Page 69 of The Backup Plan
“He started it, and he was wrong. You stood up for your brother who can’t speak for himself.” He pulled her into his arms and let her rest against his shoulder. “You stood up for me when I froze. I thought the best thing to do was just to let him blow off steam, but you came in there, guns blazing, and you stood up for my friendship with both of you. That means the world to me.”
“I know he cherishes you as a friend. He’s not just using you, I promise. He owes you an apology.”
“He’s hurting, and when he wakes up tomorrow morning, he’ll call me Fields again.”
“He needs to work through that, and he won’t. He’s drunk, but that’s no excuse for coming at you the way he did.” She wiped tears from her cheeks as she rested on his shoulder. “Thank you for walking away with me. I might have sounded brave, but I was ready to break. God, I still am. ”
“You’re shaking. Stay with me, and we’ll let this wear off a little. I’ve got you.”
“Did Mindy see all that? She came outside with me.”
“Yeah, I think she saw it.”
Avery stepped back from his arms and knocked her head gently on the bricks. Isaac brushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. “Justin will have to answer to her for all that, Avery. You don’t need to get in the middle of it.”
“I feel stupid for fighting it on principle. I really, really like her and I hope this doesn’t blow it.”
“That’s his mistake if it does, not yours. You’re not on clean-up duty.” He nudged her up and looked at her. “You’ll stay out of it, right? Don’t blame yourself.”
“I’ll stay out of it.”
The pain in his hazel eyes nearly pulled her in and drowned her.
“Isaac, why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Nothing. All the smoke from the fire gets to my eyes after a while, and you just looked weird for a second.”
“I probably look like I wish you weren’t basically my sister, because you are one of the most badass and silly and smart people I’ve ever met. I am in awe of you. And with red eyes and smudged makeup, you’re beautiful. But I’m not supposed to think of you like that.”
“Please do not tell me you were hitting the tequila with Justin.”
“Beer. Not a ton. I needed something to sustain me through awkward small talk while you talked to Cam.” He leaned forward and held her forehead-to-forehead as he stroked her neck. “I guess coming clean changes everything.”
“You always knew how I felt about him.”
“You want him, and not me.”
“Yes, and I don’t believe I’ve ever given you a reason to think otherwise. Have I?”
He flustered. “Maybe we judged each other a little too fast.”
“Don’t do this. Don’t make me walk away pissed at two men I care about tonight. If you and I ever did anything, we’d regret it. You’re supposed to tell your one and only love that you were never even attracted to your dear popsicle friend Avery, remember?”
The loose waves in his auburn hair were frantic and frazzled, and beads of sweat still shimmered on his neck. “Yes. That’s what I want to say. What do I tell Miss Future Wife if she asks whether my friend Avery was ever attracted to me?”
She couldn’t meet his eyes. It didn’t matter that she and Cam weren’t officially together. She belonged to him, and to kiss Isaac’s lips, even for a moment to remove any shred of doubt, would be a betrayal.
“You tell her no.”
Isaac heaved a sigh and stepped back. “God, Avery, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“You’re exhausted and emotional, and some of what Justin said got stuck between your ears,” Avery said. “When people are exhausted and emotional, they lean on each other. You and I are close enough to lean, but we are not leaning like that. I’m not a big fan of living in denial, but this conversation never happened.”
She rubbed her hands over her face, smearing her mascara even more as she recalled all the ways she’d seen grief either ruin people, or bring them together in a love that wobbled on a foundation of loss. Her parents let it destroy them in an endless cycle of leaning in and pushing back. She and Justin might be a mess they called love.
“Let’s find Cam,” Isaac said. “At least one decent guy hasn’t pissed you off tonight. He’ll take care of you.”