“Warren?” I say his name like it’s a question, even though my instincts told me who he was yesterday, and they’re screaming the same today.
He eyes me warily. “Yes. Do I know you?”
I take my hand back, straightening my shoulders. “Brady Sterling. I’m Addison’s boyfriend.” It’s a liberty I feel like taking. We hadn’t gotten around to discussing titles, but saying I love you catapults us past the conversation where we determine the relationship.
Warren laughs, shaking his head disbelievingly. “Okay, buddy.”
I feel bad for the guy, I do. But not that bad. “Addison and I are dating. And I get that you’ve come back here for her. I’m guessing you’re a medical miracle, right?” I rush forward, not letting him answer. “And I’m happy for you. I’m sure you’re a celebrity in the field of science.”
“I woke up thinking I had a fiancée,” he hisses, stabbing a finger at the ground.
“It’s a shitty situation. And we’re all in it, not just you. You could’ve called Addison, but you didn’t. You came here because you knew what it would do to her to see you. You hoped that would work in your favor. You preyed on her kind nature.”
His chest puffs up, but his shirt hangs off him and it doesn’t have the intended effect. It’s not his fault. What happened to this guy was awful.
“She’s my fiancée. Mine.” He smacks his chest to emphasize the word. “And I’m not above using any advantages I may have.”
I stand, tossing my paper onto the seat. “Have you asked Addison what she wants? Or did you just use her guilt to coerce her?”
If Warren responds, I don’t hear it. I don’t get more than a few feet away when I see Finn standing nearby, bags of takeout dangling from his hands.
“The ex?” he asks, giving Warren a hard stare over my shoulder. That’s what best friends do. They’re on your side when they don’t even know who they’re opposing.
I nod, reaching the place where Finn stood watching. We head to the elevator.
“I feel for him. His situation is shit.” Reaching out, I press the button for our floor. The doors open, and we step on. When nobody else gets on and the doors close, I look at Finn. “But I wish he hadn’t woken up. That’s awful, isn’t it? What a terrible thought.” I glance up at the ceiling of the elevator, decorated in metallic swirls.
“It doesn’t make you a bad person, Brady. It makes you human.”
“Since when have I wished ill on someone? Is this what love does? Makes you capable of things you’re otherwise unable to fathom?”
“Yes,” Finn answers, and the hard way he says it makes me stare at him, but he doesn’t look at me. “Do you want to mix a sleeping pill into his drink and put him on a train to Chicago?”
I chuckle. “Something like that.”
The elevator stops on our floor, the doors open and Finn steps off first, pausing to look back at me. “It’s okay to love someone so much you’d do anything for them.”
The doors begin to close but Finn’s foot shoots out, halting them. They slide open again and I step off.
“I’m glad she has you.” I clap him on the back.
I mean it. Lennon has someone who loves her so much he’d do anything for her.
And so does Addison.
In fact, it sounds like she may havetwo.
27
Addison
I knew lettingWarren stay for dinner last night was a bad idea. But what was I supposed to do? He stood there on my doorstep, his expression as optimistic as a dog when its owner reaches for its leash. And he brought flowers. My favorite, of course, because he woke up in love with me, still remembering my preference for roses even if they are cliché. He’d told his sister to eat alone, and come out to Sweet Escape.
I spent the day alternating between calling Brady and busying myself. Call Brady, go for a run. Call Brady, check the amphitheater becausewhat if he’s there?Call Brady, make lunch. Call Brady, take a nap as restless as my sleep the night before it. He hasn’t answered yet. Soon I’ll have to resort to text messages to get my side heard. I’d rather be face to face, but beggars can’t be choosers. He needs to let me explain what he thinks he saw.
Warren called late-afternoon, asking me to come to his hotel so we could talk. I agreed quickly, ready to tell him about Brady. Hurting Warren’s feelings is inevitable, and the longer I allow him to hope, the worse off he will be.
I arrive at the hotel, breathless from running in the rain. The sky opened up as soon as I parked. Thankfully I saw the angry gray sky before I left Sweet Escape and pulled the top up on the Jeep.
