eyes narrowed. "You need some alone time with him, huh?"
That earned her a chuckle. "Pretty much," Braden admitted. "Just five minutes, Rhaven? Please?"
"Fine." And she headed toward the doors at the back.
Psyc waited until she was inside the first and decided to just get it out there. "Didn't intend to kiss her. Just kinda happened."
"It's a convention," Braden told him. "Well, close enough. I was also very serious when I said I intend to be the last man with her. So, I have no idea what you're doing, but you want to be her side piece? Fine."
But Psyc lifted his chin and stepped forward. "And what if I plan to replace you, hm?"
"Then we got a problem," Braden said. "I have no intention of being pushed out. Kinda why I'm making this as easy for her as possible. If she doesn't have to choose, then we all win. The question is if you can handle that."
"Same as in Denver?" Psyc asked.
"I can do that," Braden agreed.
Yeah, that was just a little too easy. There had to be a catch, and Psyc wasn't sure how bad it would be. "Just until we catch Soul Reaper, huh?"
Before his eyes, Braden deflated. "Look, I'm trying real hard here. I also get what you mean about just doing something and then realizing that maybe you crossed a line. I have this close friend, right? Well, sometimes he has this problem, and it's kinda become the running gag that I kiss him. And right after Rhaven got her ass beat, you know what I did? I kissed this guy. Right there, in front of her, while she was hurting, without even thinking about it. I knew him well enough to know that he was struggling, and that he wouldn't say shit. Know what she did?"
"Not a clue," Psyc admitted.
"Nothing," Braden told him. "She giggled about it with Zara, I think, but I was mortified. I'd just shoved my tongue down some man's throat, and here's my girl watching it all. And then I was worried about what she'd think, and if she'd convince herself I was only into her because she's not like other girls, and so on. That night - well, morning - when we crawled into bed? Yeah, she said it was sweet - fucking sweet, Psyc - that I kissed someone else. Why? Because she realized he needed it, and that it changes nothing about what I feel for her."
"Uh huh," Psyc said.
Braden shoved his hand over his mouth. "So there I was in the lobby a second ago, and my girl is so excited to see one of her first friends. This guy who never treated her like a freak because she's trans. He stumbled though figuring it out, but never backed off or got weird around her. And the way she fuckin' lit up in that second? I knew. It hit me like a ton of bricks. First the anger that you'd touch my girl, but that only lasted until my brain kicked in. Man, I'm not shocked that you kissed her. I'm not even surprised that she kissed you back. I knew she needed it, and I think it's kinda sweet, and I'm going to focus on that because it's what she did for me."
"So what are we doing?" Psyc asked.
This time, Braden scratched at the back of his neck. "You are going to wait here for Rhaven. Then you two are going to talk. And I mean talk, Psyc. Like, the deep kind. You're going to figure your shit out, and you're not going to worry about me, because - believe it or not - I'm trying to do the same. Decide which room you're in, which one she's in, and which one I'll be in. The luggage should be up soon, so just have them put it where it belongs."
"And where are you going?" Psyc asked.
Braden pointed up the hall. "I need to get advice from a fucking teenager. Look, I want to chase you off, but I can see that you two have a connection, and Knock's shit works. I don't know how, but I know it does, and from what I've heard, it works well. I need to learn a thing or two, because all signs say that this is going to happen again in Seattle, and then Dallas, and so on. I need to know how to make sure my girl gets to finally be as happy as she deserves without me making a