Page 55 of More For Me

“It sucks, Everly,” I say simply. “Playing that role all the time sucks. When I think about my brother, about what happened, about what my parents lost…it’s horrible.”

“Shouldn’t your best friend be the person who helps you with that?”

I pause, knowing she won’t like this. “Leodoeshelp me with that.”

She sucks in a sharp breath. “Oh.”

I hate how much hurt she packs into that one little word. She sounds like I just broke her heart. I reach across the console and peel one of her hands from the steering wheel.

“I don’t need to drag you into all the shitty stuff, because I never feel that way when I’m with you.”

“I don’t—”

“You’re my happy place, Everly,” I say, because it’s the simplest way I can think to tell her what she means to me. “None of that touches me when I’m with you.”

She’s still for a long moment, before she finally squeezes my hand. “That’s a really nice thing to say, Leo, but it’s also kind of bullshit.”

I bark out a laugh, surprised. “I thought it was kind of romantic.”

She shakes her head, mouth tilting up at the corner a bit before she flattens it out again. “I bet my Dad would say the same thing about my mom,” she says. “That she’s his happy place. But that doesn’t mean he hides all the bad shit from her. They work because they go through whatever life throws at themtogether.”

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I’m pretty sure she just compared us to her parents—her absolute ideal for romantic relationships—and what the hell that means, when I realize the Jeep is slowing to a stop. I look out my window and see that we’re home.

And we’re not the only ones. The house is all lit up and there are four cars in the driveway. My stomach drops. “Is Fox having a party?”

“I have no idea.”

Exhaustion washes through me all over again. I’m not sure I can handle a houseful of Fox’s friends right now. But then the front door opens, a familiar figure filling the doorway. “Leo?”

“Hey,” he calls as I open my door.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

He shrugs. “I rented a car.”

I have to hold onto the Jeep door to keep myself steady. He must have left right after we talked. And the cost of a rental… “You didn’t have to do that.”

He jumps off the porch and comes down to the curb, slapping a hand on my shoulder. “Yeah, man. I did.”

“Hey, Leo,” Everly says softly, coming around from the driver’s side of my Jeep.

“Hey, Lele.” If he senses any awkwardness between us, he doesn’t show it. If anything, the smile he sends her looks full of gratitude. “Sorry to invade your house. We invited Riv and Will and the girls, too. And Fox called a few friends.”

“That’s great,” she says, giving me a wide berth while she moves past us. “I’m going to go in and say hi.”

Leo waits until she’s inside before he turns to me, eyebrows raised. “She went to dinner?”

I scowl, some of my anger returning. Jesus, my emotions are all over the place tonight. “You’re telling me you didn’t instruct her to go to dinner?”

He looks hurt. “No way. I wouldn’t do that. I just told her it would be nice if she was around later tonight in case I didn’t make it back.” He’s studying me too closely. “Was it okay? Did you—”

“I told her.”

He’s quiet and I hate the feel of his appraising gaze on my face. “We don’t have to go in there,” he finally says. “Sometimes you like a lot of distraction after these nights. So I thought a little party might get your mind off things. But we can go somewhere else, just me and you. No one will care if we want to hit a bar or something.”

The idea of a crowded bar with strangers sounds even worse than going inside and seeing people we know. Hell, maybe the company will even help. I could probably use some friendly faces right now.

“Is there liquor in there?” I ask.

He scoffs. “Of course. I hid the good whiskey from Fox.”

“Good.” I drop my head back against the side of the Jeep. “I would like to be very, very drunk right now.”

He grabs my shoulder and pulls me toward the house. “That can be arranged.”