“I don’t know, Olivia.”
“Please. It’s just dinner. Nothing different than any other meal at my parents.”
He slowly lifted a brow, calling me on my bullshit because it was very different. We loved each other, and my fears were standing in the way of it.
A beat of silence ticked by before he finally agreed.
“Okay. But we have to act normal. No flirting.”
“No flirting.”
I’d do my best.
22 Kent
I’d spent the last twenty-four hours trying to figure out a reasonable excuse to not go to dinner tonight. I’d muttered something about an important meeting to Daniel. He’d leveled a look my way that let me know there was no not going.
So, now I sat in the car next to my best friend, to go have dinner with his niece, who he’d almost caught me fucking yesterday, and her parents.
Fucking awesome.
“I’m glad you decided to put your half-ass attempts to the side and come to dinner.”
“It’s no hardship. Julia is a damn good cook.”
“Yeah. My brother lucked out with that one.”
There was a wistful note in his voice, and it made me wonder if Daniel was as happy as he used to be about being single all the time.
“I haven’t seen you much, and this may make me sound like a teenage girl…” He glared my way, throwing my words back in my face. “But I miss you, man.”
Regret pierced my chest as I remembered my callous words. I’d been a dick when I’d accused Daniel of that just to avoid getting caught in my lie.
“I’m sorry, man. I shouldn’t have said that.” I gave a sincere apology but followed up with our usual banter. “I love hearing all your teenage feelings. Makes me feel all warm and gooey.”
“Fuck you,” Daniel said around a laugh.
We drove a couple more blocks before he spoke again.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re my ride-or-die. Been there for me since college. There for every crazy idea. Every crazy-ass adventure.”
Daniel had loved and lost once in his life, and he’d claimed that was enough to never want to fall that deeply in love again. When college was over, we’d both thrown ourselves into work, travel, adventures, and as many women as we could. It’d always been him and me.
We weren’t the kind of guys to talk about our feelings, and the fact that Daniel did, made me feel like an epic heel that somewhere over the past few months, I made him question my loyalty to him as a friend. Because I was loyal to him. It wasn’t disloyal to be with Olivia.
It was just disloyal to not talk to him about it. I was an almost forty-year-old man, and I knew better. I knew when to talk things over. I knew Daniel would probably initially explode, but quickly recover because he knew me. He’d be able to see the difference and know I loved Olivia.
But I’d left the ball in Olivia’s court. She was young and not as sure of herself, and I promised myself I’d be patient with her. I had to have faith in her that she wouldn’t drag this out forever. I had to have faith that she knew enough of my past with Daniel to know lying forever wasn’t an option.
We loved each other, and I had faith in that love.
“Don’t you feel tired sometimes? Tired of the one-night stands? Tired of constantly moving?” I eased into the topic, trying to get a feel for where he was at. He sounded more somber tonight. Maybe if I could come to Olivia with proof he wouldn’t blow up and abandon her like she thought, it’d help her take the next step.
“Says the manwhore who doesn’t have a solid home.”
I winced, mainly because his words were true. Or they used to be true. Not since Olivia though. “I was actually thinking of buying a place.”
He looked over, the lights from the dash illuminating his raised brows. “Oh, yeah? Where?”
“Your building is nice.”
“It sure is.” His smile grew as though the idea of living in the same building got better and better. “That would be great too because we could double up our security on Olivia. I swear she had a guy in her apartment this weekend.”
The smooth conversation I’d envisioned skipped a beat. “Huh.” It was the only word I could summon, and I barely breathed it.
I expected him to make the connection any moment, and the ruse would be over. I held my breath the rest of the short drive and was about to scramble out once we pulled into the drive, but he stopped me.
“Listen, Kent.” I turned back and watched my friend grip the wheel, keeping his gaze locked on the house. “You know how I feel about relationships. I can’t go through it again.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“It leaves a permanent mark that no time can take away. That’s why I’m so grateful for you. If that need hits me and I’m feeling lonely, I hit you up. David is my brother by blood, but you’re so much more, and I appreciate you always being there and sticking it out with me.”