Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
CHAPTER 49
TESS
DAMN. I REALLY MISSED HIM.
I can’t believe I’m here.
In Illinois, I mean.
My parents offered to pay because they thought it would be good for me to visit Drew, too, but he’s the one who bought my ticket.
First class.
“You realize our families might have something to say about it, right?”
He had hesitated. “True, they might have their reservations. But what’s life without a little bit of rebellion?”
I’ve never been a rebel a day in my life and neither has Drew.
Except for this one thing apparently where I did what no one in my family ever thought I would do; get pregnant from a one-night stand, and the father was my brother’s best friend.
Was.
Past tense.
They obviously haven’t spoken, but mostly because my brother has been acting like a dick.
Color me surprised that he treated me with respect on our call last night—the last call I was expecting.
“Hey, sis,” Grady’s voice came through, casual and familiar—yet unfamiliar at the same time. In the past few weeks, I feel like I don’t know him at all.
"Hey," I replied, my heart racing a little. "What's up?"
"Nothing much," he said. "Just wanted to talk to you about something."
My mind raced through the possibilities of what this conversation could be about. "Sure, go ahead."
I stood at the kitchen counter in my apartment, arms and ankles crossed as if he were standing in the room, talking to me face-to-face and I had to be in defense mode.
There was a brief pause before Grady spoke again. "Mom and Dad told me about your plans to visit Drew."
My brows shot up. "Yeah, that's true."
"I gotta admit, I was surprised," Grady said, his tone light. "I mean, you're hopping on a plane to see the guy who got you pregnant. Illinois isn’t exactly your typical vacation destination."
Vacation destination?
What an idiot.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I guess it's not your usual vacation spot. Lots of farm fields and cattle, I would imagine.”
Same as here.
"But seriously, Tess," Grady continued. "Are you sure about this? I know you're a grown-up and all, but I can't help but worry."
“Worry about what?”
Nothing more could happen to me. The month has been one of the shittiest on record for me in the history of shitty things happening to me. Not getting a bid from my top sorority choice my freshman year used to be at the top of the list.
Ha.
And I thought that was rough…
What a fool I’d been.
“Mom and Dad told me about…you know. Everything. The baby and stuff.”
The baby and stuff…
I picked at a piece of lint on my hoodie. "I appreciate your concern, Grady, but…you know Drew better than anyone, and I want to see him. He wants to see me. We need…time together to..."
Shoot, how do I put this?
“Heal.”
The word feels so foreign to me; a word I never thought I would assign to myself or my feelings or my state of well-being, but here I am, needing to heal and not wanting to do it alone.
"Look," he said, his tone softening. "I might have given you a hard time”—he cleared his throat—“about your choices, but, uh. I love you, you know? And I, uh, I support you.”
I let the silence take up space in the universe so he can choose his next sentence.
“Just promise me you'll be careful, okay? I know you, Tess – you jump in headfirst, and I don't want to see you get hurt."
“Jump in headfirst?” I laughed. “What are you even talking about? I don’t know if I ever told you this because it was none of your business but I’ve been in love with Drew Colter since I was in middle school—there was nothing ‘headfirst’ about it.”
I smiled despite the seriousness of the conversation.
I lowered my voice, getting serious. "Listen. I promise I'll be careful. I want you to consider contacting Drew and apologizing—I don’t think you and I will be ‘good’ until you do.”
If you could hear a nod through a cell phone, I could hear his.
“Okay.”
“Good.”
"Good," he repeated. "And you better bring me back a souvenir or something. I haven’t been to the Midwest in years.”
I laughed. "I'll see what I can do. Maybe a keychain or a postcard from the airport?"
"Now you're talking," he said. “Tess?”
“Hm?”
“I’m really fucking sorry. About everything.”
“I know.”
And I do. My brother might have been acting out the past few weeks but he’s had my back my entire life. This was the first time in our lives we’d been at odds, and it was one of the loneliest, not having him supporting me because he was butt hurt about Drew.
Would it have made a difference if some other guy had gotten me, you know—preggo?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
“Damn, Tess, I haven’t seen you in years. Drew wasn’t kidding when he said you were all grown up.”
Drake Colter, looking so much like his twin, but at the same time so unlike his twin, wraps me in a hug, his massive body swallowing me hole.