Page 245
I blink. “When?”
He shrugs. “About three seconds after you fell asleep.”
My stomach dips. “Oh.”
He notices immediately.
“Not like that.”
“Then like what?”
Bishop leans back slightly and rubs a hand over his jaw.
“I don't know. Just…” He pauses. “Last night was a pretty big deal.”
I stare at him. “Yeah.”
“And I don't want to screw it up.”
There's something unexpectedly vulnerable about the admission. Bishop doesn't usually struggle to find the right thing to say.
He's the guy who can walk into a room full of strangers and leave knowing half their names—the guy who can calm an entire locker room with a joke.
But right now, he's looking at me like he's trying to figure out the rules of a game he's never played before.
I set my fork down. “Neither do I.”
His gaze meets mine. For a second, I think he's going to say something else. Something important. Instead, his phone vibrates against the counter.
Once.
Then again.
He glances toward it.
And I watch the change happen.
It's subtle. His shoulders stiffen. The relaxed expression disappears from his face. He reaches for the phone.
I catch the name on the screen before he turns it over.
DECLAN BECKETT.
Of course.
Because apparently the universe has decided I can have exactly one peaceful morning before reminding me that Bishop is my brother's best friend.
Bishop reads the message.
His jaw tightens.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
He types something.
Then stops.