Page 68 of Tameron

Nash’s lips quirked. “He’s a smart man.”

I dragged a hand through my hair. “Yeah, he is. And kind. And patient. And I’m…” I gestured at myself. “This.”

“And what exactly is ‘this?’”

“A mess. Lost. Drowning.” I met his eyes. “You know what my latest audiogram showed.”

He nodded slowly. “That your left ear is deteriorating faster.”

“Which means I’ll lose what little balance I have left. I already have vertigo spells multiple times a day. How am I supposed to work like this? Be independent? Not be a burden to everyone around me?”

“Is that what you think you are? A burden?”

“What else would you call it?”

Nash’s expression hardened. “I’d call it being family. Being there for each other. Like you were there for me when I had nightmares so bad I couldn’t sleep for days. Like you were there for Creek when he first got his prosthetic and kept falling. Like you were there for Bean when he couldn’t remember his own name.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“Because…” I struggled to find the words. “Because they got better. They improved. This?” I gestured at my ears. “This only gets worse.”

“So?”

“So I don’t want to be that guy. The one everyone has to accommodate. The one who needs help all the time.”

Nash leaned forward. “Like we accommodated Creek’s leg and Bean’s memory issues? Like how you all work around my PTSD and control issues?”

I opened my mouth to protest, then closed it again.

“We’re all broken in some way,” Nash continued. “We all need help. That’s what family is for. To be there for each other.”

“But Bean and Creek are leaving.”

“They’re moving out,” Nash corrected. “Not leaving. There’s a difference. They’ll still be around. We’ll still have family dinners and movie nights. They’re just…spreading their wings a little.”

“But it won’t be the same.” My voice cracked. “Everything is changing.”

“Of course it’s changing. That’s what life does. But different doesn’t mean worse.”

“You sound like Dayton again.”

Nash’s lips twitched. “Maybe because we’re both right.” He studied me for a moment. “Speaking of Dayton… What’s going on there?”

I stabbed another piece of bacon. “Nothing.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s casual. Exploring.”

Nash quirked an eyebrow. “Is it? Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like a lot more than that.”

“It can’t be.” The words came out sharper than I’d intended.

“Why not?”

“Because…” I gestured helplessly. “Because I’m a mess. Because I can barely handle my own life right now. Because he deserves better than someone who’s drowning.”

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