Bennett nods slowly. He’s quiet for a moment before he speaks again. “There is something that not even Lilly knows.”
My brows raise when I see a blush take over his cheeks. “Yeah?” I lean back against the couch. “What’s that?”
“I... kinda... sorta... have a boyfriend.” He chews on his lip nervously before blurting. “It’s not a big deal. We’re not tellinganyone because the kids at my school are fucking assholes. But... yeah.”
“Really?” I grin. “No shit.”
“Yeah.” He smiles softly.
“Well,” I laugh. “Don’t hold out on me. Who is it? What's his name?”
He chuckles. “His name is Tyler. He just moved to Silver Valley. He’s pretty awesome. Very open. Doesn’t give a shit about what anyone thinks about him. He kind of reminds me of Lilly, with a mix of Bishop’s playfulness.”
“Oh boy.” I grin, shaking my head. “You got your hands full then.”
“Come on. Bishop isn’t that bad.” Bennett grins wide. My damn heart flips. Seeing my little brother happy, smiling, and talking to me... it means a lot. My hands fist together as my nose stings with emotion. I missed this. Fuck, did I ever miss this.
“No. He’s not, is he?”
“He’s good for her, you know?” Bennett says, his smile falling a bit. “He makes her happy. So do you.”
I look away, swallowing hard.
“You two are good again. That makes me happy,” he whispers. “I didn’t like seeing her hurt, Toby. You fucked up.”
“I know,” I say softly, bringing my attention back to him. “And I hate myself every day for it.”
“Don’t.” He shakes his head. “She wouldn't want you to. She loves you too much to see you hurt.”
Damn, this kid. Don’t fucking cry. Damn it.
“She makes me happy too, you know?”
“Duh.” He laughs. “She’s the best thing that could have ever happened in your life.” He rolls his eyes. “I’m just happy you finally pulled your head out of your ass and did the right thing. How it took you two years to make her your girlfriend is beyond me.”
My eyes widen. “Y-you know?”
He gives me a blank look. “Really? How subtle do you think the two of you are? You give each other googoo-eyes all the time. That‘s not how a brother looks at a sister. It’s how she and Bishop look at each other. I kind of put two and two together. Also, finding you two kissing on Halloween was a dead giveaway."
“You saw that, huh?” I ask, scratching the back of my head.
“Yup.”
“How come you didn’t say anything?”
He shrugs. “With everything that has been happening in both of your lives, I knew you would tell me when you felt it was time. For the record, I’m happy for you both. After I saw you kiss, I kind of thought about how close you two have always been and didn’t know how I didn’t question it before.” He laughs. “Because, man, was it obvious. I mean, who sleeps in their brother's bed?”
“Huh,” I sigh. “Well, this conversation went a lot better than I thought.”
“I do want to warn you, though. If you hurt her, my dad is a billionaire. I’ll pay someone to bury your body,” he threatens in a serious tone.
I chuckle. “You got it, man.”
He looks at me for a moment before launching himself at me. “I love you, Toby,” he whispers, and fucking hell, there goes the tears.
Quickly, he detaches himself from me and stands up, heading towards the kitchen because he needs a minute. “Popcorn?” he calls out.
“Yeah,” my voice cracks. “Sounds good.”