Page 38 of About Last Night

I shook my head, and that sick feeling swirled in my stomach again.

“Why’d she end it?” Sadie asked.

“She didn’t think it was worth the risk, I guess.” The words came out rough.

It was hard to think about that moment when she ripped the rug out from under me. I’d spent nearly two weeks thinking we were well on our way to something serious. We’d both clearly fought the attraction that had been brewing ever since we met. But during our time in Tahoe, it felt like so much more than that. There was a depth to our conversations that I’d never had with anyone else. Quiet moments in the dark when we were curled up in bed together sharing secrets we’d never shared with anyone else—at least that had been the case for me.

Had I misread the situation that badly? Maybe that’s why I felt so thrown—I’d never been so wrong about someone before. I’d never taken such a needless risk and had not expected for it to blow up in my face so spectacularly.

Travis rubbed his chin. “I’m still wrapping my mind around the fact you took that risk in the first place. Was she really worth risking your job and potentially your friendship with Raf? He’ll be pissed if he finds out.”

I looked at him pointedly. “I don’t know. Was it worth risking your relationship with your daughter when you started hooking up with her best friend?”

His jaw dropped, and I only felt slightly guilty. He didn’t look away from me when he spoke next. “Sadie, can you give me a minute with Wyatt?”

She got up and gave him a quick kiss and then turned to me. “It was worth it. I don’t know this girl or any of the details obviously, but I know you pretty well. If you thought she was worth the risk, ask yourself why she might’ve pulled back. Did you say or do something that made her question the situation? And try to look at it from her point of view and consider if there was something that made her realize what you would lose by being with her. Just food for thought.”

She exited the living room, heading upstairs to their bedroom. Travis and I stared silently at each other until we heard their door close, but even in the silence I could tell my brother was pissed at me. His eyes had gone hard and his jaw was clenched.

His voice was low. “Don’t ever fucking question if the risk was worth it for the life I have with Sadie.”

I ducked my head. “I’m sorry. You’re right; that was uncalled for.”

“Does this woman mean that much to you?”

I respected my brother enough to look him in the eye when I answered. “Yes.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “I’ve never fallen for anyone this hard or this quickly.”

“So what are you gonna do? Can you still work with her? Do you even want to?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything,” I said, my body sagging back against the couch cushions.

And I had no idea if a few days would be enough for me to forget what it felt like to touch her, to hold her, to feel whole.

I wasn’t sure a lifetime would be enough time.

DON’T INTERRUPT HER SHOW

Wyatt

I decided she was worth the pain. It was worth staying on her service to know she was safe. No one would care about her protection the way I would, and if all I got from here on out was to watch her shine from behind the scenes, it would have to be enough.

The alternative was never seeing her again, and that hurt worse than not being able to touch her but still being close.

Maybe I’d been a masochist in another life.

Jamie greeted me with a smile when he opened her front door. “Enjoy your days off?”

I stepped inside, my gaze already scanning the room for Brynn. “Yeah, it was alright.”

It was the worst three days of my life, and I couldn’t wait to lay my eyes on Brynn again. There’d been a knot in my stomach since I left her, and only the sight of her safe would ease it.

We walked down the hall and into her huge kitchen where Stella was yammering on while she pointed to things on a tablet. Brynn was drinking out of a coffee mug, her gaze staring vacantly out onto the patio while she nodded along. I suspected she wasn’t actually listening to her manager. She seemed too lost in her thoughts.

Jamie cleared his throat. “Wyatt and I are trading off.” Her gaze shot from the patio to mine in a heartbeat, and I could’ve sworn relief filled her gorgeous green gaze that I’d pictured every time I closed my eyes.

Jamie clapped me on the back and then turned around and exited the same way I’d entered.

Brynn and I stared at each other, neither of us saying a word, but the energy between us grew and expanded, sparking like electricity.