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“You shouldn’t have to, Pete,” I whimpered.
“Well, I do. And there’s nothing wrong with it, either. What kind of man would I be if I let you go through this on your own?”
We were interrupted by Grant pulling into the driveway and hopping out, his phone pressed to his ear for probably the fifth time in the last two hours.
“Grant cares about you,” Pete said as we watched him run into the house. He probably didn’t even know we were still sitting in the car. “They all do. Moira went through something similar a few years ago. She was being hunted by her ex. He wasn’t trying to take her back anywhere, though. He was straight-up trying to kill her and her son, if you can believe it. We all stood up for her and Day, and I’d do it all over again, because that’s what family’s for.”
He took my hand, but his eyes were still on the front door.
“They took me back after I almost lost Keely and George because I wasn’t man enough to accept that they were in love. I didn’t deserve it, but they did. These are good people. Loving, caring people.”
I swallowed, unsure what to say to convey my roiling feelings.
“I think I’m gonna—I’m gonna throw up—” I opened the door and stumbled out into the rain. I ran to the edge of the driveway and threw up, bent at the waist.
I heard the car doors shut and footsteps behind me as I straightened, wiping my mouth.
Then I broke down completely.
I stood in the rain with Pete holding me against his chest. He gave me the time to just fall to pieces and knit myself together before facing his friends.
I loved that. I needed that. And he’d understood more than anyone how I felt, and why.
I wanted to belong to something other than the world I raised in, but I couldn’t shake the ghosts of my past. Neither could Pete, but he was trying.
And I needed to try, even if it felt impossible.
“I need you to get some dry clothes and eat something.” He roped an arm around me and walked me to the porch.
Once inside the house, he quietly but firmly led me down a hallway on the other side of the staircase that opened up to large, sunken den. Several doors lined the hallway. He ushered me into one, closing the door behind us.
It was a guest bedroom. A candle was lit on top of the dresser, and the sheets and quilts on the queen-sized bed smelled like lavender and were still warm from the dryer. He led me into the ensuite bathroom where warm towels, a robe, and all kinds of toiletries were laid out. He started the water in the shower, knowing I liked it hot enough to turn my skin a bright, angry red.
“Take your time, okay? I’ll be right out here.”
I showered, letting the day wash down the wash down the rain. When I finally pulled myself out of the hot water, my body was warmed again through and through. I dried off and put on the plush, pale pink robe. I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know that my eyes were red and swollen from crying.
I just padded back into the bedroom.
Pete sat on the edge of the bed looking down at his phone. He looked up at me and gave me that half-cocked grin that set my blood on fire every time I saw it.
“I don’t deserve you,” I said without meaning to say anything at all.
His smile faded into a heartbreaking look that made me regret opening my mouth.
“Don’t you ever say that again,” he replied so softly it was painful. “I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you. I don’t think I ever will.”
He’d packed a set of comfy flannel pajamas and my favorite thick, fuzzy socks. I dressed in silence, my mind and body starting to calm and shed that fear and panic that had blurred my senses for the last few hours.
“There’s a burger and fries waiting for you, and Keely is making brownies. She wanted me to ask you if you’d ever had brownie chunks mixed into a milkshake before.” He grimaced, but the thought alone had my mouth water.
This baby had strange priorities, given the situation.
“That sounds so good,” I said, and I wanted to cry again. Not because I was sad, but because a brownie milkshake sounded like the best thing in the entire world. “I’m such a mess. Crying over a milkshake with brownies in it.” I ran my hands over my face and choked on a strangled laugh. “This has been the worst day ever but I feel like—I feel like it’s also been one of the best.”
“What do you mean?” Pete asked with a soft, short laugh.
“No one has ever been on my side, Pete,” I answered, sniffling. “Never. Not until you, and you’ve been on my side from the very beginning. Before you even knew me.”
