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Disappointment flooded his body, his stomach sinking to the floor as he read his brother’s words.Are you home?
“Ugh...”
Austin rolled his eyes and drained his beer.Great... round thirty-seven commence.He tapped out,yeah, I am,and hitsend, sinking lower into the cushion as the air deflated from his lungs.
Good, I’m stopping by, flashed across the screen, and Austin scrunched his nose and pocketed his phone as angst settled in his heart.
The bat hit the ball as a resounding groan streamed through the speakers. Milwaukee brought in three runs with a homer and took the lead. Austin snorted as the front door opened and Josh appeared.
Were you in my driveway already?
“Hey,” Austin murmured, smashing his face into the side of the chair.
Josh closed the door and kicked off his shoes, padding into the living room with a six-pack of beer. “You okay?” He pulled one from the carton and set it on the coffee table before plopping into the opposite sofa.
Austin straightened and snagged a bottle, twisting the top off with fervor. “Just surprised to see you over here, I guess.”
Josh nodded, his gaze finding Austin’s. With a slow exhale, he pulled his leg up and rested his ankle across his thigh. “I hate fighting with you,” he admitted, sinking back into the couch.
“Same.” Austin shrugged. “But Josh, I don’t know what else to do except say I’m sorryagain. I never should have acted on my feelings for Mavis. It was dumb. It was stupid. And... I just made a lot of mistakes...”
Josh brought the bottle to his lips and gulped, swallowing the liquid with a grimace as cheers erupted on TV. He furrowed his brow and squinted. “Why are you watching the Cubs?”
Warmth descended, tingling along his skin with the tiny pinpricks of a needle. He shrugged and sipped his beer. “Trying something new, I guess.”
AVshape creased Josh’s forehead. “You’re not really even into baseball.”
“Says who? I like the Dodgers.”
When the Lakers aren’t playing.
Josh shook his head. “All right, whatever... I didn’t come over here to talk about baseball.”
“Why’re you here then?” Austin cringed, readying his body for another brotherly spat.
Josh straightened and dropped his feet to the floor. He propped his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. And for the first time in months, anger didn’t radiate from his eyes and betrayal didn’t exude from his heart.
What gives?
“Austin... I want you to be my best man when I marry Mavs.”
The breath escaped him, his stomach plummeting to the floor.
You want what?
Austin gulped, choking on the air in his throat. An invisible force squeezed his heart, tugging at the frayed heartstrings—battered and ragged from the last few months of being dragged through the depths of hell and back.
Josh sighed and pulled his hands through his hair. “I know it’s a big ask... and things kinda suck between us right now, but I just can’t imagine anyone else but you standing beside me.” He shook his head, honesty dripping from his lips.
Are you really asking me to stand beside you and watch you marry the woman I love?
Austin frowned and dropped his gaze to the carpet, his brother’s request tearing him apart internally. “Josh, that’s umm, kind of asking a lot right now. I mean, Mit—”
“I don’t want Mitch.” Josh snorted and flung the cap to his beer at Austin with a grin. “Look, I get it. I really do. But Austin, you are my best friend, and despite everything that’s happened, that hasn’t changed.”
His soul softened, Josh’s words repairing the beaten edges, slowly knitting back together after suffering months of what felt like irrefutable damage.
Austin dropped his face into his hands, dragging his palms along his cheeks. “But you know I still love her,” he whispered.
