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“Guys.Guys.” Bennett placed himself between us, a palm pressed to each of our chests. “Don’t you remember the last time Liam and Asher bet on a girl?”
Liam groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
Asher and I ignored them.
“Well, what do you say?” Asher asked me, his smug condescension annoying. “Care to make a little wager?”
I huffed and turned away. No way in fuck was I betting on Ellie. That was beyond wrong.
And what you want to do with Ellie isn’t?
“Come on,” Bennett said to Asher, tugging on his arm so he’d back down. “Drop it.”
“It’s getting late,” I said, finally realizing that people had started to stare. “I should get home.” I was done with Asher’s attitude.
As I walked away from the table, I heard Liam say to Asher, “What the fuck was that about?”
Anger marked my course to the parking lot. Before I made it to my SUV, footsteps echoed off the pavement behind me. If it was Asher, he could save his breath. I didn’t want to hear it.
“Tristan, hey! Wait.” Not Asher. Bennett.
I turned, wondering if I’d forgotten my phone or something. I patted my pockets, but everything was where it was supposed to be.
He blew out a breath and glanced at the sky. “Look, I know we were giving you a hard time, but if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Bennett had always been kind and compassionate. It was part of what made him such a great veterinarian and friend. It was part of what made me want to confide in him, even now.
“I appreciate it. I’m just—” I dragged a hand through my hair. “Fuck. I feel like I’m going fucking insane lately.”
“Because of Ellie?” he asked.
I hesitated a moment then nodded. If anyone would get it, it was Bennett. He’d been living with Liam’s sister when they’d fallen in love. She, like me, was a solo parent. Bennett understood what was at stake—and the importance of keeping a secret.
“Did something happen between the two of you?”
I lifted my shoulder, unwilling to offer more. Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him about the night Rex got sick.
“Okay. So, either something happened, or you want it to,” he mused. He shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels. “You didn’t ask for my advice, but you seem really happy since Ellie arrived.”
“Because she makes everything so…easy. It’s effortless with her,” I admitted.
“Then what’s the problem?”
I started pacing, dragging a hand through my hair. “She’s twenty. And fucking—” I slammed my palm against the hood of my car “—Tessa’s sister.”
He nodded. “If anyone understands falling for someone you shouldn’t, it’s me.”
“Yeah, but Wren is your best friend’s sister. I know that wasnotwithout its challenges,” I said, not wanting to diminish what he’d gone through. “But it’s really not the same as your late wife’s younger sister.”
I cringed. That sounded even worse when I said it out loud.
“No, but I know how hard it is to fight that attraction. You try to suppress it, even as you’re consumed by guilt. When really, I shouldn’t have felt guilty. I should’ve just been honest about what I wanted from the start.”
I nodded, wishing I’d talked to Bennett sooner. He didn’t judge me; he understood me. “Yeah, but I have the kids to think about.”
He lifted a shoulder. “And they adore Ellie, and she’s great with them.”
