Page 79 of Flirting with Trouble

My throat thickens. “I assumed she threw them out.”

“I bet they’re still there,” Grant says. “If Stevie ever does anything like that, there’s no way Jules or I would throw them out. Mom said you left her flowers all the time, and that you had Dad’s heart, which pissed me off, because I was furious at him after he left. I thought he didn’t love us.”

“I felt that way for a little while at first,” I admit.

“I never did,” Fitz says. “That must’ve sucked.”

“It did. Why didn’t you feel that way?” Grant asked.

“I don’t know.” Fitz’s brows knit. “Dad and I have always had a different relationship than you guys have. You and Dad fought all the time, and even as a kid, Wells was the family jokester. Dad used to do things just to get him to make a joke, but I was Dad’s serious sidekick. He sat me down before he left and told me how much he loved us and said things would work out. I believed him. And yeah, everything changed after he moved out, and that sucked, but I never doubted that he loved us.”

“You always were a kiss ass,” Grant said.

Fitz looks at him like he’s lost his mind. “You think I liked being tagged as the good one? That’s a fucking noose around my neck. I was jealous of you guys when we were younger.” He lifts his chin at Grant. “You never took shit from anyone, and, Wells, you broke the rules every damn day and everyone still adored you.”

“What are you saying? You wanted to be a bad boy?” Grant snarls.

“Fuck yeah,” Fitz says. “You made it look cool, and Wells made it look fun.”

“There’s nothing cool about how angry I was at Dad,” Grant says firmly.

“And I never tried to break the rules. Not back then, anyway,” I say. “It’s just who I am, and that’s a noose around my neck. Look at my current situation. Victory sees me as a fucking boy toy.”

“If she thinks that, it’s her loss. You’re a great guy,” Fitz says.

“I don’t know about that,” I admit. “Look at my dating history. Everyone knows me as the good-time fling guy.”

“Not the people who really know you,” Fitz says.

“Who gives a damn about your dating history, anyway?” Grant says sharply. “Your value as a partner isn’t derived from the length of your past relationships. It’s about who you are and how you treat others. You’re as trustworthy as they come.”

“Haven’t you been showing up to see her in the city a couple of times each week?” Fitz asks. “Or were all those trips just for the restaurant?”

“Both, but mostly her.”

“If you ask me, that makes you a fucking knight in shining armor,” Grant says.

I scoff. “Hardly.”

“Listen, without a crystal ball, you can’t know what’s going through her head,” Fitz says.

“Actually, I think I do,” I admit. “She told me she wasn’t looking for a relationship, but like a fool, I fell for her. When I saw the fear or whatever it was in her eyes, I gave her an out. I said it was too much too fast, and she took it.”

“Well, shit. Maybe she’ll come around,” Grant says.

“Part of me wants to force her to open her fucking eyes and see us like I see us, but the other part of me doesn’t want to make things harder for her.”

“See? Not selfish,” Fitz says. “If you did wrong by her, I’d say grovel your heart out, but it doesn’t sound like you did. Maybe she’s as confused about it as you are. Some time and space might help. What do you say we head over to my place and play some pool? Help you forget her for a while.”

There is no forgetting Victoria Braden, but sitting at home picking this shit apart for another night would be torture.

As we head to the parking lot, Grant claps a hand on my shoulder and says, “Nobody said love was easy, but when it’s with the right woman, it’s worth it.”

“That’s great, Grant,” Fitz says sarcastically. “Rub your happiness in his face.”

Grant glowers at him. “That’s not what I’m doing.”

“It’s okay, Fitz,” I say. “Pixie’s penchant for sprinkling happy dust must be rubbing off on him.”