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I look at him, my throat tight. "That’s kinda sappy."
"Yeah, I know. I have this really great mom and dad who get kinda sappy on me sometimes. I guess it’s rubbed off."
I take a big, deep breath. “Well, brace yourself. I’m going to be sappy right back.”
He grips the edge of the coffee table.
“I love you. A lot. And I’m proud of you. You treat Lydia with a lot of respect. And you’re a really good person.”
He shakes his head, but he’s smiling. “Thanks.”
"Now, aren’t you going to be late for work?"
"Maybe five minutes. But, this is kind of important," Brady says. "I want you to be happy. And I want you to know that you're a great guy. People love you. You don't have to do anything special for that to be true."
I finally reach out and grab the front of his T-shirt, pulling him into a hug. He falls onto me on the couch, a tangle of gangly teenage boy limbs, laughing. But he hugs me around the neck before he pushes himself off of me.
"Okay, okay. I gotta go to work."
I listen to him leave, thinking about everything he said.
And I think about all of the people he's going to see when he gets to the bakery.
I let myself miss them all.
And, finally, I let myself admit that I might've made a mistake.
CHAPTER 33
Luna
Fuck, I hate hockey.
I always have. The whole it-stole-my-family thing. But now I really hate it for sure.
Because it's ripping my heart out.
I can’t imagine being anywhere else tonight. This is where I have to be. I want to be here.
And this is the last place I want to be at the same time.
I'm descending the steps that I have walked down seemingly a hundred times to get to the seats where I will sit next to my best friend and her boyfriend, who owns the team. As I’ve done at least a dozen times now.
But tonight I’m wearing my boyfriend's jersey. I’ll be sitting next to my other boyfriend instead of in front of him. I’ll hold Cam’s hand. I’ll jump up and hug and kiss him whenever the Racketeers score. I get to watch my brother and my boyfriend play one of the biggest games of their lives, surrounded by other people I love.
And I feel this tightness in my throat because I want to cry.
This isn’t just a big night and a big game for Alexsei and Crew. It’s huge for Owen, too.
I want to share this with him.
I want to send him a good luck text. Moreover, I wanted to call him earlier and see how he’s feeling, tell him I’ll be there cheering him on, tell him I’ll be waiting after the game no matter what happens.
But that’s not my place.
He walked away. I need to let him go.
I’ve got Cam and Alexsei. I’ve got what I need.
