He brought his hand up and cupped my cheek gently before he grabbed my arms and pulled me up against him, chest to chest, our breath mingling as he dipped his head close to mine. “You still taste like sunshine and I should just walk away, but damnit, woman...”

“But…Allie…” The words fell off my lips before I could hold them back.

He froze, every muscle in his body tensing. I could feel him fighting back the myriad emotions that had to be weaving through every inch of him at the moment and I felt like even more of a bitch for causing it.

After a moment, he dropped his hands, blew out a deep breath, and moved away to lean against the counter by the sink. I started to apologize but stopped when he shook his head at me.

“Let’s get something straight, okay? Listen up because I’m really tired of people throwing her up in my face. Allie and I, and Emma too, incidentally, talked about this just the other day. In fact, it was after she’d been over here with you when you broke down and told her about the kiss.”

I gasped but didn’t say a word, letting him continue.

“It’s okay, Chloe. I’m not mad. It’s best that it’s out in the open anyway, especially because Allie and I are so close. She came to me to let me know that she’d been set straight about a couple things, so I guess I should thank you. Anyway, there was nothing between Allie and I when we kissed. You know that, Chloe, even though I know you also feel like you betrayed a friend. And I’m pretty sure you felt like you betrayed not only a friend, but our friendship and your brother. Right?”

I nodded.

Brandon moved toward me and motioned to the kitchen table. We each took a seat, settling in to continue the conversation.

“Look. I walked away from the situation with Allie because I’m selfish, like I told you. I want that special love that Emma and Luke have, that Allie and Jacks have…and Allie and I? We loved each other, sure, maybe were even a little in love. But that love was nothing, and I mean NOTHING, close to what she has with Jackson. How fair would it have been to them to stick it out and maybe end up resenting them, or even them resenting me? It wouldn’t have been fair to them, at all, or to me. I don’t deserve anything less, and yes, I said that I wanted it to work because I did! I didn’t walk away just on a whim, you’ve got to know that!”

His face was earnest and, even if I didn’t know already that he was telling the truth, I would know now, would believe him whole-heartedly.

“I was going to talk to them both and then Jacks got into that awful fucking accident and things just were spiraling out of control. I was so scared that we were going to lose him, and she kept pushing me away…and then I overheard Allie pouring her heart out to him, trying to get him to wake up, and she blurted out that she was pregnant and…well, you know the rest. Jacks woke up and I realized that, while she wasn’t really trying to push me away, the truth was staring us all in the face.”

“Yeah, Brandon, but it just…I mean, you both made it look like it was so easy to do. Like neither one of you were willing to fight for it. Maybe it’s just me, but…” I shrugged, not entirely comfortable talking about this with him, but figuring if he was laying it out, might as well go all in.

Brandon shook his head. “No, Chloe, it was one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. I can honestly say that, but I can’t regret it. I don’t regret it, because Allie is happier than ever, and she and I are closer than ever. As friends. And she and I are okay, we’re completely and totally fine. And if people don’t like it, if they can’t understand that, well, we do and that’s all that matters. Right?”

I nodded, not really sure what to say, where to go from here.

His face softened again. “We’re good, right?”

I nodded again; there’s nothing else I could say, was there?

He slapped his hands down on the table, saying, “Oh, yeah. Why the hell was your door unlocked?”

I straightened, immediately going on the defense. “It was not!” I exclaimed.

He grinned. “I know. I used my key that I never gave back. And Leah has a key, too, I’m assuming?”

I nodded. He nodded back at me and slammed his hands down on the table once more. “Now. We’ve got that out of the way. Sooo…” He drew the word out, waggling his eyebrows exaggeratedly at me before he said, “Wanna make out?”

The question caught me off guard so badly that I couldn’t help but crack up, laughing even harder when he pretended to be affronted, slapping his hand across his chest and drawing his head back in mock horror. And just like that, the tension broke and I knew, whatever happened, we were going to be fine, too.

At least I was hoping so.

Chapter 4

I walked out onto the back porch where Leah was waiting, giving her a sheepish grin when she crossed her arms and pouted, glaring at me from where she lay on the lounger she’d dragged over into the sun.

She and I had gotten closer and closer during the time I’d been here, hanging out together just as much as I did with Allie and Emma. She was younger than me, but that didn’t matter. She was so fun to be around and she just…got me. She knew when to push me and when to let me be. Quite frankly, she’d become my best friend.

“It’s about fucking time! Holy hell, I aged a year waiting on your ass! Do you realize it’s already two o’clock now?” she asked, whining. The effect was broken when she swung around, jumped to her feet, and attacked me, questions flying a mile a minute at me. “Oh, my God! Are you gonna fuck him? He kissed you again? Are you dating now? What did he say? What happened after I came outside? Are you gonna get ready now? Is he still here? Where’d he go?”

Oy. I grabbed her arms, holding her still and forcing her to look at me instead of jumping around like a Chihuahua on crack. “Calm your hyper ass down, slick! One question at a time!” Yeesh!

She waved a hand at me impatiently, gritting out, “Just fucking spill! We don’t have time for questions anymore. Tell me while you’re getting ready!” She slapped my hands away and yanked my arm almost out of the socket as she pulled me into the house and to my bedroom.

“First off, sorry it took so long, but I guess it needed to happen sometime and he decided it was today. I can’t believe that you actually waited out here for so long. Where are we going, anyway?” I asked. “You said something about a fight?”

She shrugged. “I just laid in the sun. It was kinda nice and relaxing and I didn’t feel like going home just to come back and steal you later.” Then she grinned wickedly. “Anyway, remember when Calland called and asked if anyone wanted to go to the fight with him? Well, he lined up the tickets really early, so it’s FINALLY time to go! Whoo hoo! Get to watch hot guys beat the shit out of each other…what’s better than that?” Leah crowed, rubbing her hands together and licking her lips crazily.

“Uh, well, you blood thirsty violence whore, a lot is better than that to my mind. Why do I have to come?” Yeah, I whined a little bit, but UFC stuff really isn’t my forte. I was not very excited to go, but I wouldn’t make her go alone. “And why the hell are you here so early when I know the fight can’t be until later tonight?”

“Because Calland invited that girl he was seeing, what’s her name…uh…Katie or something? She lasted longer than most of them but on game night when she got handsy in front of everyone kinda ruined it for my brother, so he’s got an extra ticket and I told him I wanted it for you. And because I was bored and I figured that we’d get dolled up, get some food, get some drinks and then go. That’s why, now GET READY!” she shouted, rooting through my closet and throwing clothes at me.