“I don’t expect you to forgive me, and I’m not asking to pick up where we left off since we never should have gotten started in the first place. I know you’ve moved on, and that’s what I should do too. I just couldn’t hold this in anymore. I needed to let you know how wrong I was.”
He lifted his thumb to catch the tear that rolled down her cheek. “I’m never going to forget how you look right now, crying for a man who deserves nothing but scorn.”
He’s going to kiss me. She was sure of it, as sure as she was that the sun would rise tomorrow. But he didn’t.
His hand fell away, and he took a step back, turning to face the dancers again. They stood there, silent. Three feet apart and a thousand miles away from one another. They were neighbors, after all, and Alex was Jameson’s best friend. They’d have to see each other again, over and over for the rest of their lives. Although everything inside her felt like he was walking away for good, he was still physically three feet away from her.
Brenne felt broken, but she didn’t show it. When Gavin and Emma returned, she smiled and laughed and carried on as if her world hadn’t just fallen apart. But that night, when she stared up at the ceiling above her bed for as many hours as it took to finally succumb to exhaustion and sleep, she cried all the tears she’d held in save one.
The one Alex took.
CHAPTER 27
ALEX
“Another tequila, bartender.”
The blur that looked like Louisa MacAllen stared at him closely. “I don’t think you should have another. Why don’t you let me call Jameson to come take you home?”
Alex squinted at the blur behind the bar. “Are you refusing my patronage?” At least, that was what he tried to say. To his ears, it sounds something like Uroo retuzing my pashronej?
He leaned forward, his elbows hitting the bar with a force he was sure he’d regret tomorrow when he could feel again. “Whoa there,” Louisa said, reaching over the bar to steady him. “You just sit tight. Otherwise you’re going to fall down. Let me go get Johnnie.”
The blur behind the bar disappeared, and Alex picked up his almost empty glass, lifting it over his head to catch the last few drips in his mouth. When he looked over again, there were two blurs behind the bar.
“Oh, Doc. You’re the last person I expected to see here. And at one in the morning, no less.”
The blur on the right had Johnnie’s voice, and Alex lifted his arm to repeat his request. “Another tequila, bartender.”
“You’ve had enough. You’re tighter than bark on a log. If I pour another one into you, you’ll roll home.” The blur on the right came around the bar to put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to take you home.”
Louisa let out a frustrated burst of air. “I was hoping to get a little bit of Valentine time in with my man tonight.”
Johnnie’s voice turned sweet. “Oh, sugar, you know I’ve promised you a few days away at that little spot I know near Galveston.”
“Why don’t you call Jameson to come get him? They’re close.” The blur behind the bar crossed its arms in irritation and Alex was beginning to think he might be the cause of some of Louisa’s ire.
“I think Alex and I need to have a little talk, and there’s no time like the present. And don’t worry, when I get back I’ll still have plenty of energy to give you your Valentine gift.”
“Johnnie MacAllen, you’re looser than a bucket of soot.” Louisa laughed, and Johnnie blew her a kiss, then helped Alex stand.
“Let’s go, Doc. We’ll get you to bed soon enough and you can sleep this off. You’ll probably have a bear of a hangover tomorrow for your trouble.”
Alex had the vague sensation of movement, a flash of cold, and then he was sitting again. “Buckle up, Doc,” Johnnie said, and Alex did as he suggested. The cold was starting to clear his head, whether he liked it or not.
The little car started up, the radio blasting a pop song at an unbearable volume. “Sorry about that,” Johnnie said sheepishly. “This is my wife’s car.” He turned off the radio, then lowered the windows, letting in the cold February air. “Let’s get you sober enough to put yourself to bed.”
By the time his teeth were chattering, Alex was sober enough to carry on a conversation. He rolled up his window and motioned for Johnnie to do the same to his. “Feeling better?” the saloon owner asked, an amused smile on his face.
“Better isn’t the right word.” He rubbed his face, then blinked over at the blur that resolved itself into Johnnie MacAllen.
“You’ve hit a rough patch, haven’t you, Doc?” Johnnie’s voice held compassion. “Take it from a guy who had his own rocky patch not too long ago. It will get better.”
“Criminals burned down your bar and tried to sabotage the relaunch. You weren’t responsible for your own misery. I’ve fucked my own life up without any help from anyone.”
Johnnie nodded in understanding. “You’re looking at a man who has made his own fair share of mistakes. It isn’t impossible to come back from them.”
Alex shook his head mournfully. “Trust me, there’s no coming back.”
“My sister might surprise you.”
His head lifted at Johnnie’s words. “I don’t know what your sister has to do with anything.” His tone was stilted but his words sounded convincing, he hoped.
“I know you two have been sneaking around. I put it together. My sister has developed a disappearing act over the last year or so. When I saw you two at church one Sunday, it got me thinking. I asked around, discreetly of course, and added up the pieces.”
“Louisa told you, didn’t she?” Alex’s voice was flat.
“No,” Johnnie said, then laughed. “Well, not at first. I figured out Brenne must be seeing someone on the sly, and I thought it might be you. But Louisa confirmed it a few weeks ago after Brenne confessed.”
Alex scowled, biting back a curse. “If you’re driving me home because you’re planning on kicking my ass, I say go ahead. I’ll tell everyone you only managed it because I was good and drunk, and the next opportunity I get, I’ll pay you back.”
“Whoa there, tiger,” Johnnie said, his voice light. “I’m not aiming on kicking your ass unless you ask for it. Brenne is a grown woman. Sure, her older brothers can get a bit protective, but I wouldn’t stand in the way of the right man.”
“The right man.” Alex scoffed. “Now I know you’re not talking about me.”
“What happened, man?” Johnnie asked, his tone earnest. “You’re eating sorrow by the spoonful.”
“I broke it off with your sister because I knew it was only a matter of time before someone found out about us and outed us to everyone. What we had, it wasn’t serious, and I didn’t want to risk my friendship with Jameson or any of you MacAllens. But it wasn’t just my fear of being caught. I didn’t think Brenne was the right woman for me. I thought I was meant for someone polite, well spoken. Someone who wore soft sweaters and liked all the same things that I did.”