“Yes and no. I’ll feel better once I handle this thing with Neal.”
She gives me a pep talk and we say our goodbyes.
I hold the phone in my hand, my thumb hesitating over Neal’s name. I hit the call button then immediately hang up. My stomach is in my throat. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose trying to muster up some courage when my phone vibrates in my hand. I look down and see Neal’s name across the screen.
“Shit!” I hit the reject button. I thought I’d hung up before it connected earlier, but apparently not. The phone rings once more, and again, I hit the reject button.
I feel like a coward. Then a text comes through.
Neal: Hey, beautiful. Saw you called me. Been wanting to talk. Got a few minutes?
I debate on if I should just say everything in a text, but instead, I swipe across the chat and delete it, then go to the call log and do the same.
Guilt grips me as I realize I’m officially hiding this whole situation from Tyler, but right now, I just don’t have it in me to deal with it.
“You guys are dating?”Trent feigns shock as Tyler uses his free arm to smack his brother, since the other one is wrapped tightly around my waist.
“So this is the new social media genius who’s kicking ass.”
“Brook, this is my Uncle Hudson and his wife, Aunt Devon.”
“Hi, Devon, so nice to see you again.” I extend my hand but she pulls me in for a hug. Next, I turn to her husband. “Hudson, so nice to finally meet you.”
“Pleasure. Sorry I couldn’t make the last two meetings. I promise I’ve been keeping up with what you’ve been doing, though. Drake and Colton won’t shut up about it.” He lets out a loud, bellowing laugh.
“Brooklyn, I’m going to snatch you away for a few moments.” I turn to my right and Celeste is looping her arm through mine and pulling me toward the kitchen.
“Sorry about that,” she says, “but I figured you might need a moment to collect your thoughts. Lord knows, this family has no boundaries and I don’t want them scaring you off after one holiday with us.” She gives me a wink and hands me a much-needed glass of wine.
“Thank you.” I glance over my shoulder and see Drake and Tyler heading out back with cigars and whiskey.
“They’ll be out there for hours if we let them. Two peas in a pod, those two.”
“Drake and Tyler?” I ask curiously.
“Oh yes. They’re both so quiet sometimes I don’t know how they communicate as much as they do. Tyler was always Drake’s little shadow growing up. And they revert back to it when they’re together.”
I smile. It all makes sense now that Tyler worried as much as he did about disappointing his father.
“He’s a good man. They both are.”
I turn back around to see Celeste leaning against the counter with what looks like tears in her eyes.
“You make him so happy, Brooklyn.” She’s crossing the distance between us and throwing her arms around me before I realize what’s happening.
“I never thought he’d find you.”
“Brook,we need to go, don’t we?” Mallory yells to me from down the hall.
“Just a second! Feel free to start the car,” I yell as I swipe away the unread text from Neal and delete it.
I’ve lost count of how many calls and texts he’s sent me over the last few days that have gone unread and now deleted. I feel awful—like I’m a liar who’s hiding something from everyone.
After spending an amazing Thanksgiving with Tyler and his family, I promised myself I’d deal with this once and for all. I can’t risk losing what I have now that I’ve found it.
I pull up Neal’s contact info and scroll down to the bottom, hitting the “block contact” button. I slide the phone into my pocket and grab my overnight bag to head out to my car.
“Drive safe, baby. Text me when you get there.” Tyler grabs my ass and plants a panty-melting kiss on my lips right in front of my sister.