Page 52 of My Vows Are Sealed

Instead, I headed over to where Heather and Christy were standing, slightly separated from the rest of the group. Heather’s lips spread into a grin when she saw me.

“Darla!” she exclaimed, giving me a hug. “Excited for tonight?”

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “I’ve, um…I’ve never actually been to a concert before.”

Both girls’ eyes widened.

“Wait. Seriously?” Christy asked.

“Her dad’s kind of strict,” Heather explained. “He’s basically the whole reason for that stealth move that Brendan and I tried to pull at homecoming. You know, the one that ended up blowing up in our faces because Brendan’s a guy and has Chromosome Y Poisoning.”

I giggled. “Chromosome Y Poisoning?”

“That’s what my mom always calls it when guys do something unbelievably stupid,” she said. “Since only guys carry the Y chromosome.”

That made me laugh. Not that I’d ever use it. I could only imagine what my dad would say if he heard me uttering that phrase. But she wasn’t wrong. Seriously, only a guy would use the kind of logic that Brendan did for that stupid plan at homecoming. Well, the plan itself wasn’t stupid. Just the fact that he hadn’t let me in on it.

“Well, you’re going to have so much fun,” Christy said. “Concerts are a blast. There’s just something about sharing breathing room with thousands of other fans while the band plays your favorite songs live. There’s nothing else like it.”

“I can’t wait,” I said with a grin.

“Can’t wait for what?” Brendan asked as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed the side of my head.

Even though I knew my dad was gone, I still froze and stiffened as my eyes started to dart around for who might be watching. I wasn’t supposed to even be talking to Christy, let alone Brendan. But he just tightened his arms around me and lowered his lips to my ear.

“No one cares, baby,” he whispered. “You’re safe. I promise.”

I relaxed a little, and he brushed his lips against my cheek. Christy and Heather both smiled at us.

“I’m glad you guys worked things out,” Christy told us.

“Me too. These two reminded me of us at the end of last year,” Heather said, threading her fingers through Christy’s.

“You mean back when we were herding cats?” Christy giggled as she hugged her arm.

“Yep, exactly,” she chuckled, turning to give Christy a quick kiss.

I happened to glance to the side and saw Naomi standing with her mom. She was looking right at us, and the expression on her face was absolutely heartbreaking. She looked like she was suffering the worst torture imaginable.

It had been almost two weeks, and I still hadn’t been able to get Naomi to admit that it hurt her to see me and Brendan together. She hadn’t been rude to me or Brendan, and she still ate lunch with our group every day, but she’d been so quiet and withdrawn. I hated that she felt like she couldn’t talk to me about it, because she was still my friend, no matter what. I’d tried toning down the PDA in front of her, but that didn’t even seem to be working, and I honestly didn’t know what else to do.

“She’s still not talking to you?” Brendan asked as he let go of me.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry I ever did this to you. It sucks. I mean, obviously she’s still talking to me a little, but it’s not the same. And I don’t know what’s going on, so I can’t make it better.”

He chuckled weakly. “I know why you did it. And that’s why I also know the solution is one you’re not going to like.Youhave to reach out toher. She’s not going to tell you what’s wrong on her own. But the longer you wait, the worse it’ll be.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I wouldn’t have been able to clear the air with you if you hadn’t backed me into a corner. Doesn’t make it easy, though.”

An old pickup truck I didn’t recognize pulled into the parking lot, and Ethan stumbled out of the front passenger seat before they sped away just as fast as they’d come. He wasn’t walking upright, and there was just something…off about his demeanor.

“Oh, my God,” Christy practically growled. “Seriously? I know you told me he was probably going to be here, babe, but…”

“He’s an idiot. Peter’s never going to let this fly,” Heather scoffed.

“Is he…drunk?” I asked quietly.

Brendan sighed. “Looks like it. Do you know how bad I feel about keeping that to myself?”

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