Page 78 of The Best of Us

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Yeah, you could say I know him.”As if things can’t get any worse.“You’re telling me your brother works with Carter? Andyouknow Carter as well?”

“Yes.” She stepped back, clearly sensing I wasn’t happy about this news. Yeah, unhappy was putting it mildly. “Colin knows him, too.”

Kill me now.“Carter’s spent time with my son?” I grated out.

“Yes.” I hated the tremor of trepidation I’d inspired in her response. “Are you okay?”

Not even a little bit.

“Um, well, how do you know him? Your paths cross in the military or here in New York?”

“His wife.” The full weight of my sins from years ago hit me hard. More payback for my past. “I know him because of her.”

“Rebecca or Diana?”

Right, he was married again. “Youknew Rebecca?”

“No, we never met. Easton asked me to go to New York with him to Rebecca’s funeral. He hates funerals. They set off his PTSD. But he was close to Carter, and he couldn’t not be there for him, and I couldn’t not be there for my brother. So, we went with him. It was our first time meeting Carter, actually.”

“Are you saying Colin was with you, too?” My heartbeat couldn’t possibly go any faster than it was now.This can’t be happening.

“He’s always had a thing about New York since he watchedThe Ghostbustersa little too young and begged to come. That trip convinced him he wanted to move here for college.”

I lifted my hand, on the verge of losing the last vestiges of my sanity. “You’re telling me you were both at the funeral?” I stared at her, unblinking, and she nodded. “Were you at the wake held at her home after the funeral? Colin, too?”

Her hand went to her stomach as she put two and two together. “You were there, too?” The pain in her voice stretched out her words, obliterating what was left of my control.

I fell back onto the couch, and she went down with me.

“You were there, and we didn’t see each other?”

I leaned forward, elbows on my thighs, drawing my face into my palms. “I wasn’t at the wake long,” I said against my hands. “Maybe only five minutes.”

“This is . . . I just . . . our chance was stolen from us again,” she whispered.

The sound of her sniffling overwhelmed my disbelief, and I kicked my feelings aside to take care of her.

Sitting up, I drew her into the home of my arms where she belonged.

Even if God or fate or just shit luck had kept us apart this long, all that mattered was they were with me now. I had to focus on what was right in front of me.

Her fingertips bit into my back as she held me. “I don’t understand how we could have been so close to meeting. Yet still so far.”

Because I didn’t deserve you then, and maybe I don’t now.“There’s something else you should know,” I told her once her tears slowed. “I was there to offer Carter help in finding Rebecca’s killer.”

“Really? Wow, um, Easton helped Carter, too.”

Of course he did. What the hell?“I didn’t help. Carter turned down my offer and kicked me out. That’s why I wasn’t at the wake long.”

She sat back, swiping away her tears. Her eyes and nose were red, and it was destroying me to see her so sad and not be able to take the pain away.

“Why would Carter do that?” she asked while sniffling.

I closed my eyes, hating myself all over again for what I had to tell her.

“Because I dated Rebecca in college. That was the only relationship I’ve been in, only it wasn’t even real.” I swallowed, still unable to look at her. Too ashamed. “My father needed me to date her to get closer to her family and help close a big deal. I used her because he told me to, then I broke her heart.”

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