Mom’s arms wrapped around me as I sobbed.What the fuck?I rarely cried, and I wasn’t really sure why I was crying now. I allowed myself to fall apart in my mother’sarms for a few minutes before pushing her away and wiping my face with my sleeve.
“Sorry,” I hiccupped. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“I think you’ve gotten used to hiding your feelings, kiddo, and now they’re all bubbling up to the surface. Have you ever thought about talking to someone?” she asked with a wince.
“I don’t need a shrink, Mom.”
“What’s wrong with talking to someone to help you sort out your emotions? Weren’t you the one to suggest it to Daphne?”
“This isn’t the same. Marcus was manipulating her, and she needed help to see that.”
“So you’re going to just keep pushing people away?”
“I’m fine, Mom. I don’t need therapy. My life is perfectly fine the way it is. I’m happy.”
“Whatever you say, bug.” She stood and started clearing our plates. “I’m here for you if you ever want to talk or have more questions about your dad, okay?”
“Yeah, okay. I think I’m good for now. I need to process this new information.”
The next night,I had Daphne over for a much-needed girls’ night. It felt like ages since we’d had a night all toourselves. I was ready with all of her favorite snacks and a bottle of our favorite wine when she arrived.
“So, how was Christmas with your parents?” I asked as we settled into our spots on my couch. “Are they madly in love with Nathan now, too?”
“Har, har. It was nice. And it wasn’t too awkward,” she chuckled. “You’ve met Nathan—he’s so damn charming. How could they not like him?”
“Yeah, I guess. Did they say anything about how soon it all happened? I remember you saying they thought it was too soon for you to be getting into something after the one who will not be named,” I snickered. Daphne didn’t share my sense of humor when it came to dickhead, I guess, because she ignored me,moving on.
“I think they’re warming up to him. It was really nice, actually.” Daphne stared off into space, reminiscing.
“My Christmas was great. Thanks for asking,” I laughed.
“Shit, sorry. I zoned out there for a minute. Work wasn’t a shitshow then?”
“No, thankfully, it was pretty chill, and a few family members brought us food and treats, so that was an added bonus on top of the double time.”
“That’s good. So what’s been going on with you? I feel like we haven’t really had a chance to catch up in a while.” Daphne pulled her legs up under her and turned toward me, giving me her full attention.
Great. This was my chance to come clean—to tell her about Brandon. My heart raced, and I felt all tingly.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, looking serious.
“Nothing… I… It’s just that I… Nothing.” I stuttered over my words. I needed to tell her the truth, but why was this so hard? I took a big sip of wine.
“Does this have anything to do with you and Brandon?”
My eyes grew wide, and I choked and sputtered on my wine. After a minute of knocking on death’s door, I regained the ability to talk. “Why would you say that?”
“You guys have been spending all that time together for your tattoo, and you looked awfully chummy the other night.” She didn’t look upset, but I kept quiet, hoping she’d do the hard part for me. “But don’t go getting any ideas,” she joked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, feeling a little defensive.
“Seriously, Lexi, it would be a total clusterfuck if you guys hooked up. Think about it. Nathan and I are solid, and we’ll be spending more holidays and stuff together now. You are my best friend, and Brandon is not only his brother but also one of his closest friends. If you guys actually ended up dating, that would be really cool, but I don’t want things getting weird if you hook up and Brandon goes and gets attached.” She put her hand on my leg. “I love you, girl, but you’re a self-proclaimed fuckgirl. From what I’ve learned about him, that’s not Brandon’s style, and he likes you. I can tell, but I don’t want him getting hurt.”
She was making good points. Even though I wasn’t ready for a relationship, I didn’t want Brandon to get hurt.As much as I wanted to come clean to Daphne, maybe I needed to end things with him or, better yet, get over my bullshit and date him like an adult.
28
BRANDON
