Page 75 of Unraveled

“God, you really are striving for perfection. You make me incredibly happy, Kellan.” It was simple when I thought about it.

He rubbed my back softly. “I never thought I’d be this happy, either. Well, minus the cancer, the chemo, and you feeling like shit right now.”

My giggle bubbled up. “Yeah, minus those things. I can’t wait for this to be over.”

“I wish I could speed up the time for you. Or better yet, ease this pain even the slightest bit for you.”

“You already do.” My stomach chose the moment to growl again.

“Let’s get you something to eat.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kellan

Layla had once said cancer was the wake-up call to set her priorities straight. It turned out her fight against cancer had become a wake-up call for me too. I now realized my petty grudge was exactly that. Petty. So, I’d finally reached out to Brandon and was ready to meet him in person. Eight days after the wedding debacle, I waited for him at a local sports bar in Northgate on a Sunday night.

He arrived dressed similar to me in jeans and a button-down shirt. He murmured hello to me before turning to the waitress who was already walking up. “I’ll have a Stella, please.”

Mine was already sitting in front of me. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me here.”

His somber brown eyes met mine. “Thanks for reaching out with the text message.”

He smiled for the waitress who delivered his beverage, and then we both sat in awkward silence.

After a moment, he spoke. “How is Layla feeling?”

“She’s good. Chemo takes a lot out of her, but she’s strong.”

“You’d never know from meeting her last weekend that she’s going through treatment. She must be a trooper.”

My grin couldn’t be helped. “She is indeed. I owe you an apology for the way I acted last Saturday. I was way out of line.”

He shook his head. “After all these years, I should’ve been more sensitive about talking to any woman who was your girlfriend. Especially the first time we saw one another again. If anyone owes someone an apology, it’s me. I only hope this meeting might mean you’re ready to accept it.”

My gaze met his. My best friend, my cousin, my partner in crime for so many years. It felt as if a weight was finally being lifted that I’d been carrying around forever. “It’s years overdue. I accept.”

He seemed to let out a breath he’d been holding. “You don’t know how much it means to me.”

Over our beer, we caught up. Brandon was currently single, busy working at his dad’s business, and appeared to have workaholic tendencies similar to my own. I told him about my stint in Boston but left out a lot about my current business. After all, he was still the competition. And I was fiercely protective of my fledgling company.

“How did you and Layla meet?”

“Funny story.” I proceeded to tell him some of the details of Russ calling in reinforcements. By the end of it, we’d switched from beer to whiskey.

“I can’t believe Carly actually thought you’d give her another chance.”

“Me neither. Can I ask you something?” It was a question I’d had on my mind for years.

“Of course. Anything.”

“After everything happened that night, did you two date?”

He looked shocked. “No. I wouldn’t have anything to do with her. Not to rehash, but I’d been drinking. I seriously thought it was my ex who’d come over. After it happened, I was so angry she’d caused this between us, I wouldn’t speak to her at all.”

I was certain somewhere down the line he’d already given me the same explanation, but hearing it now, I could actually hear it. And believe him. The story made clear how much damage she’d caused between us, and for what? I found it didn’t matter any longer.

He lifted his shot glass to mine. “Cheers to the past. May you never have to see her again.”