Page 13 of Just Another Chance

And that breaks my heart.

6

TANNER

Two Years Later…

I wish I could say that I have all the answers and my life all figured out, but that’s just not the case. It would also be nice to say I’m not still hung up on the woman who broke my heart two years ago.

Again, not the case.

Sitting across from my older brother Nash, I can’t help but feel a sliver of jealousy. I’ve never seen him so damn happy and it’s a little too much for me to handle right now. Kind of like when you eat something that’s sickly sweet and then you want to vomit.

Yeah, that’s how I’m feeling right now as Nash talks about his gorgeous wife, Charlie, their daughter Easton, and how well Beckett Technology is doing.

All great things, but I can’t find it in myself to be happy. And it’s not even about them. It’s me. After losing Addie, I lost the ability to be happy. She was it for me. Within a few months of meeting her, I was ready to give her the world, make her permanently a part of mine, and then everything fell apart.

I can’t believe it’s already been two years since she picked up and left. Two fucking years and my heart still aches when I think about it.

“So, what do you say?” Nash asks and spears his fork into the Cobb salad he ordered.

Shit. I have no idea what he’s been talking about because my mind is about a million miles away right now. “Um…”

“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?” he asks.

Nash is sharp, he always has been, and that’s probably why he’s been so successful since he and Charlie have taken control of our father’s company. It hasn’t even been a year since Thomas died and he left his beloved tech company, TB Technology, to his children. It was a huge surprise since, at the time, we were all estranged and convinced that he couldn’t stand any of us.

Over the years, my dad found fault with each one of his kids and eventually, we were all written out of the will. So, when he died of a heart attack last year, I was shocked to find out he’d put us all back in the will to inherit his billionaire-dollar company.

Even Sawyer, my younger brother. And those two would go at it like cats and dogs.

I’m not sure what exactly changed my dad’s mind, but he did leave each of us a letter. I haven’t read mine yet.

“Sorry, I guess I’m a little distracted today,” I say and take a sip of my water.

“Any particular reason why?” Nash asks me.

Yep, sharp as a tack that older brother of mine. I merely shrug, not wanting to tell him that today is the two-year anniversary of the worst day of my life. The day Addie left me without so much as a goodbye or plausible explanation.

“I’ve been in a funk lately,” I say and pick up half my sandwich. I take a bite and chew, but don’t taste a damn thing. Since Addie left, even eating good food has lost the enjoyment it once held. God, I must look like a pathetic, lovelorn fool.

Nash knows better, though, than to bring her up. All of my siblings do so, instead, he starts repeating what I must’ve missed earlier.

“So, I’ve been trying to convince you for the last 20 minutes to come on full-time with us at Beckett Tech. You can even work from home.”

He’s been harassing me for months about this and I know that I’ve been dragging my feet, but I haven’t made my final decision yet. Even though I recently bought a loft apartment here in the city, I’ve been spending almost all of my time upstate. “Sorry, Nash, but I still don’t know if that’s what I want to do.”

Nash nods. “Just think about it, okay? We could really use you and I think it would be good for you,” he gingerly adds.

“Meaning what?” I ask and raise a brow.

Nash sighs. “Charlie and I are worried about you, Tan. Hell, we all are. You’re all alone up there at the cabin and, well, I’m going to be brutally honest. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you look anything even close to happy.”

I sigh and know he’s right. “What’re you saying? You miss me and want me to be closer?” I tease, but my words fall flat.

“To start with, yeah. It’s ironic that it took dad dying to bring us all closer together.”

Nash is right about that, for the most part. He’s always lived in the city, but now Sawyer and the twins are back, too. I’m the only one who is rarely here since I ran off to upstate New York right after Addie left town. It wasn’t the same without her here and I needed to get away from everything and everybody.

---