“I’m done with this conversation.” I left her standing there and returned to my position on the sofa. “Enough about me, why are you staying so long?” She’d told me earlier she planned to stay in town for a couple of weeks.
Demi looked like she wanted to say more, but as always, she respected my wishes. “I’m actually thinking of moving back,” she announced. A little over a year ago, Demi had made the decision to move her practice to the west coast. I always knew the decision was more about getting away from here than wanting to be in California. But I’d supported her anyway.
“Why?” I asked.
She picked at her fingernail. “It’s hard, being away from family.” She scratched her temple. “From y’all, really.”
Demi had grown up in the Metro Detroit suburb of Romulus, which was approximately twenty miles from Ann Arbor. Her parents had divorced when she was eight years old, after years of bitterness, abuse, and lies.
Her father was a partner at a top family law firm and had gained a reputation as the worst divorce attorney a woman could ever hire. Not that he’d take any woman’s case, because Allan Strong only represented men. And he’d left a trail of destruction in his wake too. All because Demi’s mother hadn’t wanted him anymore. He was a bitter, angry man, who’d kept his only daughter from having a relationship with her mother. My friend had suffered for years until my mother had offered to take her in so she could attend Ann Arbor schools with us.
Under our roof, Demi had thrived and eventually decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a divorce attorney. Only, she’d purposed to defend women against men like her father. Although she was in her early thirties, her skill in the courtroom had earned her a nickname—The Divorce Whisperer.
“Have you talked to Tyn about it?” I asked. Paityn and Demi lived close to each other and had often hooked up to hang out. “You do havesomesupport there.”
“And I’m grateful, but it’s not the same.” She put a handful of popcorn in her mouth. Once she swallowed, she said, “You can go ahead and tell me you told me so.”
I pulled a throw over my legs. “I won’t. I just think you should do what’s best for you.”
“I don’t know why I thought leaving would help. It never does.”
“True, but sometimes you have to leave so you can know that.” The room descended into silence. “I do like Preston,” I confessed. “When I’m with him, I don’t think of all the loss—or the guilt so much. I only think of him. And that scares me.”
Demi squeezed my hand. “I get it, but you have to open yourself up sometime.”
My friend had a point. Even still…I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to fully open myself up again.
Chapter Ten
Feels So Much Better
Preston
Playing softball today. Veteran’s Memorial Park.
I stared at the text, wondering whether I should consider this an invitation—or a test. Or both. It’d been seven days since Dallas had given me the best pussy I’d had in a long time. Probably ever, now that I thought of it. Of course, we’d seen each other—over FaceTime, at a luncheon, during a seminar, and at dinner. And nothing had really changed between us.
Once again, Dallas had reverted to her uninterested persona. The only difference was that she’d actively engaged me regarding my paternity situation and had stayed true to her word and reached out to Brooklyn Wells. But as far as the sex, not one word about it. In fact, she’d gone out of her way to put physical distance between us. Even at the events we’d attended, she’d kept our interactions very brief and mechanical. Which would’ve been fine had this happened a couple of months ago. This time, though, I didn’t think I could pretend it’d never happened. I couldn’t make myself forget how she’d taken care of me, how she’d listened. More importantly, there was no way to turn back the clock and take back everything I’d told her.
Opening myself up to her in the way I had was new for me. I’d never shared much about my mother or my childhood. Aunt Dot and Coop were the only people I’d confided in over the years. Aunt Dot because she was there, and Coop because he’d shown me I could trust him. And because I’d thought I was dying.
I could add Dallas to that short list now. Yet, I wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to be part of the club. I glanced at the text message again. If I didn’t reply, she wouldn’t like it, because shehatedbeing ignored. If I did reply…
A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. I’d driven to the Detroit office for an important meeting, and I needed to clear my mind from Dallas so I could focus on it. I locked my phone and answered the door.
The petite woman on the other side flashed a tentative smile. “Hi. Are you…?” She sucked in a deep breath and her shoulders dropped. “Shit, you are.” She reached out and shook my hand. “I’m Brooklyn, and apparently you’re my brother.”
Frowning, I said, “Okay. Come in?” Holding the door open, I waited until she entered my office. “Thanks for stopping by.”
Brooklyn had reached out to me directly once she’d spoken with Dallas. Right away, she’d put my mind at ease with her sense of humor and her willingness to hear me out. The conversation had been brief, but she was friendly and not that surprised that I could be her brother. When she’d mentioned a two-hour layover in Detroit before her flight to L.A., she’d suggested we meet up.
“Can I get you anything?” I asked. “Water? Coffee?”
“No, thank you.” She stared at me, grabbing the sides of her head. “I’m sorry, but…damn, you look like Senior.” She blinked, her mouth falling open slightly. “I mean, you have his eyes, his nose. You even sound just like him. Well, except you seem nice.”
Senior? “Is that what you called him?”
With her gaze still fixed on me, she nodded. “Yes,” she murmured. “He insisted on it. You and Bryson…you look alike too.”
