Page 82 of How to Prevent a Fumble

I let her hit her fist against my chest before grabbing it, interlocking her fingers with mine and bringing it to her lap, squeezing it.

And I let her cry without interruption.

Twenty minutes later, after we’ve sat in silence for a couple minutes, my cheek against the top of her head, she turns to me.

“Sometimes I just feel so alone,” she whispers. “I’ve never really had a support system.”

I bite my lip, debating on whether I want to say this or not. I don’t want to ruin the progress we’ve had, but I also want her to know that people have her back.

“Do you not have anyone, or do you keep to yourself, and not allow anyone in?” I ask her, instantly regretting it.

She thinks for a moment before looking at me, and I hate the hurt in her eyes.

“All I’m saying is that I know your brother. He would take a bullet for you, Briar. He would do anything for you. Your family loves you, and I don’t want you thinking anything different.”

She shakes her head. “My family is complicated, like any family. Owen is really the only one there for me, and even then he’s had enough burdens in his life. I don’t want to burden him with my issues.”

“You’re not a burden, Briar. You’re a person. A person going through something terrible. And if I could, I’d take all the pain away. But I can’t. I’m also only one person.” I tell her, pinching her chin between my fingers and forcing her to look at me. “You deserve more of a support system, and I really think that you should talk to him a little more about what you’re going through.”

As much as I would love to be her knight in shining armor, as much as I want to swoop in and save the day, she deserves to know that she has a whole team behind her. I can’t be the only one. What if she has issues with me? What if I fuck up? What if she has to vent because I forgot to load the dishes in the dishwasher again? Or I accidentally blow up the house on Thanksgiving because I was experimenting with fried turkeys again?

Briar deserves someone more than me to support her, and I’m not going to make her think anything different in the name of trying to get her to fall for me.

She deserves better than that.

She looks away, and I know that the conversation is done for now.

“Did you know that there’s a type of whale that can live up to two-hundred years old?” I say changing the subject.

Her eyes meet mine again, curiosity in them. “Where did that come from?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Just a fun whale fact I learned recently.”

“My brother did tell me that you loved whale facts for some reason.”

I shrug. “It started with a bottle cap.”

“A bottlecap?” she asks, pulling away a bit to look at me better.

“Yeah, one of those caps that have interesting facts on them. I don’t know, I’ve always found different facts interesting. I saw one about whales and so I kept looking them up.”

“You’re an enigma, Leo Warner.”

But she smiles when she says it, and that means more than anything.

Briar and I talk for a while longer, sharing some other interesting facts we’ve learned about animals as we go, and when Elara knocks on the door, opening it just a touch, her eyes are wide, as if catching us doing something naughty.

“Can I eat now?” she asks, looking between us.

“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry Bub, I lost track of time.”

“It’s okay,” Elara shrugs. “It’s okay.”

I smile. Some of the things that come out of that kid’s mouth just takes me by surprise.

“I’ll go get your dinner warmed up,” Briar says, standing. But I pull her back, stopping her from leaving.

“I’ll do it. You stay here for a second,” I tell her, heading out into the hall. Elara follows me as I make my way to the kitchen, grabbing a plate and filling it with pasta before putting it into the microwave. A minute later, it comes out, and I place it in front of her. “Your mom needs some time to relax, okay? Is there anything I can get you right now?”

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