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“There’s no need to be embarrassed. You’re not the one who made a fool out of themselves.” Nate was older than Lucas – older than all of them – and had been a single dad for a while before he’d met Ally and they’d fallen in love. That was something he and Brooke had in common – bringing up a child under difficult circumstance. He’d always been more than kind to her. “Nobody’s talking about you. Well not many people. They’re too busy talking about Aiden’s brother.”
“Jamie.” Even saying his name made her throat feel tight. “I had no idea he was back in town.” She shook her head, trying to hold her tears in check. “I never wanted anybody to find out like that.”
“It’s not your fault,” Lucas said, his voice low. “You were blindsided, anybody could see that.”
“Aiden should have told you his brother was out of jail,” Nate agreed. “He messed up.”
“He thought he was protecting me.” Brooke sighed, looking down at the sand. “But you’re right, he should have told me. I’m not some delicate girl who faints at the first sign of trouble.”
Something splashed out in the ocean – close enough for the sound to carry to where they were sitting, but far enough so she couldn’t quite see what caused it. A dolphin, maybe.
“I thought he knew I was strong,” she con
tinued. “I thought he saw me as an equal. But he doesn’t.”
Thinking about it felt like a knife to the place where her heart used to be.
“He messed up,” Lucas agreed. “But we all make mistakes sometimes. And you know, a big part of loving somebody is about wanting to protect them. Nobody wants the person they love to get hurt. I’m like that with Ember all the time. Reminding her to fill up on gas, or checking under her hood to make sure she has enough oil. And when the three of you go out for the evening I’m on edge all night until she comes home.”
The smallest of smiles crossed Brooke’s lips. “You’re really good to her, I know that. But you’ve never hidden something important from her.”
“I didn’t tell her I loved her when I knew I did.”
Brooke tipped her head to the side. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because I was scared. And maybe Aiden’s scared too.”
In her rush to escape from the Beach Club, some of her hair had fallen out of her updo and lay around her shoulders. The ends tickled her skin. Sweeping it away, Brooke looked at Lucas, her eyes meeting his. “What does he have to be afraid of?”
“You want to take this one?” Lucas asked, turning to Nate.
Nate shook his head. “You’re doing a fine job.”
“Thanks,” Lucas said, raising his eyebrow as he turned back to Brooke. “I’m not an expert on relationships. And I’m pretty sure Ember would agree. But from what I can see, Aiden’s head over heels for you. And when a guy falls hard for a woman it can mess up his thinking. I’m not making excuses for him, the guy needs to pull his head out of his ass, but being afraid of losing the person you love the most can make you lose your mind.”
“You think he’s in love with me.” She swallowed hard, finding it hard to believe.
“I can pretty much guarantee it.”
She looked at Nate, who was nodding in agreement.
“But he hurt me.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m not saying you have to do anything about it.”
The tide was coming in. The rocks in front of where they were sitting were slowly submerging. A few minutes more and the ocean would be kissing her feet. “I don’t want love if it means lying to me. My parents have done enough of that. The kind of love I want is equal. Taking care of each other but always being honest.”
Lucas’s phone started to ring. He pulled it from his pocket, the screen lighting his face as he swiped his finger across to accept the call. “It’s Ember,” he told them. “Hey, babe. Yeah, we found her.” He listened as his fiancée talked, lines appearing on his forehead as his face pulled into a frown. “Um. Okay. We’ll meet you there.”
His eyes met Brooke’s as he ended the call, and she knew from the expression on his face that it was bad. The hole where her heart used to be began to expand until it felt as though every breath was being pushed out of her body.
“What is it?” she whispered.
Lucas swallowed hard. “I’m really sorry, Brooke. Nick’s been taken to the hospital.”
* * *
Lucas swung his truck into the hospital parking lot, not bothering to find a space. Driving as close to the double glass doors as possible, he hit the brakes and turned to look at Brooke. “You go in,” he told her. “I’ll park and follow you. Ember said she’ll be waiting for you in the family room.”
