Page 107 of End Game
“Branch is in the hall. He said he wasn’t sure if you’d throw me out, but he really hoped you’d want to see him.”
She’s still talking as I fly by her and jerk open the door. Sure enough, he’s leaning against the wall, one foot crossed over the other.
“You let her in. That has to be a good sign, right?” he winces.
“What is all this?” I ask, forcing my legs not to move my body to him. I want to touch him, kiss him, breathe him in, but I can’t. Not yet.
He tries to explain, but all I can do is look at him and hear my thousand questions in my own head.
“Did you hear any of that?” he laughs, pressing off the wall.
“No.”
He chuckles, reaching for my hand. “Daisy, if all goes right, she’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Give her my number, please.” She turns her attention to me. “It was nice meeting you, Layla.”
“You too.”
“And whatever he’s done, give him another chance. He’s so cute,” she winks.
We step inside and Branch locks the doors. “Your brother and Poppy have this new thing where they just walk into people’s houses. It’s really uncomfortable.”
I watch him fiddle with the lock. It broke last week and it’s hard to snap. When he finally gets it, he turns to me. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
“I’m not doing this again,” he tells me, walking into the place like he owns it. He goes to the fridge and does an inventory. “Have you been eating?”
I stand in the same spot, brows pulled together. “What?”
“Have. You. Been. Eating?” He casts me an annoyed glance before going back to moving things around in my fridge. “What did you have for breakfast today?”
“I haven’t.”
The door snaps closed. “Really, Layla?”
“I’m sad.”
“Get your shit.”
“What?” I ask again, a hand on my hip. “You’re coming in my house and ordering me around after you just left me days ago? Slow down there, buddy.”
He grumbles, but must sense how serious I am and doesn’t object. Instead, he marches to the couch and sits. “Fine. Fireaway. Let’s get this ironed out so we’re both clear as to where we stand.”
“I think we’re clear now.”
“I think we’re clear, just one of us is still fighting it. And that one of us isn’t me,” he grins.
My hand trembles as I reach for the armrest of the chair by the island. Sinking into it, I try to keep my voice even. “We were on the same page a couple of days ago.”
“Then I wised up.” He laces his fingers together and looks patiently at me. “Go. What do you want to hash out? Let’s hear it.”
“Why are you here?”
“To get you to move in with me.”
Thankfully, I’m already sitting or I think I’d have fallen over. “Move in with you? Branch. Really?”
