AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He called you?”
I nod again.
“Are you two….,” he doesn’t finish the question. “I guess you’ve gotten over the fight?”
There is no answer required.
“Are you two seeing each other?” He returns to the first unfinished question. Fucking each other is likely the real question he wants answered. I’m sure how to answer. Yesterday it would have been an instant no. That’s not true, anymore. Things have changed, haven’t they?
Everything he said last night. The time we’ve spent together these past few weeks… but are we ready to publicly declare we are seeing each other?
“Yes,” I say.
Before either of us could process what just came out of my mouth, Carter appears. He rakes a hand through his hair and then scrapes both hands across his face.
“What happened?” Brady growls. still very reluctant to remove his accusatory glare from me. For a second, I thought I was supposed to answer, but I’m not sure which part he means. Last night? Or us together?
“I slipped.”
“So, I hear,” Brady shoots a glance my way again and waits for Carter to say more. He doesn’t. He walks to the kitchen to the coffee that has just finished brewing.
“Carter,” Brady snaps.
“It was one time,” Carter says.
“Dammit, you don’t get one time, you know that,” Brady seethes. “What the hell happened?” He tosses another disapproving glance my way. Ready to blame me. He doesn’t need to; I’m already on the way to blaming myself.
“I’m happy,” Carter says. “I’m fucking happy for the first time, possibly ever in my adult life.”
We both stare at him.
He sighs, then takes a sip of coffee and looks at Brady and me. “I wanted a goddamn cold beer because I’m happy. I thought, maybe… well, I wasn’t trying to dull pain or chase demons away. I thought maybe then it would be different… and one beer… well, obviously I can’t do that.”
There is nothing to say to that. Am I part of the reason he is happy?
Brady swallows and runs his hands across his face. “Did you forget Mom is coming today?”
“I know.”
Brady just shakes his head, obviously not sure how to deal with Carter’s happiness and his rational understanding that he can’t have just one beer for any reason.
“Dinner is at our house. Mom should be here around 5, so anytime you want to show up.”
Brady shoots me another look, and I shoot one right back. I hold the door open for him to leave.
“My brother is not a hookup,” he seethes as he steps by me.
“I agree.” I follow Brady out into the hall and pull the door mostly closed with me.
“He was drunk, Davey. I expected better from you… I saw you last night with the violin player.”
“Wow, just wow.” I stare at Brady for a few more moments, my fury building. “Your husband once told me he didn’t have to defend his feelings for you to me. I’m finding myself having very similar feelings at this moment. I know Carter is your family, but he is also an adult, as am I. I don’t feel the need to either explain or justify my presence here.”
I meet his angry stare with my own and he finally storms off down the hall.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself as I return to the room.
“I take it that went well,” Carter says as he plops down in the overstuffed chair in the living room of the suite, having topped off his coffee.
