I knew exactly what he was thinking. Following my directions would likely cause water from the showerhead to spray on his face and chest. And that could potentially take his mind spiraling to his time with Sebastian. My heart pounded along with his.
“Come on, pup. I’m waiting for you,” I encouraged as his fingers shook.
“Promise?” he said loud enough so only I could hear him.
“Always, Brandon.”
Without giving it another thought, Brandon took a huge leap of faith. He pushed his hands off the wall and fell backward into my protective arms … right where he belonged.
Epilogue
James
I leanedagainst the wood railing of my deck and was talking to Sam when I heard the sound of the doorbell carry through the house and outside to us. I glanced at Brandon as he emptied more ice into some coolers next to the house.
“I’ll get it,” I told Brandon as he began to trot inside.
I passed Joshua at the barbecue grill as I walked inside and told him everything smelled great. Inside, Alison was heading to the door as well. She pulled the door open, and Andrew stood on the porch. My stomach dropped a little when I saw that he was alone. By the time I reached the entryway, Alison had playfully punched him in the stomach.
“Dude, why do you even bother ringing the doorbell?” she asked him.
“Because it’s polite,” he jabbed back.
Alison swatted the air at his comment and then grabbed some food trays to take outside. Salem followed her out of the kitchen also with a tray in hand.
I turned to face Andrew and couldn’t help but grin when his face broke out in a smile. Andrew was about to shut the door, but just beyond the driveway, I saw another car with some of our guests pull up. I pointed to them, and Andrew left the door open.
“Elise couldn’t make it?” I asked Andrew.
“Uh, no. I’m sorry, James. She had some things to do tonight, but gives her best,” Andrew offered.
“It’s no trouble at all, Andrew,” I sincerely said.
It really didn’t upset me for my sake that Elise hadn’t accompanied Andrew to my party. I felt bad for Andrew, though. She seemed to continually put him into situations where he had to choose between her and his friends. Then when he made the decision, she made him feel guilty about it.
“Is everyone else here?” he asked.
I pointed in the direction of the driveway as the last of our guests were getting out of their car.
“Just waiting on them,” I confirmed.
“Great, I’ll go say hello to everyone else,” Andrew said and headed outside to the deck.
I stepped onto the porch as a huge part of my life approached the house. I made a big deal out of looking at my watch as if the time were so important.
“Well, it’s about time you showed up,” I said, unable to hide my laughter as Russell, Nick, Sadie, and whom I presumed was Ryan, climbed up the steps.
I held out my hand for Russell to take. As soon as he could reach me, he gripped my hand and pulled me into a hug.
“It’s so good to see you, my friend. I’m glad you guys could make it,” I said as I slapped Russell on his back. “About five minutes late, though,” I mocked and winked at Sadie.
“You’ve probably only been up for a few hours,” Russell said as he drove his fist playfully against my upper arm while I shook Nick’s hand and hugged him.
“Cut us some slack, Jimmy, we had a long drive,” Nick joked as Sadie bounded up the stairs and into my waiting arms.
“It’s good to see you, my dear. I am so sorry you had to spend all those hours in a car ride from Vegas with these two,” I teased and kissed her cheek.
As Sadie stepped out of my hug and moved to stand beside Nick, my gaze dropped immediately to the wrist of the young man beside Russell.
