Page 67 of Heartsmashed
“Takes a superhuman for that,” I said, and when he shot me a gimme-a-break look, I reluctantly backtracked. “Fine, yes, he is. He doesn’t make everything athing, does that make sense?”
“Unlike us.”
“God, yes, unlike all of us.” I felt the urge to tell Rome what I’d done and who Beckett really was, but the words got stuck in the back of my throat. He would listen, probably wouldn’t even give me much shit for it either, since he was being so understanding, so really, Ishouldtell him now.
But then it would change how he looked at Beckett, and I didn’t know if that information would trickle down through thefamily until they all saw him differently, and he’d been nothing but kind to them. To me.
Whatever this was, whatever mess I’d created, I didn’t want to hand anyone a reason to think of him as anything other than the amazing man who was there for me.Withme.
Especially not when I was starting to have feelings for him.
So I snapped my mouth shut and swallowed it down. Only Rome watched me do it.
“What were you going to say?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“Years of being too emotionally transparent, I guess. Tragic condition.”
“Yeah, terminal, probably.”
“Send flowers.”
“And thoughts and prayers.” He leaned his hip against the railing, studying me in that annoying brotherly way that told me he wasn’t done yet. “You can talk to me, you know.”
“I am talking.”
“Sawyer.”
“I know, I know.”
“Do you? I mean it—don’t let Peter fuck this up for you.”
“Yeah. It’s just… It’s a little complicated, is all.”
“Nothing good’s ever easy.”
I narrowed my eyes on him. “Who are you and what have you done with my brother? Are you his stunt double?”
“Hey, I contain multitudes, thank you very much.” He glanced through the glass again, right as Beckett started toward the terrace doors with a couple of small plates in hand. “Hey, quick, your hot boyfriend is coming, so if you’re about to deny you’re into him, do it fast.”
“What’s that term you learned shooting in London? ‘Bugger off’?”
“That’s the one,” he said, grinning again. “And for the record, I like him for you.”
Damn. That did something to my insides. Something warm and stupid and not at all what I thought I’d be feeling this time last week.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Yeah. And I think you do too.”
The terrace door slid open before I could respond, and Beckett stepped outside. “Mind if I join you?”
“Please do. Rome’s trying to emotionally harass me.”
“That’s a weird way of sayingsupport,” Rome said.
