I nod, and she disappears behind the house.
I turn to see Cabe standing by the railing, hands shoved into his pockets, shoulders tight.
I must make some kind of sound because his head jerks up.
His eyes meet mine.
The hurt on his face crushes me.
Before I can think about it, I’m rushing to him, and his brows lift in surprise as I practically launch myself across the porch.
His arms automatically come around me. The embrace is strong, safe, and familiar.
“Whoa,” he says softly.
“I’m sorry,” I say into his chest. The words come out muffled against his shirt. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
His hand settles on my back. “Jo—”
“No,” I say, pulling back enough to look up at him. “Let me say it.”
I tighten my grip. “You shouldn’t have found out about us that way.” My throat burns. “You didn’t deserve that.”
His jaw tightens. “No,” he says, “I didn’t.”
I let out a sob. “We were going to tell you. As soon as he got back from Dallas.”
“How long?”
I press my lips together.
“How long?” he repeats.
I swallow hard.
“We’ve been spending time together since the beginning of summer, but it didn’t become anything serious until a few weeks ago.”
“The beginning of summer.”
“I know. It sounds bad, but it was just friendly at first.”
He lets me go and sits back on the railing.
“Royce knew,” he says. “Charli did too. Did everybody know?”
I stare at him. “No. I didn’t know Charli knew.”
“Apparently, she guessed.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I must have been fucking blind.”
A beat passes.
I walk over and sit beside him.
The moment stretches. Heavy and painful.
Cabe watches me carefully.
“We didn’t even know it was happening. At first, it was completely platonic. Two raging insomniacs, sitting out on the deck, looking at the stars. We’d just sit out there, sharing the night. Sometimes, we’d talk, and sometimes, we wouldn’t.”
