Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
It got me all tingly inside. Having Shawn in my house with me felt even more comfortable than being alone.
And it would be even better if he was there all of the time, I thought passingly as I settled into the soft leather driver’s seat of my car.
My heart did a big ka-thunk the moment I had the thought. My brain kept taking off on its own, thinking of big, big steps, steps that were very far away. I’d only just become Shawn’s boyfriend and already my mind was wandering toward feelings and plans that I had no right to think about.
I wasn’t in control anymore.
I started the engine on the M3 and focused on the purr of the engine as I took off down the path to the brewery.
21
SHAWN
Charlie already had the red trencher fired up as I walked out into the backyard. He was pulling back the trencher as Nathan followed behind, clearing out soil and making way for the gravel that would form the base of the retaining wall.
The midmorning sun was shining, the skies were blue, and I even saw a pair of butterflies flutter past the deck as I shut the door behind me. I pulled in a long, refreshing breath of air, taking in the scent of the spruce pines.
I was feeling good. Damn good.
Rush’s backyard still needed a lot of work, but I could see the sheer amount of potential it had already. With all the pine trees lining the yard, the space had all the makings of a beautiful, secluded relaxation spot. And we were going to help it get there.
“Looking good,” I told Nathan as I walked over, talking over the clattering of the trencher’s motor.
He looked up at me, his brow furrowed. “Yeah.”
I waited for a minute, but he didn’t say anything more. “Everything okay out here?”
“You’re looking at it,” Nathan said, still sounding short. Almost like he was angry. “You know Charlie digs a trench better than anybody.”
So much for my picture-perfect mood. I could tell my brother wasn’t happy. I’d spent my whole life around him, and even though other people might figure he was just focused on his work, I knew better.
He was pissed.
“Nathan, come on,” I said. “What’s wrong?”
He stood up, letting out a long sigh and taking off his gloves. “Come here,” he said, waving me over to the side of the house, over by the wood fence that led to the front yard.
The sound of the trencher’s motor was a little less loud over here. My heart was heavy as Nathan gave me a serious look, his brows still knitted together.
“You need to know that Rush is only going to hurt you,” he said, finally breaking the tension.
For a moment I was silent, letting his words sink in. And then I felt a flicker of anger rising up in me.
“Is that right?” I asked.
“You know it is,” he said, his gaze unrelenting. “You make your own choices, and so does he, so I’m not going to say any of this again. But I’d feel like a fucking asshole if I didn’t at least tell you my two cents. He’s never been able to have a real relationship, Shawn. You’re playing with fire, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
I felt a wall slowly building up inside of me, brick by brick. “You don’t know him quite like I do, Nathan.”
He puffed out a bitter laugh, and his gaze was hard. “I know him so much better.”
“So you don’t even want to let me have a chance?” I protested. “My first chance at something real in so long?”
He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “I do want you to have a chance, Shawn. And that’s why I’m worried. You don’t think he’s really going to stay in this town forever, do you?”
I was speechless. In truth, I hadn’t really given it much thought.
“He’s not going to leave now,” I said, shifting on my feet. “He’s starting to love it here.”
Nathan raised an eyebrow. “The man gets bored fast in a place like this. He’s going to feel trapped, like he always does, and within a few months he’s going to sell the house and the brewery. Just like he said he would.”
I narrowed my gaze at Nathan. “You really don’t think people can change, do you?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he tossed back at me. “Do you think you’ve somehow magically changed Rush, just through the power of your dick?”
My stomach turned. “Fuck off. I don’t need this from you.”
My whole body was feeling rotten. I didn’t fight with my brother very often, but when we did, we always knew how to push each other’s buttons. I hated this.
“I’m sorry, Shawn,” he offered, exhaling and looking up at the sky. “I didn’t mean it like that.”