'd be better off with a warm apple pie. There'd be more participation from the filling."He wasn't really talking to me so much as running his mouth about my best friend. Alex had started dating Masyn at the end of our freshman year. They'd been hot and heavy all summer, and I'd listened to his shit in the locker room more times than I cared to admit, too afraid to speak up in her defense. Masyn Porter wasn't the girl he made her out to be to his buddies...or anyone else who'd listen to the filth he shared after practice. But just like everyone else who heard his pornographic tales, I didn't have the guts to call him out on any of it, even though I knew none of it had happened. Everything about high school was a popularity

Beau Chastain came from old money, and he was marrying new money in Felicity Holstein. The difference was Beau didn't give a shit about the number of dollars in a bank account-probably because he didn't know what it was like not to have them. Those same dollars defined Felicity. This was where old money and new money differed. Old money had always been; for generations, these families were rooted in wealth, so no one alive knew what it was like not to have it. Whereas, new money typically came about with the dot-com era, and they flashed it as often as they did their business cards. And Felicity was definitely a flasher. Felicity Holstein was one of those girls who went to college to find a husband. And once they were married, she had their lives planned out. Not one minute of it would be spent in Harden, Georgia, either. Masyn and I begged Beau not to propose at Christmas, but the fool did it anyhow. They graduated from college two weeks ago, and she couldn't wait to add her

Wedding of the year was an understatement. Felicity was going for largest ever. I'd never seen so many people at a rehearsal in all my life, and weddings in the South were a big deal. I'd lost sight of Masyn within five minutes of walking through the doors to the sanctuary. Beau's brothers were the only people in the processional I knew, but that was two more than Masyn had on the bride's side. I stood at the front of the church waiting for instructions when Felicity found Beau to air her complaints in a stage whisper. "We should have had the wedding in Atlanta. This place is too small and pictures are going to look awful. There isn't enough space for the wedding party on the stairs, Beau." It was impossible to tune her whining out, and the mention of hicks and the backwoods didn't endear her to any of the locals within earshot, either. Yes, Harden was a small town filled with hardworking residents, but Beau's family and friends didn't lack for class or clout. She'd insisted o

I was grateful there weren't assigned seats for this shindig. I couldn't handle being paired with Felicity's friends for a four-course meal. Luckily, Masyn and I ended up at a table for ten with seven other people we'd known for years-even if we weren't close to them-leaving one remaining seat next to me. I'd hoped it would stay vacant, yet just as I was about to release the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding, Peyton's hand landed on my shoulder."Is anyone sitting here?" Peyton directed her question to me, but others answered, and she pulled out the chair. It didn't escape my attention that she wasn't assigned to a seat with her sister or anyone else in the wedding party; I just chose not to address it. I might not be from her side of the tracks, but I wasn't raised in a barn, either. I introduced everyone at the table to Peyton, and in a few minutes, I was surprised by how readily she engaged the people sitting with us. Even Masyn talked to her with ease. By the second cou

The mattress bounced under the weight of an object. It didn't take me long to realize who did the jumping. I covered my head with the pillow and tried to block out the light of day and Masyn's exuberance. Nothing could quiet the pep in Masyn's voice. She was a morning person. I was not, especially not after drinking. "You have omelets to make. Hop up." "If you don't stop that shit, you're going to break the bed. Then I'll have to sleep in the guest room with you."She stopped bouncing and grabbed the edge of my shield. "I can't understand you with that pillow over your head." I held on, and the tighter I squeezed, the more she tugged and leaned backward, trying to use her weight as leverage. Then I let go. A smile spread across my lips when she stifled a squeal and then harrumphed when her ass hit the bed. Even though I knew she watched me, I couldn't help it. I skimmed my gaze up her bare legs until my eyes reached the hem of my boxers, high on her thigh. She always had to