She laughs cynically to herself. “Maybe so, but he and I…”
“What? Just roommates who shared a bed?” Now I sound like a jealous son of a bitch.
Her jaw drops, as it should because my sentence came from the offside, even for me.
“You would think that, wouldn’t you,” she snarls.
“No point in arguing this. We have a wish to fulfill.”
She shakes her head once, twice, with astonishment flooding her face. “You’re really going to do it, aren’t you? Move into the home Zac left me. You feel some sort of guilt and now here we are.”
Now I’m fuming, and I step toward her, towering over her petite frame with her eyes sliding up to meet mine. She smells of mango, a peculiar smell, but that’s always been her shampoo… always.
“It’s not guilt.”
Summer jabs her finger against my chest, her starecarving into me. “It is. Because you’re the one who let me go— You changed the path.”
I’m quick to grab Summer’s wrist, and her breath catches. I swear my chest is about to burst from the spike of my pulse, and I do at least 100 reps on the bench press on a daily basis to raise my heart rate. “Now isn’t the time to rehash events,” I warn her.
Crap. Are we having a confrontation for the whole world to see? The guests on the second floor must be getting a show.
A sly smirk begins to form on her beautiful mouth, and it concerns me but sucks me in all the same. “We’ll have to eventually if you plan on living back in Lake Spark.”
“But not today.” Our eyes are in a tight latch again, and the air seems to evaporate around us. This is why I’ve stayed away. “Does it matter anyhow?”
“Nash, what have we been thrown into? What has your brother done?” Her voice grows delicate.
“Damage, without even knowing it,” I rasp.
The joke’s on us, it has to be.
“He always loved games.” Everything softens inside of her. “Gosh, remember how he insisted on playing the old-school version of that video game where the kid is a paperboy for like a week?” she reflects and has a small wry smile.
My entire body eases. “Such a geek like that. He should have been dating, he had the looks. Instead, he could master every single card game and boardgame, too. I do remember that he nearly lost it when you informed him that there was a second version of the game. And remember how he had those ridiculous drawings?”
We both chuckle softly, and the air around us lightens.
But then her eyes abandon me to glance down to see my hand still wrapped around her wrist. I drop my fingers awaylike a burn to the skin then clear my throat, and we both step back to create some distance.
She clears her throat. “Fine.” Her tone is curt.
“Fine what?”
“If you suddenly feel like you owe something to Zac, then move your bags on in and get to know your nephew.” She doesn’t sound thrilled, more deflated. “That’s theonlyreason. To honor Zac’s wishes because he loved Bo, and he wants you to know your nephew. For Zac and Bo,” she clarifies.
My tongue darts to the corner of my mouth. I could scream that Zac owes me more. Alas, right now, it’s about Summer who just received the bombshell she was never warned about.
“I’m moving in.” That’s my answer.
Against all better judgment.
“Honorable,” she snipes as she shuffles her feet and walks a few paces with her back facing me as she looks at the water along the side of the dock.
I go from zero to a hundred around this woman. Tormented, angered, then hopelessly at her mercy; if only she knew. “It will be good for Bo, and you’ll get a little relief.”
A bitter noise rumbles from her throat. “Relief? You’ve got to be kidding me. You’ve stormed back into my life on a full-time basis.”
Staring up at the sky, I then bow my head from exhaustion. “Like you were with my brother on a full-time basis?”
