Page 45 of Almost
“I love my daughter, and I’d go to the ends of the earth for her, but I know how she can be. Lia can be blunt, and that’s not everyone’s style. With that said, I don’t see her going out of her way to hurt Kiera,” Mrs. Lewis says quietly, voicing the thoughts I’m thinking in my head. I’ve known Thalia my entire life, and she’s not a spiteful person. The entire time we’ve been going back and forth, she’s advocated for me telling Kiera the truth. That’s what I can’t stop running through my brain.
“I don’t either,” I admit. “That’s what I tried telling Kiera because I just don’t understand. Who am I supposed to believe? The woman I’m supposed to marry in a month, or my ex-girlfriend who kept my damn dog and won’t even speak to me?”
“I don’t know, Bash. You’re going to have to trust your gut. It hasn’t been an easy year for you, and I’m so sorry for that. You’ve known too much loss in your life, but I do know that if you trust yourself, it’ll all be okay.”
“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I whisper softly, but I fear that’s all I’m doing. Mrs. Lewis reaches over to rest her hand over mine, squeezing reassuringly.
“Sometimes pain is unavoidable. No matter what happens, I am so proud of you. My heart broke when you and Thalia broke up because I know how much you cared for her and she for you. I would have loved for you to end up together, but it’s okay that you didn’t. I’ve always felt like you were one of mine.” She chuckles softly, wiping at her eyes. “I hope it’s okay I said that. I would never try to take the place of your parents or your grandparents, but I want you to know how much we loved you as a little boy and as a man.”
I press my tongue to the roof of my mouth, feeling tears well up in my eyes. Despite how awkward it is because we’re still in the car, I lean over to hug her tightly. “Thank you—foreverything.”
“Of course, my boy.” She hugs me tightly, and I feel safe. “Why don’t you come inside? I have ice cream; it might make you feel better?”
I clear my throat, and despite everything that’s happened tonight, I smile. “Ice cream sounds great.”
I don’t feel like I’m about to be two years away from turning thirty. I feel like I’m a teenager again, waiting for Thalia to twist gum into my hair, and for Owen to bounce a basketball off her head in response.
We had some really good times, but I wish someone would have done a better job of warning me how shitty it feels to become an adult. It’s not worth the hype, even if I have the career I always dreamed about with my best friend at my side.
For now, ice cream can make me feel better tonight.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Thalia
THE SIZE OF Owen’s house matches the size of his ego. I thought our house growing up was plenty big, but this is the definition of a mansion. He went through contract negotiations before last season, and the salary increase was more than enough to cover their upgrade. Once you add in Blake’s career as a biomedical engineer, I’m shocked it’s not bigger.
We’re sitting in one of the living rooms drinking wine I got Blake after one of my many trips to France. Owen is sipping a beer, listening to me tell Blake a story about a prank I pulled on Penelope the other day before she left for France. Zeus is snoozing on the floor at my feet.
“So for all the talk Penelope makes about eating better, if there’s a container of Oreos in the house, they’re gone by the next morning. I’m not sure what it is about them, but she’s addicted.”
Blake tucks her legs underneath her, while balancing her glass. “She lectured me last weekend for getting pasta at lunch instead of a salad.”
“Exactly! And she’s always complaining about the Oreos being in the house, but I buy them becauseIlike them. There’s no hope in even trying to hide them because she’s like an Oreo bloodhound and can find them anywhere! I even tried hiding them in a box of tampons in my bathroom!”
Owen looks at me in disgust. “In a box of tampons?”
“Dude, it’s not like they were used ones?” I roll my eyes, because my brother is ridiculous. He’s twenty-seven and stuck in the brain of a tween boy.
“You keep those in a box too?” He gapes at me, and now I’m really questioning his intelligence. Blake looks just as horrified when he sits next to her.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Babe, do you think girls collect used tampons in a box?”
He looks between the two of us, his cheeks turning red. “I don’t want to talk about tampons anymore.”
“I think we should show you a demonstration of how to use a tampon, and maybe you’ll see that the disgusting part is you being disgusted,” I say pointedly, and Blake gasps.
“Oh my god, can we actually?”
“If you love me, you’ll talk about literally anything else, Blake,” Owen practically begs.
“It’s because I love you that I’m doing this so you don’t sound like an idiot in front of anyone else. You have a brain, so why don’t you try using it before speaking?” Blake asks, and I grin widely. I fucking love having her for a sister-in-law. “Hold my glass, I’ll be right back.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I ask as Blake walks out of the room.
“Nothing! You’ve said stupid shit too.”