Page 36 of Beach B!tch
"Brin--"
"Dean--"
I nodded my head to her, indicating she should go first.
She pushed against my arms, which were locked around her, but I shook my head at her.
Exasperated, she tried again, "Dean, I'm sorry about how last night ended. I never wanted you to have to meet my father. And definitely not on our first date. I'm sorry you had to hear that."
"Hold on a second," I interrupted. "I don't give a shit that your father showed up on our first date or that I had to hear what he said. You can't apologize for that because it was never your fault. That's his problem, so don't take on that responsibility. I'm the one who's sorry for leaving you alone and for not getting him out of here quicker."
"Dean..." Brinley looked down at my chest. "I-I never had friends when I was a kid because I never wanted them to have to see my dad. I had hoped I could keep him separate from my adult life too. But his showing up here last night made it pretty clear that I'm going to have to deal with him, so you can't jump in for me. I gotta take care of it myself."
"I get that. And I will give you the space to do that, but what I won't do again is leave you alone to handle the aftermath of your father. You may not have had many people to rely on before, but you do now. Will you let me be one of those people?"
I could see the fear in her eyes as she processed my question. I knew opening herself to other people and trusting them wasn't easy for her. But she had to try to trust me or this relationship wouldn't go anywhere good.
She had to trust me. She had to.
The silence stretched out, and I tried to give her the time she needed. I could almost see the wheels spinning in her head. But she had to see the agony she was leaving me in here.
When I couldn't stand the wait any longer, I gave her a light squeeze. "Sweetheart?"
Her eyes came up to meet mine. "I trust you, Dean," she whispered. "I'll probably mess things up again, but I'll try. I promise you that."
My whole body relaxed at her words and I couldn't hide the smile breaking across my face. She'd had me worried there. "Thank you for trusting me. I don't take that trust lightly. And if you mess things up, we'll just talk about it and keep going. Same if I jack things up." I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, teasing her mouth open. Small kisses, a tug on her lower lip, just enough tongue to taste her again. By the time we pulled apart, we were both breathing heavy, but more importantly, she was smiling again.
"Hey, I thought we sealed a promise with our pinkies, not kissing!" She was teasing me, and I freaking loved it.
"Pinky promises are great, but I think we need to put our own spin on things. Pinky promise with a kiss. Like a long one. Lots of tongue. Maybe a boob grab." She swatted at me half-heartedly and we broke apart, laughing.
"Hey! Are you guys gonna come in here sometime today?" Bailey was shouting at us from the living room.
Brinley and I shared a secret smile. I hooked my pinky on hers, then laced our fingers, and we walked into the living room together to face her crazy friends.
Brinley
Dean was being so sweet, even after I'd yelled and kicked him out last night. I was still horribly embarrassed that he'd witnessed my train wreck of a father and I still felt the need to apologize for bringing that mess into his life. But I'd also had a long conversation with Shasta this morning, after I found her sleeping on my couch and nearly gave myself a heart attack. She drilled it into my head that I wasn't responsible for my father's behavior toward me. If Dean wanted to be with me, which it certainly seemed he did, then he'd have to learn to deal with all the issues that came with me.
The upside was I told kickass jokes.
"All right you lovebirds, what's our plan?" Esa asked Dean and I.
Studiously ignoring the lovebird reference, I frowned, looking around the room to see what she meant, but not finding answers on anyone's face. "What do you mean 'the plan'?"
"You know, the plan." Bailey motioned to all of us in the living room, like it was obvious what they meant.
Shasta, knowing my hang-ups all too well, piped in with an interpretation I'd understand. "What the girls are asking is what we all plan to do from here. Should we track down your dad? Keep you under our watch at all times? We're in this with you, so let's come up with a plan together."
I went still. I stared at Shasta. Then I stared at Esa and then Bailey. They all looked at me with smiles and warmth. Like they weren't going anywhere. Like they were in this with me for the long haul. Like I had true friends.
Dean tugged me closer and wrapped an arm around me, kissing the side of my head. "See, sweetheart? You've got people."
And then, to my eternal mortification, I burst into tears.
