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“So, what do you want to talk about?” Logan said mildly.
He could tell his tone ticked Drake off even more.
“Not here.” Drake turned and headed for a back door. “Follow me.”
Logan glanced toward the main bar before reluctantly falling in his footsteps.
They came out on a terrace that overlooked a seating area and a garden. Drake walked over to the porch railing and braced his hands on the banister.
Logan saw a muscle work in his cheek as he gazed at the dark mountains rising in the distance.
“What do you want to tell me, Drake?”
Drake took a deep breath and turned to meet Logan’s gaze.
“You need to stop hanging out with Miles.”
Irritation tightened Logan’s jaw. He forced himself to relax.
“And why is that?”
“Because he’s too vulnerable right now.” Drake lowered his brows. “Did he tell you about the accident?”
“He did,” Logan said calmly. He crossed the porch and rested a shoulder against the post beside Drake. “I know he was in a coma and only woke up two months ago.”
Drake’s expression hardened. “Then you must know Miles isn’t in his right mind. He’s still…” He straightened and ran a hand through his hair, frustration etched in the lines of his face. “He’s still confused, okay? So you should back off and leave him?—”
“No.”
Drake flinched. “What?”
Logan sighed. “You guys are behaving like idiots. Then again, I can’t entirely blame you.”
Drake turned to glare at him, his hands fisting at his sides.
“What the hell do you mean by that?!” he snapped.
“All of you are in so deep you can barely see the woods for the trees,” Logan replied steadily. “You’re treating Miles with kids gloves. Like he’s something precious that you have to protect at all costs. You’ll lose him if you keep acting like he’s gonna break the minute you say or do the wrong thing.”
Drake recoiled.
Remorse churned Logan’s insides at his haunted look. He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Look, I know where you’re coming from. I really do. You and your friends only want the best for Miles. You want him to be happy. And he will be. But you need to give him space to breathe. You need to let him fall and pick himself back up again. Milesislost right now. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he wants.”
“And he wants you?” Drake said harshly. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes.” Though Logan knew his words sounded harsh, he was conscious Drake needed to hear them. “Right now, Miles needs someone who isn’t mired in the past. He’s trying to find a way to live again. Even though you want nothing more than to help him, your history together means you’re holding him back.” He hesitated. “Whether you like it or not Drake, you and your friends are smothering him with your emotions. And he’s drowning because he wants to meet your expectations and make you happy, but he’s losing sight of who he really is in the process.”
Drake swallowed and closed his eyes briefly, his expression pained. “Did he say that to you?” he said after a short silence.
“He didn’t. But I’m beginning to know Miles enough to guess what he’s thinking.” Logan met Drake’s accusing gaze unflinchingly. “I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for the rest of you all these years,” he said quietly. “How you must have grieved every time you went to see him. How…guilty you must have felt that you walked out of that accident and he didn’t.”
Drake shuddered and dropped his gaze to the ground. “I—shit!” He pressed his knuckles to his eyes. “You really know how to kick a guy when he’s already down, don’t you?”
Logan shrugged. “Yeah, my ex-wife used to tell me that.”
Drake froze. “Wait. You weremarried?!” he asked, aghast.
