Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“I don’t feel anything. I just don’t… You know what? Never mind.”
He didn’t what? I really wanted to know what he almost said.
I tugged some money out of my wallet and set it on the counter for him.
“I, um…before you go, I was just wondering. That offer? Does it still stand?”
I’d just started to move to my feet, but paused midway, cocking my head slightly. “To go away?”
Griff rubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah. No worries if you changed your mind. I’ve just been thinking about it, and I could use it—a break. I thought about going somewhere by myself, but then I knew you were looking for a little trip too, so I figured why not? But again, no pressure. It’s not like I can’t go by myself.”
I sat back down. “Fuck that. You’re not getting off that easily. You’ll probably just do boring shit if you go without me. I’m not letting you be boring.”
Griff shook his head, but the right side of his mouth curled up. “You’re not that fun.”
“That’s not what I’ve been told.”
“Because I’m the only one who doesn’t lie to you.” He was wiping down the counter, bending over to get the edge, which brought him closer to me.
Leaning forward, I grinned. “You think I’m fun, Griffin Caine, and nothing you say or do will make me believe otherwise.”
He trembled. Holy fuck, I was close enough to see him tremble, and why in the hell did making Griff shaky cause me to feel the same way?
I sat back on my ass.
“I take it back,” he said. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you.”
I shrugged. “Too bad. You’re stuck now.”
Griff had to pour another beer. I took a minute to shoot off a quick text, saying I was busy and maybe next time.
We spent the next hour discussing possibilities for our upcoming trip.
CHAPTER FOUR
Griffin
What in the hell had I been thinking?
I’d been obsessing about the fact that I’d agreed to go on a trip with Josh. The thing was, I couldn’t figure out why I was freaking the fuck out. I had no reason to. Josh was a friend. I would have gone with Chase, Knox, or Law, had they asked, so why was going with Josh any different? It shouldn’t be. There was no reason for it. So I decided there wasn’t, and chalked it up to my feeling weird about a whole lot of things lately, particularly the way life seemed to be moving on without me. I was in the same place I’d been in what felt like forever. It had never bothered me before, not really.
It bothered me now. I felt like there was something I needed or something I was missing.
It was my day off, and I was having lunch with Kell. We were going to Mr. Tom’s. It was our favorite diner to hit up when it was just us, likely because we used to go there with our parents when we were kids. It was where we’d come numerous times after they passed. Where I’d taken him as a child for treats when he’d been sad.
It was where we’d sorted things out when we talked about him and Chase, and also where he’d given me those three terms I’d never heard before—demisexual, asexual, and aromantic.
My brother was already inside, sitting in a booth toward the back. I walked over and slid into the seat across from him.
“Hey, you.” Kellan smiled. “I ordered you a soda.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t have to look at the menu to know what I wanted. When the waitress approached, we both ordered a burger and fries. When she left, I said, “So, marriage and a baby, huh?”
“Are you sure you’re not mad at me for not telling you first?”
I mulled over my words before replying. Was I mad? No, I wasn’t. I felt left out, but that wasn’t something I was willing to share with Kellan. What kind of brother would I be if I took this moment away from him? I needed to sort this out myself, not drag him into it. “No, Kell. Why would I be upset?”
He grinned again. “I know we talked about it a little that day, but I wanted to make sure. You’re the most important person in my life. I wouldn’t be who I am without you. I’ll always acknowledge that, and I’ll always feel like the luckiest guy in the world for having Griffin Caine for my brother.”
I rolled my eyes playfully. “All right, all right. No need to get all mushy.”
Kellan laughed. We talked for a little while about their plans. Kellan and Chase wanted to get married in the spring. After that, they planned on getting pregnant. “We’re gonna use my sperm. I would have been happy either way. I just want a baby. But Chase, you know how he is. He said he’s always been a Caine. He holds no ties to the Hawthorne genes.”