Her eyes prickled with tears. She swiped them away as she turned onto the main road and said a prayer for Liam. Then she came to the four-way stop where she’d turn right and head home. On a whim she turned left instead. She needed to talk to someone and Meghan would still be up. Her friend was probably poking around online to see what people were saying.
Meghan lived a ten-minute walk from downtown on a residentialstreet lined with cute one-story bungalows. Golden porch lights lit the neighborhood as Chloe headed down the road, careful of the cars parked at the curbs.
When she reached Meghan’s drive she slowed and pulled in. But when her headlights swept across the drive, they revealed far more than she’d expected.
Sean and Meghan were wrapped up like a burrito, making out at the side of Sean’s truck. They jumped apart, squinting against the lights.
Nice that neither of them had bothered to mention to Chloe that their relationship had escalated. She considered pulling right back out of the drive, then decided no. She was going to face this head-on. Facethemhead-on.
Her anger faded as she zoomed in on Meghan’s worried expression. At the slumping of her shoulders. Chloe couldn’t help but fast-forward to the moment when Sean inevitably broke her friend’s heart. She didn’t want Meghan to go through another heartbreak. She deserved so much better than that.
Still, Chloe had already warned them both. They were adults and it seemed they were determined to take this road even if it was destined to end in a terrible crash.
As she stepped from her car, Sean said something to Meghan. She answered and he replied back. Then her friend headed up the porch steps, turning to offer Chloe a guilty smile.
By the time she reached Sean, Meghan was inside.
Her brother crossed his arms. “It’s me you’re mad at. No reason she has to stick around for this.” His hair was in complete disarray as if...
Well. Chloe didn’t want to think about that. “You’re just determined to see this through then? You’re gonna win her over and make her fall for you, then you’re gonna break her heart just like her ex did? I can’t believe—”
“Iloveher, Chloe.”
She froze. Took in her brother’s earnest eyes, the fervent frown between his brows, the ardent expression on his face. She’d never heard Sean use that word in reference to a woman outside the family.
“I know you think this is just my usual fleeting interest, but this is different. Meghan is different. I won’t hurt her. And I won’t give her up, not even for you.”
Her mouth fell open. This was a side of Sean she’d never seen. Was it possible he actually had fallen in love with Meghan? “Does she feel the same way?”
“I think so. She’s just afraid to tell me. I hope.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“We’ve been dancing around it since spring when I helped her gather sand for her display window. I tried to stay away, I really did. She wasn’t exactly open to the idea of the two of us.” He scowled at Chloe. “She was convinced I was ‘emotionally unavailable’ because of all the things you’d told her about me.”
Chloe opened her mouth.
“I know, I know. It was true. But this is different. I have feelings for her—real feelings. It’s taken me months to convince her of that, and you just interrupted our first kiss, so thanks for that.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m still a little... concerned about this.”
“Will it help to know I’ve been in counseling all summer?”
She blinked. Her brother wasn’t exactly the touchy-feely sort. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He gave her a sheepish glance. “It’s kinda personal. I felt stupid paying someone to listen to me whine about my life. But I have to admit it’s helped. I’ve figured out a lot of things, like why I jump from one woman to the next.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense.”
He drew a deep breath. His jaw flexed as he struggled with someemotion. Then he met her gaze. “Long story short, I was afraid I was just like our father.”
“What?”Nothing he could’ve said would’ve shocked her more. “You are nothing like him, Sean. You’re warm and caring for starters, and you don’t desert people when they need you most. You’re one of the most loyal people I know.”
His eyes took on a glossy sheen. “With family, yeah, maybe. But with women... not so much. So I just kept ending relationships before they got too serious.”
Her lungs emptied. She grabbed her brother and wrapped him up in her arms. “That could never be true. But I’m glad you’re figuring things out.” She had another thought. “You were already dealing with these daddy issues when our family’s story broke. I’m sorry. That couldn’t have helped matters.”
“It hit you pretty hard too. I’m determined to fix my issues—I want this to work with Meghan more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
