Page 106 of Wright Together

Yet I couldn’t barge down there and insist that I could help. That would be a dick move. I just had to sit here and hope that she knew I was waiting for her.

It was bad enough that my phone kept dinging with texts from my dad, telling me he’d be in town tomorrow and asking when we could meet up. As if I didn’t have better things to do. I ignored his latest text and dialed my brother’s phone number instead.

He answered a few rings later. “Yo.”

I shook my head. “Let’s go get a drink.”

After a pregnant pause, West asked, “What happened?”

“Can I tell you about it over a beer?”

West sighed. “Should I come over or—”

“Sure. Bring some beer with you.”

“Okayyy,” he said. “I’m going to pick up Harley on the way.”

“She can’t drink.”

West snorted. “She’s in college. She absolutelycandrink.”

“Fine. I don’t even care.”

“Christ, what happened?” West asked, as if my dismissal of Harley’s alcohol consumption made it worse.

“I’ll tell you when you get here.”

Then, I hung up and went in my fridge in search of a beer to get started.

West and Harley appeared a half hour later. They’d gone to the grocery store and picked up beer and some kind of seltzer for Harley. I didn’t bother asking. Just took a Stella out of West’s hand and popped it open. Harley and West exchanged the look that I was normally my go-to.

“I’m fine,” I muttered.

“Were you fired?” West asked.

I nearly choked on my beer. “No.”

“Did Eve break up with you?” Harley asked.

I tipped my bottle at her. “Not exactly.”

West’s eyes widened. “That doesn’t make sense. You two were all perfect together.”

“What did you do?” Harley demanded. “I like Eve.”

“I like Eve, too,” I snapped back. Then sighed. “I might love her in fact.”

Harley popped a seltzer and sank cross-legged onto the couch. “Wow.”

West similarly sat down at that declaration. His lips forming an O.

The word I hadn’t been able to say to her last night but had been thinking for weeks. The words that stuck to the roof of my mouth every time I opened them. As if, at any moment, she’d read them in my eyes when I stared down at her in adoration. I hadn’t wanted to scare her away. We hadn’t been officially together for that long. Not that it mattered. I’d felt it long enough to know it was true. Themightin my statement was the only lie I’d told.

I absolutely loved Eve Houston.

And watching her drive away without me had driven a stake through my still-beating heart.

I lifted my beer to them. “So, yeah.”