Page 21 of Forever and Other Lies

“So, once more. Why are you drinking on my roof?”

“Because you and I are a couple of sorry jackasses.” Derek tapped his can against Nick’s beer.

“Maybe you are,” Nick side-eyed him.

“Nope. You definitely are too.”

Nick took a long swallow.

“I hear the wedding is off for good,” Derek pursed his lips, scrutinizing Nick. “Heard Piper gave you back the ring.”

“You hear a lot.” Nick shook his head. “We’re figuring things out.”

“That’s what you call it? Piper is the kind of woman a man builds a life with and pops out a puppy or two.”

Nick shifted, turning to stare at him. “Puppy?”

“A baby.”

“What do you know about building a life with a woman?” Nick’s eyebrows shot up, and he stared at Derek, his mouth slightly agape.

“I know that a woman like Piper won’t wait around forever. You’ve got a long way to go to deserve her.” He also knew that he’d never seen Nick happier than when he was with Piper or more miserable since the split.

“I think I need another beer,” Nick sighed. “I need to catch up with you.”

“Life can be a shit show. Take all the good that is offered before it’s all gone.” He crunched up the empty can and threw it onto the lawn.

“Hey.” Nick stared at the empty can littering his immaculate lawn.

“I’ll clean it up later.” Derek pulled out two more cans from the cooler, handing one to Nick.

“So once again, why are you drinking on my roof at ten-thirty and waxing poetic?”

“Because, dumb ass, we don’t always get second chances with the woman we’re meant to be with. Sometimes we lose her.”

Nick narrowed his eyes but didn’t comment.

“This break-up, did it have anything to do with my sister? Is she the reason you and Piper are Splitsville?”

“Huh?” Nick’s head snapped around.

“You’d have to be denser than I am to miss the tension between you and Kylie. I’ve dumped enough women to recognize the look on my sister’s face when you’re around. You pissed her off.”

Nick downed the first beer and tossed it on the grass beside Derek’s. He spoke as he stared at the second can, popping the top. “There was a time when I had a brief lapse in judgment. When Kylie was at university. But it didn’t last long.”

Nick brought his free hand over his face, shielding himself. “You aren’t going to clobber me, are you?”

“No, Kylie can administer her own clobberings.” This he knew firsthand. His little sister packed quite the punch when she was riled. “Not that you don’t deserve it. Seriously, you broke the bro-code with that one.”

He stared at his best friend and noticed the turmoil there. “Nick, Kylie’s moved on. She’s happy.”

Nick scratched at the stubble on his chin. “Yeah, I know.”

“Are you using her as an excuse to end things with the hot teacher? Was it getting too real with Piper?”

Nick’s head popped up. The man was probably shocked. Derek wasn’t one for deep discussions, not even with his friends. But he was worried about Nick.

“It doesn’t take a psych degree to understand that you would have commitment issues after everything that happened with your parents. With your dad.” Nick’s father had taken his own life with his service revolver exactly a year to the day that Nick’s mother died from breast cancer.

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