Page 62 of We Never Kissed

Chapter 36

Alex

The sun had set at least an hour ago, but this was the earliest I’d left the office in months. As I made my way to my car, I saw a dark figure standing nearby, and I tensed. I didn’t need any trouble tonight.It’s probably just a vagrant looking for money. But as I drew closer, I recognized the man waiting for me, the dim lighting from the lot illuminating his face.

“Sammy, what are you doing out here?”

“I was about to come up…” He shoved his hand into the pocket of his jeans. “You got a minute?”

“Yeah,” I said hesitantly. I’d made a decision to fix this disaster my life had become, and I was determined to see it through, but I also couldn’t ignore the look on Sammy’sface. Despite how pissed he was at me, the things he’d said to me, he was my brother.

He let out a loud sigh and looked beyond me toward my office building. “I’m surprised you’re leaving this early.”

He was stalling, and I didn’t have time for that. “What’s on your mind, man?”

He shook his head. “I said some shitty things to you…”

I didn’t respond, just waited to see what else he had to say.

Returning his focus to me, he said. “But, fuck, man. How could you keep something like that from me?”

I shot him a look that answered him clearly.

“I don’t care. You could have trusted me…from the beginning.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “At least then I could wrap my brain around you two, instead of being blindsided.”

Nodding, I said, “I know. And I’m sorry. I fucked up…in more ways than one, but…” I glanced away from the pain in his face. “I know how everyone sees me, and I knew none of you would think I was good enough for Ava, so I—”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

His angered tone had me snapping my gaze back to him. “What do you mean?”

“Alex, bro, you’re an idiot, you know that?”

“Come on, man. You think the family would have been behind me and Ava?”

He shook his head. “Hell, I don’t know—but not because you’re not good enough. Geez, you’re clueless. Don’t you even see how much you are a part of this family? How important you are?”

“Yeah, the charity case you guys took in because I was your best friend.” I pulled my key fob from my pocket, wanting to wrap this up. Admittedly, I needed to face my past, but it had been a long day, and Sammy had caught me off guard.

His brows rose. “Okay, yeah, maybe at first. But you earned your spot…even if you didn’t have to. You were there for every single one of us at one time or another. I mean, damn, I’ve even been jealous a few times when Mom and Dad doted on you like you were the prize son of the family.”

I drew my head back, blown away by his revelation. “Bullshit.”

Stepping closer, he said, “No…it’s the truth, man. But even if there were times like that, there were way more times I was grateful I had a brother like you, one I was proud of, someone who had my back…who helped me watch out for my sister.” He paused and I braced for it. “So, yeah, it was shocking to hear, and I was hurt you didn’t tell me, but…I guess…I get why you didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Thank you for saying that.” I let out a relieved sigh but still felt sadness in my chest. “I can’t lose you, any of you. I thought waiting to tell you was the right thing, but I was stupid, I guess.”

He quirked a half grin. “Yeah, well it wasn’t the first time.”

“True. And it won’t be the last.”

“For what it’s worth, I hope you and Ava work this out.” He chuckled. “You and I both know she hasn’t exactly picked the right men.”

I cocked my head. “I don’t know. I just think no one was good enough for us.”

“Until now. It still burns, I’ll be honest, but I couldn’t pick a better man for her.” Sammy put a hand on my shoulder. “And listen, Alex, Ava’s heart was in the right place. Over the years she and I…we’ve struggled with this thing with your mom. We didn’t want to push, and damn, maybe we should have because you can be a stubborn ass.”

“Thanks.”

---