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“Hey, ya made it.” I stood from the chair where I’d been sitting, but we didn’t hug or anything. That wasn’t really how we worked.
“’Course we did,” Sutton replied, his eyes pinched and studying. I turned away from his scrutiny, as if he would see something different in me.
“How ya doin’, Jasper?”
“Good. Workin’ like crazy. We spend five days a week doin’ other people’s lawns, and when we get home, Sutt won’t stop puttin’ me to work either.”
Sutton rolled his eyes. “I think we all know it’s the other way around.” He wrapped an arm around Jasper’s shoulders and kissed his temple. I swear you’d think Sutton had just given Jasper every dream he’d ever had with how he looked at my nephew. I didn’t know how that felt—being loved like that—and seeing it made the ache in my chest throb more intensely.
“I’ll grab the food to put on the grill.” I turned, my breathing picking up speed for no reason at all. I shoved my hands into my pockets and went for the door.
“I’ll help you,” Sutton said.
“I can do it.”
“I wanna help you,” he insisted, and I knew what this was. He’d been worried about me more and more lately. I figured he always had, but ever since that day when he put the pieces together and discovered I’d loved his mama, Sutton never looked at me without concern in his gaze. Better than hate, of course, but…what kind of man was in love with his brother’s wife? What kind of man told her?
I fought to bury those thoughts as Sutton joined me in the kitchen—where Charles and I nowadays made dinner together often. He’d made his way to my place at least four or five times a week since the night we fell asleep together outside. He didn’t stay the night most of the time, didn’t put his hand on top of mine, shocking me to life like some heart monitor. But he had stayed more than once, and he did touch me sometimes—a hand on my arm, holding my waist if he squeezed around me in the kitchen—and every time he did, I just thought more, more, more.
“How are you doin’?” Sutton’s eyes darted toward the shelf where the photo of me and his mama used to sit. I’d taken it down and put it in my room the day he realized my feelings.
“Same as always. I figured we’d do burgers tonight.”
“Sorry I’ve been busy the last few weeks and ain’t been around as much.”
“You don’t owe me nothin’,” I told him, opening the fridge and pulling out the plate with patties on it I’d made earlier.
“I know. I didn’t mean that. I like spendin’ time with ya.” His gaze landed on the fresh wildflowers in the vase on my table. Every time they started to wilt, Charles brought me new ones. One day when I was shopping, I bought a vase, and saw him smile when he noticed it.
Sutton was saying, “I heard you, um…heard ya been spending time with Charles.”
The plate tumbled from my hand and hit the floor. “Shit.” I bent to pick it up. He’d heard? How in the hell had that happened? Except that day at the grocery store, we only spent time together at home. “It didn’t break,” I told Sutton, motioning to the covered, still intact plate, hoping to distract him and change the subject, “so the burgers are good.”
“Uncle Brian,” he said when I went for the door. I stopped and sighed. “Everyone in town ain’t talkin’ about it, if that’s what you’re worried about. Sammy told Jasp.”
Ah, that made sense. I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of that myself. Or why I was being strange about it because really, I didn’t care if anyone knew I was spending time with Charles.
I just didn’t want to talk about it, but I knew Sutton wouldn’t let this go. The sooner I got it over with, the better. Before I could sort out what to say, he added, “You know it’s okay, right? Hangin’ out with him.”
Jesus, how had this happened? It was like I was the younger one of the two of us. “He’s lookin’ for a friend, is all.”
“It’s okay for you to be lookin’ for one too.”
“I know,” I replied, ready for this conversation to be done.
“I just wanna make sure you see that. Bein’ with Jasp…I’m so damn happy. It’s like my whole life makes sense now, and I want that for you—to be happy, I mean.”
My heart rate shot through the roof. “We ain’t… It’s not…” He held your hand, and you liked it. He makes your hands shake and your gut tumble in a way no one ever has except Nadine…
Sutton chuckled. “I wasn’t sayin’ that. Though he did say he thinks you’re hot. I can’t pretend that wasn’t weird to hear, but I just meant I want you to be happy regardless of what your relationship is.”
