Grey inhaled and exhaled. “That bad?”
“Yeah. I knew then that she would never love me like that, and I also knew that she cried like that because she believed you weren’t coming back. Darren wanted to move on, and for a long time, she did with me.”
We stared out at the ocean. The sounds of the seagulls and waves were soothing the residual hurt that had passed between us once upon a time.
“Darren would’ve stayed with you, you know?” Grey said so quietly that the beach noise almost drowned his words.
“Yeah. There were times I wondered if I’d made the right decision to leave my marriage for Joi. Wondered if having the woman meant for me was this elusive fantasy, and that I should be happy with a woman who would go hard for me as Darren did.” I glanced at him before refocusing on the beach. “Isn’t that what most people hope for in a relationship?”
He chuckled. “Hell, if I know. Never cared about a relationship until Darren.”
We stopped talking again for a beat.
“Why are we here, St. Patrick?” He asked, and I could sense his nervousness.
“Does my ego good to know I can still rattle you.” I bumped the arm of his chair with my fist. “Chill. This isn’t about Darren...well, sort of.”
“What is this about? You text me out of the blue, saying you need to talk just to me. You and I haven’t been alone in almost twenty years.”
“The last time we were, we almost got into a fight because you thought I was fucking over Darren,” I reminded him.
Grey nodded. “Until you told me that you loved Darren and wanted to marry her one day.”
“Yep.” I whistled. “No idea why I told you something, she didn’t even know yet. Like, I don’t know why of all the people in the world, I could talk to, I’m choosing you, now.”
He leaned forward and rubbed his thighs. “Because we are more alike than different. Because we loved the same woman for a long time. Because we share children. Because we’re both athletes who achieved the seemingly impossible. Because we’re both fatherless men trying to figure the shit out.”
“Damn, don’t think I ever thought how we should’ve been best friends.” I laughed out loud. “Ooh, then we would’ve really fought after I stole your woman.”
“Man, fuck you.” He pushed my shoulder and smiled.
“Fuck you.” I settled back in my chair, finally relaxed enough to tell him the purpose of my visit. “Brooklyn’s ex showed up at her job on Christmas...said he stopped by her house first and used his key. Walked right in that bitch after three years of no contactandafter he ghosted her at the altar.”
“The fuck?” Grey exclaimed. “Did you beat his ass?”
“Exactly. I had an instant migraine because she refused to let me hit him.” I chuckled. “She did get a few licks in before I grabbed her.”
“Good.” He suddenly frowned. “Then what’s the problem?”
“Brooklyn swore that he meant nothing to her...that she didn’t expect to ever see him again, so she didn’t change the locks. I want to believe her.”
“Darren and me all over again?” Grey tapped his balled fist on the arm of his chair.
I glanced at him. “I don’t know, and I don’t know if I want to put myself out there like that again.”
“We’re forty. Everyone you date will have a past unless you want a much younger woman. And that has its own challenges.”
“It does.” I rubbed the top of my head. “I was prepared to risk my heart with Brooklyn until it hurt like fuck, and all the worst part of love slammed into me. Like, why do I want to torture myself again?”
“You love her,” Grey replied. “Anyone with eyes could see that at the gala. She softens you. She might be the love you’ve always wanted.”
“That was an amazing night.” A vision of Brooklyn at the gala warmed my heart and tightened my pants. Needed to change my thoughts quickly before I embarrassed myself and Grey. I shifted in my chair. “You never answered me. Why did you leave Darren? Be honest. Was it another woman? I swear I won’t tell Darren, though I’m sure she knows every fucking thing about you.”
“She does know. I was scared. Scared of loving someone that deeply. Scared that I wasn’t enough. When I believed I deserved her, I wanted her back. Plain and simple.” He rose from his chair. “If you’re trying to compare this time and that man to what happened in the past, keep in mind, Darren found out about your affair the same time I came back into her life.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I looked up at him.
“If you were doing what you were supposed to do, maybe you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation, and you would stillbe married to Darren. She was torn about leaving you and what you two built, no matter how much she loved me. If you’re doing right by Brooklyn, she ain’t going anywhere. She’d be a fool to leave you for a man who could treat her like that, no matter the reason. And Brooklyn didn’t strike me as a fool.” He opened the door to his living area. “Want to come inside and have a beer? The Texans game is on. It’s not too late for us to be friends. Sometimes, men need to talk it out, too.”
