“Nathan? You still there?” Shelly asked.
“Ye-ah.” I cleared emotion from my throat. “Yes, that’s great news.”
I could hear the smile in her voice. “I knew you’d think so.”
“Let me talk to Brenna, and we’ll get back to you.”
I agreed to let her know tomorrow after she warned the buyers would move on if we didn’t answer soon.
“Talk to me about what?” Brenna asked.
I repeated what Shelly told me.
“Seriously?” Brenna beamed, her excitement appropriate for good news.
She didn’t ask why I wasn’t equally over the moon, but she could tell I didn’t share her enthusiasm. And because I’d known her most of my life, I recognized it wasn’t her not caring. She knew this could open the pandora’s box of topics we avoided.The ones I desperately needed to talk with her about before my heart broke like a glass hit with a sledgehammer.
My father’s voice filled my head.Don’t repeat my mistakes.
He’d let the love of his life walk away without a fight. By the time he realized his fuckup, my mom had moved on with someone else. No one had died and left everything to my parents to force them back together. Not for the first time, gratitude for my father washed over me. He’d known what my stubborn ass refused to admit. My life would not be full without Brenna Quinn in it.
“We need to take this offer.” She pushed into a sitting position, facing me. “I need to go back. I can’t leave Molly alone to deal withher.”
Finally.The words Brenna refused to voice. This relationship would never work if we didn’t tell each other the truth.
I smoothed her hair back from her face. “All right,” I said, even though my lips rebelled against the words. “Book your flight. I’ll wrap up everything here.”
Her head jerked back. “Really?”
“Really,” I repeated. “I’d never keep you from her.” I reached for Brenna’s hand, wrapping it in mine. “Give me tonight. And I get to pick what we do.”
Brenna sighed dramatically. “I don’t want to go to that Wolves party.”
Gemma had invited us to a New Year’s Eve party Kennedy was hosting in Alexei Volkov’s new house. She’d explained she usually hosted but decided not to this year because of the baby. Though that wouldn’t stop her from “tearing it up at Kennedy’s future place.”
I tipped Brenna’s chin to me. “I’m not sharing you with anyone on our last night here, darlin’.”
“Then what do you want to do?”
“Talk.”
She stilled. I took a deep breath, readying myself for her to retreat further from me.
She surprised me by squeezing my hand. “Okay, Nathan, but you’re going to need to feed me.”
I squeezed her hand back. “Pizza is already on the way.”
42
BRENNA
Six years ago
Today I graduated fromMiddlebury High School, putting four years behind me that I’d rather forget.
I’d spent most of this year distracting myself from what I’d lost. Working in the trainer’s room, gaining experience I could put on my resume when I pursued physical therapy. Bonding with my baby sister. Spending time with Derek, going to dinner and school events.
Never baseball games.
