AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So, can I come in?”
Her hesitation devastated him. He tried to give her a genuine smile to persuade her. But his smile fell flat the moment he realized she could see right through him.
“What’s up?” she asked.
He massaged the back of his neck. “I miss us.”
Bree’s eyes widened, and she let go of her firm hold of the door. She gave him a shy smile before she bit her bottom lip.
He placed his hand on her front door, and Bree took a step back. Her eyes traveled over his outfit and she frowned.
“First you wait months to come see me, and now you show up at almost eleven at night. Where have you been, anyway?”
He glanced down to his gray slacks and black dress shirt. Shit.
“I was out with Ro and some people at the Velvet Club.”
He didn’t want to throw his double date in her face, but it didn’t surprise him how well Bree could read between the lines. She jutted her chin at him and righted her shoulders.
“Ah, let me guess. Your date sucked—as in her personality sucked. No surprise there if Ronan introduced—”
He held up a hand.
“Bree—”
“No, no. You’re right. I don’t care, anyway. Look. I’m tired and was just about to turn in.”
“Squirt…” He didn’t know what to say. Why couldn’t he continue to give her the space she needed? A whisper in the back of his head said he knew why he stood here in Bree’s hallway, rather than cuffing Stacy to his bed right now.
It was the same reason he punched Joey Calvari in the face when he boasted how he’d kissed Bree under the bleachers. Or why his gut churned each time Bree talked about meeting some guy in college.
Obviously, his rejection of her love already ruined their friendship. Standing at the crossroads, they could further drift apart or Declan could finally listen to that whisper in the back of his head.
Bree grabbed the door handle. She narrowed her eyes and said, “I don’t get you. How do you figure it’s okay to come over after one of your dates? I’ve told you how I feel about you. It’s so insensitive. And rude. Here I thought Ronan was the asshole twin…”
With that parting shot, Bree slammed the door shut.
“Open up, Bree. It’s not what you think.”
She didn’t respond. He whipped out his phone and dialed her number. She didn’t pick up; instead she turned off her phone and the ringing behind the door stopped.
“Shit.”
“Oh, that always breaks my heart,” Kate said.
Bree glanced up from her hands, trying to unstick Billy’s dinosaur jacket from his zipper. She peered over St. Helena’s Kindergarten’s schoolyard and searched for whatever Kate meant.
A flailing Tommy shouted, “I’m not going. You can’t make me!”
Declan’s cousin Keenan held his son Tommy in his arms and rubbed his back while whispering to him.
“Can you take over Billy’s zipper from me?”
“Sure.” Kate took Bree’s place in front of the five-year-old.
“Thanks, Kate. I’ll be right back, Billy.”
“Okay,” Billy said.
