Understanding dawns in her eyes and it’s like a lightbulb moment as she realizes I’m the one to blame for Lukas getting jumped, not some jealous boyfriend like they all think.
“I can’t guarantee that she’ll be happy to see you,” Tora warns, skipping right over the whole bruised knuckles thing.
I shrug, telling her my honest truth. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“Alright,” she says, opening the door wider. “It’s your funeral.”
I walk through to the kitchen as Tora closes the door and follows behind me. I find Brooke standing at the kitchen counter with her back turned. “Who was it?” she calls out in that angelic voice that sends shivers running through my body.
Moment of fucking truth.
I swallow hard, feeling my chest tightening. “Hey, Brooke,” I murmur low, hoping I’m not about to be thrown out on my ass.
Brooke spins around with her mouth hanging open as she looks between me and Tora. Her big eyes instantly fill with tears before an intense determination comes over her. She raises her chin and stands taller, and I don’t doubt she’s about to curse me out, only it never comes. Instead, the tears spring free and I race toward her, desperate to make her pain go away.
She clings to me as I wrap my arms around her, absolutely hating seeing her in this kind of torturous pain. She doesn’t deserve this. Wasn’t it enough that I already hurt her? Now some dickhead had to go and do it again. It was one thing knowing about it, but seeing her like this is so much worse.
“Come on,” I whisper before bending and scooping her into my arms. For a brief moment, I worry that she’s about to push me away, but when she curls into my chest, I start heading down to her room, kicking the door open when I get there.
I walk straight over to her bed and lay her down before climbing in beside her and immediately pulling her back into my arms. Just as I had hoped, she curls back into me, placing her hand over my racing heart as my fingers run through her hair, giving her whatever she needs as the tears continue falling from her eyes.
“I could fucking kill him,” I murmur, struggling to keep myself here as the need to go over there and beat the living shit out of him sails through me…again.
“Don’t,” she replies, trying to wipe her tears on the back of her hand. “I… just, why? Why are you even here?”
I pull her in tighter. “How could I not? I was at Nate’s shop and I kind of overheard what happened. I don’t know what possessed me to get in the car and come to you, but before I even knew what was happening, I was at the front door about to bowl Tora out of the fucking way.”
Brooke sighs, gently shaking her head. “She’s a bitch for letting you pass.”
A grin spreads across my face. “Yeah, well, take that up with her.”
Brooke falls silent and for a moment, I struggle to find the words I need to say, but Brooke beats me to it. “Max,” she sighs, pushing away from my chest and sitting up so she can focus entirely on me. “What’s going on?”
I pull myself up and lean against her headboard as I try to figure out the best way to answer her question. “I can’t get past what I did to you,” I tell her, deciding on complete honesty.
Her brows furrow. “What do you mean?”
I reach out for her hand and am blown the fuck away when she allows me to take it. I consider lacing my fingers through hers but figure that’s pushing my luck a little too much. “I treated you like shit when we were together. You were the best thing that ever happened to me and I took it for granted. I hurt you in a big way and I’ll never forgive myself for it.”
“I…I’m confused,” she says, searching my eyes. “Why are you telling me this now? It’s nearly been a year.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t planning on telling you at all,” I say with a slight chuckle. “I just wanted to move on and let you go, but then summer happened.”
“Summer?” she questions with a strange tone in her voice. “You don’t mean?”
An image of the two of us slams through my mind. Our bodies moving together, her back arching, the soft gasp as I pushed up into her. “What? Oh. no…no. Not that.”
Brooke’s eyes narrow. “What are you talking about, Max?”
I let out a sigh, wondering why I find it so hard to get these words out. “My cousin. You remember Ryan?” Brooke nods and I go on. “He was in a car accident. A drunk driver ran a red light and took him out.”