Page 74 of His Surrender
“You’re a great friend, Foley.” Emery pet Sputnik and regarded me with concerned eyes. “I know we haven’t been on the best of terms lately, and I’m sorry for that.”
“Don’t be. This case is a tough one.”
“It is.” He nodded. “And you were right. I panicked when I saw that damn text message and intentionally looked to get you on a technicality to have it marked as inadmissible in court.”
“You wouldn’t be a good defense attorney if you didn’t.” I slouched more and leaned my head back against the cushion. Even with my eyes closed, it felt like the room was spinning a little.
“You going to tell me why you drunk yourself stupid tonight?” Emery asked.
I peered over at him. “Remember when you and Cason broke up last year and you were like a little lost puppy looking at his pictures and stuff on your phone? I said that’s why I’d never fall in love, and you said—”
“I said we couldn’t control who we fell in love with,” Emery interjected, his eyes narrowing. “I also said one day you’d meet a guy who’d turn you into a little lost puppy too.”
I extended my arms to the side and gave a dry laugh. “Woof woof, motherfucker.”
“Excuse me? I’m not following.”
Heaving a sigh, I sat up and leaned forward, resting my arms on my legs. “I don’t know if I’m in love or not. What Idoknow is I feel a lot for Remi. He’s all I think about, Cross. All I fuckin’ want. And I fucked up bad today. Well, I’ve actually been fuckin’ up for weeks because I’m a goddamn asshole.”
“There were a lot offucksin that.”
“Well, this situation calls for all the fucks,” I said. An ache went through my chest, and I reached for my bourbon. I was drunk but not nearly drunk enough.
“I don’t think so.” Emery snatched the glass from my reach and stood from the couch. “This won’t solve anything. The thing that made you drink in the first place will still be there when you sober back up. Sound familiar? That’s exactly what you told me the last time I turned to drinking when things went to shit.” He then went into the kitchen, and I heard him pour my drink in the sink. The faucet turned on, and he returned moments later with a glass of water. “Here.”
I glowered at the water but accepted it and took a drink. “Whiskey is better.”
He chuckled and sunk back onto the cushion beside me.
“Was Cason okay with you coming over?”
“Yes.” Emery pulled Sputnik onto his lap. My traitor of a cat adored him. “He’s worried about you. So am I. What’s going on with Remi? You said you fucked up. How?”
“You know me.” I shrugged. “Things got too serious and I ran.”
“How serious?”
“He said he loved me.” Ice replaced the warmth from the whiskey in my veins.
“So you get drunk? I know you have reservations about relationships, but I don’t see why you’d throw away someone you care about just because he loves you. That doesn’t make sense.”
“Because I’m a chickenshit,” I said, my temper rising with my voice. “I got my heart broken before, and it turned me into the asshole I am now.”
Emery blinked at me. “I didn’t know you had your heart broken.”
Because I’d never told him. I kept that shit close to my chest and preferred it that way.
“I don’t like talking about it. God, I need that whiskey. Why the fuck did you take it away from me?” I tried to stand.
“Sit your ass back down, Foley.” He pushed on my chest, making me fall back onto the couch. “I swear to god, if you pour another glass, I’ll kick your ass.”
“That rhymed.”
Closing his eyes, he pinched the bride of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “Look, Jay.” His blue eyes met mine. “I get it. I do. Falling in love with someone is scary and—”
“I don’t love him.”
“Right.” He didn’t look like he believed me. Hell, I didn’t know if I believed myself. “Anyway. I know it’s scary opening up to someone. That’s how I felt with Cason. But like I said in the past, you can’t control love. It happens whether you want it to or not. It’s also one of the best things to ever happen to me.”
