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His fingers tightened on my shoulder. “You and me, we’re best friends. Brothers. Nothing will ever change that. But even still, Wes is the reason you kept coming back.”
“Fuck you,” I rasped. “Just… fuck you.”
“You think I didn’t see that letter about the apprenticeship in New York City? That you were invited by one of the biggest tattoo artists there to come study under him?”
Once again, Win surprised me. “You knew about that?”
He nodded. “I also know you’d never go that far from Wes.”
In a sudden burst of movement, I fisted my hand in Win’s shirt, jerking him close to threaten. “Don’t you ever fucking tell him that.”
He’d blame himself. He’d think I gave up on something great because of him. But nothing was great if it pulled me away from him.
Win laughed under his breath, making my fingers tighten even more in his tee. “My brother could do a lot worse than you, Max. In fact, I think you’re probably the only one I’d approve of.”
I shoved him back, dragging in air like I’d been standing there forgetting to breathe. “There is no me and Wes.”
“There could be.”
“No.” I was adamant, panic setting in. “It could ruin everything. The only family I have.”
Win’s eyes turned sympathetic, and I turned my back on him. I couldn’t keep talking about this.
I was partway up the stairs when his quiet voice reached out.
“This family is already altering. Denying your feelings doesn’t stop them from existing. The way I see it, we can be a drifting family strung together by promises or a family bonded by love.”
When I came back downstairs later, he was gone. But the things he said still lingered.
17
Wes
The girls were already sittingin our usual booth when we arrived at Shirley’s. The second we walked in, they slid out of the ivy-green seat and rushed forward, bypassing Ryan and Jamie to hug me.
“Wes! How are you?” Rory asked, embracing me from the right.
“We missed you yesterday,” Madison added, doing exactly the same on the left.
Smiling a little, I hugged them both, ignoring the curious glances from the others inside the diner.
“We couldn’t even text you,” Madison complained.
I laughed under my breath, warmth suffusing my chest. They were acting like it had been weeks since we’d seen each other, not just days. I had a soft spot for these two women, the way they just accepted me and made me feel like I belonged.
“Bro, that’s just wrong,” Jamie lamented, staring at the girls clinging to me.
Ryan shook his head. “Next time she needs fairy lights hung, I’m calling you.”
Jamie guffawed. “Bro, your house is gonna be covered in that shit when you two move in together.”
Ryan groaned.
Madison pulled back, glancing up at the bandage on my head. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than I was,” I told her.
“How about your ankle?” Rory asked, glancing down at the Adidas that was tied loosely, the wrap around my ankle sticking out.
