A heaviness settled over his chest like a tightening vise, squeezing until he could barely draw in a single breath. Ryan’s stunned expression seemed to add to the pressure.
“I’m sorry—”
“It’s cool.”
“No, it’s not.” Without looking at him, he heard the sincere apology in his tone.
Pat blew out a breath. “You were just asking. I shouldn’t have snapped. You’re getting married—”
“Will you knock it off. Stop acting like a wedding is some sort of immunity ceremony. I get that life isn’t going to uncomplicate itself for my big day. I can deal with some drama. You’re not going to spoil anything for me.”
Pat shook his head, disgusted with himself and his outburst. “I’m supposed to be helping you.”
“You’re helping me, just by standing by my side as my best man. I just want my brother there with me.” He picked up a tied up bag of nuts and tossed it back in the pile. “None of this other shit matters.”
“But Maggie said the favors have to be—”
“Maggie doesn’t care. She’s been through this before. She knows what really counts and that’s what she needs from me. She couldn’t give two shits about bows and candy and all this other crap Mum said we should have.”
If that was true, then his brother really found a good one. “You’re lucky.”
Ryan laughed. “No one ever called me lucky when it came to romance.”
“Yeah, well, in the end, you lucked out. She seems really cool.”
He and his brother never were ashamed of wanting love and a family. That was how they were raised. But neither of them had an easy time finding such things. He was glad at least one of them had lucked out.
“Look,” Ryan said, his tone delicate. “If Jo’s the one for you, you have my total support. But if she’s not, if there’s even the slightest chance you could be happier with someone else, hold out. You know I love Jo, but I love you more and I want to see you happy. I want you to feel what I feel when I look at Maggie.”
Pat wanted that too. “Thanks.” Lying was exhausting. “The Jo thing…” He hesitated. “Her mother…” Again, he struggled to find a simple explanation. “Sometimes something seems harmless but ends up way more complicated—”
There was a heavy knock at the front door and they both turned. A small silhouette blurred on the other end of the glass, and Ryan rose from the dining room table to see who it was.
He opened the front door and Pat listened, his eyes focused back on the bows. “Hey, Jo,” Ryan greeted.
“Hey, Ry.” She followed him into the house with the grace of an ox. “Pat, I need to talk to you about something—alone.”
Ryan lifted a brow but kept all commentary to himself. Even if he hadn’t had the chance to fully explain the situation, his brother wasn’t an idiot, and he was beginning to get the picture. “Better do what the missus wants.”
Jo flinched and he had to laugh. It was too easy to bust her chops with the domestic labels. Pat stood, glad to have a break from stuffing almonds. “Happy wife, happy life, right?”
Jo rolled her eyes. “Just take your good old time. Not like I came over here in a rush or anything.”
He frowned at the urgency in her voice and followed her outside to the front porch. “What’s up?”
“They broke up.”
“What?” He instinctively knew she was talking about Julie and Lance. He knew he sensed something off with her. “When? Why?”
“I don’t know the whole story. She said she’s still processing. It just happened, like not even forty-eight hours ago. They had a fight, and she left.”
“Wait, did they actually break up? Or did they argue and she left angry? There’s a difference.”
“I don’t know. She seems really unsure right now and not herself. God, I hate that he can do that to her.”
His molars locked. The thought of that asshole doing anything to Julie made him see red. “What exactly did she say?”
“She said she needed to come home to think. I checked her car. There’s a box on the front seat.”
“Just the front seat?” She’d lived with Lance for years. Her life wouldn’t fit in just a few boxes, let alone one.
“Well…yeah.”
Something didn’t feel right. It was as if he was too afraid to actually believe she might truly be done with him. “What did your mom say?”
“She doesn’t know—”
“Oh, well there you go.” He threw up his hands in frustration.
“What do you mean?”
“Jo, they had a fight. He’s a dick. But he’s always been a dick. She’s not going to move home with one box. And if she was truly moving home, your mother and father would know.”
“I thought you’d be happy.”
“I would, if they were actually over.”
Her brow creased. “You weren’t there, Pat. You didn’t see the desperation in her eyes. Whether it’s over or not, she wants to leave. I think she’s depressed and scared. Maybe even a little embarrassed.”