“You’re home early!”

“I am. Surprise!” he said as she swayed back and forth.

“Jesus, baby, how much have you had?”

She giggled, before saying, “A. Lot.”

“I can see that.”

“It started out just beer, but then these nice guys wanted to buy us shots of tequila and, of course, we said yes to free booze!” Harper let out a loud yell, and Elli joined in, slapping hands with her.

And Shea thought Grace was a bad drunk. He couldn’t count how many times he had dealt with an extremely drunk Grace through his teen years and early twenties. Grace had gotten them in trouble so many times that Shea was surprised he was where he was and not in jail.

“Did you see that ass hat I wasted years of my life on? I wanted to go smack him, but Harper said I couldn’t. She didn’t have any bail money on her, but I said we could always call you, or my papa, but she wouldn’t let me,” she slurred.

“Thank God,” Shea and Jakob said at the same time. They grinned at each other and then looked back down at Elli. She was chugging a beer along with Harper.

Shea shook his head, looking around the bar, noticing that men were watching as the girls drank and giggled. He wondered how many of the guys had hit on Elli, since she had said guys had bought them drinks. He wondered if she flirted back, if she had given them the same smile she gives him, or if she touched them the way she always touched him. His mind filled with the thoughts of what could or what had happened as he assumed the worst, that she had cheated, that she had come out to replace him. She didn’t love him. What made him any better than any of the ass**les in the bar?

Elli looked over at Shea, and the brightest, biggest, most beautiful smile crossed her face, before she came to him, wrapping her arms around him and looking up at him. He could see the lust filling in her eyes.

“Did you know that the whole time I’ve been here, I’ve been wishing that you were here, cause I just missed you soooooo much,” she slurred as she leaned on him for support. “We should go find a place to be alone,” she said, drawing out the last word.

Shea smiled, shaking his head. How could he think those things? His sweet Elli was crazy for him and only him. He could see it in her beautiful, sparkling with lust, green eyes.

He was jealous.

Something he had never been before.

His breath caught while she just grinned up at him totally oblivious to the fact that he was having an epiphany. He hadn’t even realized it had happened. He knew he loved her, but he didn’t realize that he was absolutely, completely, and entirely hers, and that she could break him.

She reached her finger up to his forehead, poking him hard between his eyes.

“You’re thinking too hard,” she stated, “about what?”

With every word her head nodded, and all he could do was laugh as she beamed up at him, drunkenly.

“Nothing, baby. You ready to head out?” he asked as he gathered her in his arms, kissing her cheeks.

“I was thinking I would have another beer or two.”

He shook his head, before bringing his lips to her ear, “I thought you wanted to go somewhere to be alone. I was thinking my bed.”

There was no way he was having sex with Elli when she was plastered, but if he had to say that to get her out of the bar, he would say it. She probably wouldn’t even make it home awake. A slow grin went across her face and she looked over at Harper, who was making out with the man who was apparently driving her bat shit crazy.

“I’m leaving!”

Harper looked over at her, and glared, “No, no, no, no, you aren’t. You’re my ride!” she said, moving her head from side to side. Shea raised an eyebrow as Jakob just chuckled.

“Baby, I’ll drive you home,” Jakob said, “Shea, can I take your truck home? You can drive Elli’s home.”

“Sure. Thanks,” he said digging out his keys and handing them to Jakob, “We’ll come and get it tomorrow.”

“Sure, dude, thanks.”

Jakob put his arm around Harper and started to lead her out. Shea did the same to Elli, but they only made it halfway before Elli tripped. Shea caught her before she hit the ground as she started laughing uncontrollably. Shea then basically had to carry her out of the bar. How did they think they were going to get home if he hadn’t showed up?

When they got outside and the cold hit Elli, she let out a cry and basically climbed into Shea’s jacket as he tried to walk. It had gotten colder in Nashville since he left. Two weeks ago it was in the lower 50s, but now he was convinced it was only 20 degrees outside. When he reached the truck, Elli had her keys out and unlocked the doors. He helped her up into the jacked up truck, shutting the door before going around getting in himself. She had already started the truck and some country singer was singing about drinking.

What else was new in the country world?

They were either singing about being drunk, crying about their women leaving, or talking about their tractors. But Shea would admit, country boys wrote wicked mean love songs.

Elli sat cross legged; singing louder than necessary as he carefully backed her monster of a truck out of the parking spot she was in. How she drove this truck on a daily basis, he couldn’t fathom. The thing was huge!

“Well, if I have one, I'll have 13. Naw, there ain't no in-between,” she sang before stopping, jumping up and down in the seat beside him. “Oh, my God! This is my theme song!”