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Tuck casts me a dubious look. “Don’t elaborate. Please.”
“Do y’all understand now?” Jen pulls back, her feet flat on the floor as she glances between her dad and her brother. “Why Abel and I got married so quickly? Dad, I know you wanted to see us?—”
“Happy.” Joe smiles, despite the tears that glisten in his eyes. “Yes. I understand.”
Tuck closes his eyes and frowns, making the lines in his face deepen. He looks—not old. But older than I’ve ever seen him. Like he’s bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. “There are plenty of other men who could make you happy, Jen. Men who aren’t Abel. Hell, I’ve always looked out for you, and I’ll do it until the day I die.”
“I know. And I love you for that. You’re a wonderful brother. But Abel... he’s who I want, Tuck.”
I have to look away at Jen’s words.
Mistake.
This was all a fucking mistake, and I want to take it back. I want to be able to hug my friend without worrying he’ll break my nose.
I want to be able to hug Jen. Kiss her. Take her back to bed so I can make both of us forget everything except each other.
I realize it’s not our newly intimate relationship I regret. It’s the pretending.
But I could never have Jen without inevitably falling down on her. Happy endings—those are reserved for other people. People who don’t come from messed up places and are messed up themselves because of it.
So even though our relationship is fun and sexy and exciting now, the chances of it not lasting are too high. I’ve seen firsthand how a single curveball can wreck your life. And how that wrecked version of you can destroy the lives of everyone you love.
Life is a fairy tale for some people. But it can turn on a dime into a fucking tragedy. Dad’s whole life was derailed in the space of two seconds. A missed rung on a ladder led to a chain of events that landed him in a jail cell.
“I need time.” Tuck’s hand is on his face again. “To process all this. Y’all just... I’ll be in touch. Dad, we have to figure out a plan?—”
“Tuck, you had a babyfive days ago,” Joe says. “I’m going to be fine. I have Lady and Jen and Abel to help.”
I nod at my friend. Or former friend now, I guess. “You focus on your family. We’ll handle the rest.”
“My father is my family.” He gives me a dark look. “And family never deserts one another.”
Jen sniffles. “It’s the middle of the night, Tuck. Go home. Get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”
Joe grabs his son’s arm. “C’mon, that’s enough. Jen, Abel, sorry to burst in like this. Congratulations again. I wish you nothing but wedded bliss.”
“Thanks.” Jen smiles tightly. “I really am sorry about the way we handled everything.”
Joe grins. “I understand. Get some sleep, y’all.”
They’re heading out the door when Tuck glances over his shoulder at Jen. “I’ll be waiting for you to come running to me if Abel hurts you. Because I really think he will. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
twenty-three
. . .
Jen
Sore
I holdthe bottle of Don Julio 1942, fresh from the freezer, against Abel’s face. Purple spreads across his skin over the top of his beard. “It’s already starting to bruise.”
He winces, his breath catching at the sudden onslaught of cold. “Yeah, that one didn’t feel great.”
“You sure it’s not broken? Your jaw or your cheek, maybe? Your hand?”
He flexes the hand in question. “Works fine. I’m sure.”
