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Bryce waited for Rayelle to step back before he said his goodbye. He held his arms out and waited for her to step in before he pulled her close into a hug. Ignoring her warm inviting scent, he gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her and stepping back.
“Meka, take care of her,” he said before turning to lead Rayelle toward the subway.
As they stood on the platform and waited for the train, Bryce tried to force his mind to go anywhere else besides his brother’s widow. He didn’t think it was possible for someone to look both broken and strong at the same time, but she managed it. Her resolve to go through his things on her own was quite impressive. It was something he could learn from.
“You okay?” Rayelle asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Yeah. I will be, anyway. What did you have planned for the rest of the day? Paint each other’s nails and watch movies?”
She laughed before rolling her eyes. “If you don’t stop it, that will be the plan. For your information, I left tonight open. We can take a nap. We can go eat. We can order room service again and watch T.V. It’s totally up to you.”
“I say we go back to the room and get changed and maybe take a nap. Then we can find a bar. I want to get a little food, but mostly I need a drink or five,” he suggested.
She grabbed his hand and led him into the train. “Your wish is my command.”
A couple of hours later they were sitting at a table near the bar and finishing off their first round of drinks. His plan wasn’t to get drunk, but there was no reason why he couldn’t. He wasn’t driving and he didn’t have anywhere to be in the morning, so he ordered another round to go with their appetizers.
“Samantha seems nice. I like her,” Rayelle commented as she dipped her fried ravioli into the dish of marinara.
“Not what you’d expect, right?”
She thought for a moment before responding. “I didn’t really have any expectations. I was mostly surprised he found a woman and stuck with her, considering his tendency to run.”
“Well, he found a woman anyway,” he mumbled before taking a drink of his bourbon.
Rayelle stopped just before taking a sip of her own drink. “Meaning?”
He hesitated. “It’s not really my place. I’ll just say there’s a reason she wasn’t in the car with him that night.”
“He really was a piece of work, wasn’t he?” she commented. “May he rest in peace.”
“Yeah, he was something. But now that’s all behind us. I’m starting over.”
“I’ll drink to that!” she said, raising her glass.
Bryce raised his glass, and that was where he decided to let go of the past. He wouldn’t forget his brother or pretend he never existed, but he refused to hold on to the anger and the hurt. Determined to move on, he truly realized he couldn’t control the actions of others. His mother’s suicide wasn’t his fault, and neither was the way his brother cut him out of his life. It was time for Bryce to make the effort to live for himself.
After a few rounds of drinks and some appetizers, they decided to head back to the hotel. It was still early, especially by New York City standards, but Rayelle had received a text that her husband was home early and was planning to meet them in the city. Bryce was looking forward to spending time with his friend.
“You don’t mind cutting the night short?” Rayelle asked for the third time while they walked back to the hotel.
“You’re killing me. Do I usually like staying out all night? You know I’d almost always rather stay in. Stop worrying,” he reassured her. “Plus, it feels like I haven’t seen Dominic in ages.”
She put her arm through his and leaned close. “You really are the best.”
“I know,” he said before stepping aside to open the door for her. “After you.”
As soon as they entered the lobby, Bryce spotted Samantha sitting in a chair. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he checked for missed calls.
“Samantha, how long have you been here? Did our numbers get lost?” he asked, coming to a stop in front of her chair.
“I’m sorry,” she said, quickly standing up. “If you guys were out, I didn’t want to interrupt you. They called your room and didn’t get an answer, so I thought I’d just wait a bit for you to get back, and if it got late, I’d go back home.”
“Are you okay?” Rayelle asked.
“Yes. I mean I will be. I should go.” She turned to leave.
Bryce reached out and grabbed her arm. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re fine. We just wish you called us instead of sitting here alone. Come on up.”
