“I’m not saying you will.It’s just that I know men.”
“What do you mean?”
He gestured to himself as the line moved forward.“I’m a dumbass, or I used to be.Sometimes we don’t always see what’s right for us, even when it’s literally smacking us in the face.Not that Madison ever smacked me in the face,” he added with a flash of a grin.
I chuckled.“Good to know.”
“Kendall’s good, you’re good.So be good to each other,” he said.
“That’s it?That’s your advice?”
Graham paused as we stepped forward again.His gaze sobered as he looked at me.“My advice is this: just be honest and listen to yourself, and her.I almost lost Madison because I was freaked out about how much she meant to me.We’re all different, but whatever your baggage is, don’t let it screw things up for you.That’s all I’m saying.I don’t know the details, but I honestly assumed you were dating before now.That kind of says it all about how obvious it is that you two mean something to each other.”He clapped me on the shoulder as we reached the counter.
We both got our pizzas and walked out together.I still hadn’t responded to his comments even though several moments had passed.
“Did I freak you out back there?”he finally asked.
I caught his eye.“I guess I just gotta figure out how not to mess this up.”
His lips teased at the corners.“You will.”
At that, he got in his truck and drove away.I tried to tell myself there was no way I could fuck this up.Kendall meant too much to me, and I already knew I was in love with her.That was a no-brainer.That was all I needed to know.
Except now, what had been a hazy hope and wish was very real, and I really,reallydidn’t want to blow it.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Kendall
A few hours earlier
With the drumbeat of anticipation echoing through my body, all I could think about was when I could see Jude.Until…
“Hello?”I answered my phone.
“Kendall,” my brother said.
As soon as I heard his voice and the tone laced within it, dread churned in my stomach.
“What is it, Blake?”I tried to keep the impatience out of my voice.
“I need a ride.”
Relief rolled through me.I could handle giving him a ride.
“Where are you?”
Silence ticked as the pause stretched.
He cleared his throat.“Out at the, uh, brewery.”
“You’re at the brewery?”My relief was very short-lived.The one glimmer of hope was that he didn’t sound drunk.
“I know, I know, I know.I shouldn’t have come out here,” Blake said quickly.
There were going to be skid marks on my tongue from holding so many thoughts silent.But I knew judgment, frustration, lectures, and more were futile.I remembered what someone had said when I went with my parents to an Al-Anon meeting—that we weren’t dealing with just the person we loved, but also with an addiction that could make them into someone occasionally unrecognizable.For the last few years, it had felt like all I’d dealt with when it came to my brother was his addiction.
“I have to finish up feeding, and then I’ll be there.For God’s sake, if you’re out there drinking, please go sit in the entrance, not at the bar.Please.”
