Page 73 of Ever With Me

Brooks said nothing but interlaced his fingers with hers. “An ex?”

A tear slid onto her cheek, and she brushed it away. “We just broke up four weeks ago.” She swallowed hard. “He left me for her.”

God, I’m so pathetic.

She’d told herself she wouldn’t shed any more tears over Josh.

But it still hurt.

“Why, Josh? Why are you doing this?”she’d asked him the day they’d broken up.

“I just . . . we have so much fun together. She makes me feel alive, Maddie. I think we just settled into an ordinary, boring routine. Forgot to have fun anymore.”

Ordinary.Josh Hawkins—the king of gray polo shirts and khakis. Who had oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter for lunch, and baked chicken and rice for dinner—every day. Who had been voted in high school “Most Likely to Stay the Same.”

He had calledherordinary.

“Maybe she gives him really good head,” she muttered, barely realizing she’d voiced the snarky thought.

“Doubtful. Madison, if he went from you to her, he’s an absolute fucking moron. Anyone with eyes can see that,” Brooks said in a low growl.

If he’d said it another time, maybe it would have made her feel better, but it didn’t right now.

Because Josh proposed to her.

After four weeks.

“Hey,” Brooks tried again. He slid his arm around her shoulder. “Hey, look at me.”

“I can’t look at you,” she complained miserably. “You have sunglasses on.”

Brooks sighed, then pulled the sunglasses off, setting them on the table. “Better?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes locked with his concerned gray ones.

My God, he smells good.

And he was close. Like, really, really close.

Her heart pounded as she remembered his words the night before, the feeling of his thumb and lips against hers.

She’d wanted to kiss him so badly.

Being the sober one in that situation had put her completely at a disadvantage now, though. Because she knew what she’d been feeling wasn’t because of alcohol—it was real.

But what about Brooks?

Drunk people said many untrue things. Especially men.

“How long were you together?” Brooks asked softly.

“Four months. But we were living together, so I thought he was . . .”

“I get it.” Brooks glanced over his shoulder at Josh and Gina. “Want me to punch him for you? I’ve been told my punches land so hard I should be in jail.”

She laughed, despite the terrible truth to his joke. “That would be antithetical to my ‘let’s take care of Brooks’s plan.”

“Eh, fuck Brooks. Let’s take care of Madison.”

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