Page 17 of Harboring Secrets
“If I haven’t said it already, I’m sorry about your wife.” Brodie managed to be gracious and kind even when he had every reason not to be.
“Thank you.”
“You miss her.” On the surface, it wasn’t a question, but the subtext was there.
“I do. But not the way I used to. I will always miss her, but the loss of her no longer keeps me in bed. I’m functioning again. Ready to live and breathe and move on. I’ve been ready for a while I think. But meeting you was a turning point for me.”
Brodie scoffed. “Yeah, I’m a ray of sunshine in a rainstorm or whatever.”
“Don’t you remember the day we met? You stormed into the lobby soaking wet, laughing from being caught in that downpour. You practically drenched me. I looked at you and all I saw was sunshine.”
He pushed himself to his feet. “I’m going inside now. Like I said I would, but I want to say one thing before I go.”
I looked up at him and watched as he held out his hand. His fingers were closed and he held his fist out to me. I held my hand out palm up and Brodie dropped a small handful of olives into my palm. I’d been so focused on what he was saying that I hadn’t noticed him pick them off.
“Next time, don’t get olives. It ruins the flavor.”
Brodie turned and went into the house. The sound of the deadbolt slamming into place was jarring but it didn’t matter suddenly that Brodie was inside and I was out here. I had a handful of olives and the hope of a next time.
I dropped the olives into the pizza box and closed it. My knees protested the sudden change in elevation, but I wanted to show Brodie that I was a man of my word. My ass was numb and I must have looked awkward as hell as I made my way to my car.
The driver’s seat was infinitely more comfortable than the front step of Brodie’s house. His brother’s house. Whatever. Didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Brodie had listened. He’d heard what I had to say and he hadn’t told me to fuck off. That felt like a win.
But the line he’d given me before he disappeared into the house lifted my spirits.
Back at the hotel, I parked my ass on the bed and stretched out. I ate my pizza and sent Brodie a text message, giving him the name of the hotel I was going to be staying at. I thought my room number might be too forward or presumptuous so I left that off. I wanted him to know that I wasn’t going anywhere.
He didn’t answer. Not that I expected him to, but at least he read the text. Modern technology was a blessing sometimes.
I’d gotten through to him today. Even a little chink in his armor was progress. I wasn’t delusional enough to think that it would be easy going. I’d hurt him more than I ever wanted to. I hadn’t meant to at all, but Marsha had that effect on me. I missed the way she was when Piper was alive. Her marriage wasn’t my business, but I think John missed her too.
Marsha had a habit of making her grief my business. When we’d first lost Piper, I’d tried to be there for John and Marsha as much as possible. But it quickly became clear that the more I gave, the more Marsha took. Stepping back was hard initially. They’d been family to me, but being around them was like trying to save a drowning person. The more they flailed, the more they dragged me under with them. I had to let go if I was going to make it.
Being around Brodie had made me believe that I had a future still. If he ended up not wanting to be in it, that would be excruciating, but I’d survive it. Brodie had breathed air into my lungs again and resuscitated me.
Come hell or high water, I was going to win him back.
Chapter 9
Brodie
Iwasn’tsurethatI did the right thing by giving Liam a shred of hope to cling to, but I knew what it was to live without any. The fact that he’d spent the entire day sitting on Kieran’s front steps softened me toward him.
He’d had a wife. It was obvious to me that he’d cared about her. He cared about her still. Fondness was etched into his features when he talked about her. It was hard to stay mad at him when it was clear that his actions had made him just as miserable as they’d made me.
Was I going to forgive him? Probably. But not yet. Not until I was certain that my heart would be safe if I gave it back to him.
“So that’s the guy, huh?” Kieran sat on the couch, one of his arms thrown around Clay, tucked in next to him.
“Yeah. That’s the guy.”
“Is he gone for good?”
It was cute when Kieran tried to get all protective and big brothery with me. We were more like friends than brothers. It wasn’t often he pulled the same overprotective thing Shane did. When Shane did it, I could get prickly. But for some reason, when Kieran acted like that, it made me feel safe and happy. I’d never admit that to him, though. Or Shane. Shane would be mortally wounded. Some things were best left un-confessed.
“He’s gone for now. I think he’s sticking around for a while.” Until I decide what I want. Until I either send him away for good… or keep him. Seeing as how I wasn’t ready to do either, he’d likely linger until I made up my mind. Today was proof that Liam wasn’t going to give up so easily.
“If he messes—” Kieran’s voice cut off when Clay’s hand clamped over his mouth.
