Stripped Love (Guys Next Door #1) - Baylin Crow Page 0,77

my fingers once I heard her walk off and found my uncle smirking at me. "Think I can get her number?"

"It's just like going anywhere with Caleb. You two could be related, I swear." I grabbed two packets of creamer and one sugar.

He laughed and offered a shrug. "She's hot."

Stirring my coffee, I grimaced. "Uncle Isaac, there are things I don't need to know, okay?"

"Fine." He huffed. "Now what was I saying?"

"Sparks—"

He nodded. "Right. So, you and Phoenix have that. Least it appears so. You're a smart kid, and I think you should listen to yourself. We all have that thing inside us that tells us when something's off. A lot of times we choose to ignore it for a number of reasons. Hope, priorities…it's different for everyone. Is it telling you something's off?"

"No, but…" My shoulders slumped because I couldn't stop questioning myself.

Uncle Isaac's features softened. "You're scared shitless, aren't you? Afraid you're gonna get hurt?"

One shoulder lifted. "Maybe. I just… Is it normal to trust someone so much that even if you see them do something that breaks your heart, the explanation makes sense and you forgive them immediately? Do I just want to believe him because I want him so much?"

He scratched his chin. "He cheat on you?"

"No."

"Didn't think so, but you're not giving me much to work with." He sipped his coffee and then set down the mug. "You can't live your life scared of being hurt. I mean you can. But…it would only make you miserable. Let me ask you something. You seem to think you're on the fence here, but when you think about walking away from him, can you do it?"

My chest tightened, and I shook my head. Walking away from Phoenix would destroy me. I'd be consumed by the what-ifs.

"Seems to me like you already have your answer. You're a lot of things, kid. Naïve isn't one of them. If anything, you tend to observe and make calls based on instinct. If your gut and heart both agree that whatever happened is fixable, then you take that chance."

"I love him," I admitted in a whisper.

He gave me a soft smile. "I know you do, kiddo. Does he know?"

"Not yet." I began tearing at the napkin. The idea of telling him and him not being on the same page was terrifying.

My uncle rapped his knuckles lightly on the table. "Maybe you should tell him. Might clear things up between you two."

"Maybe," I agreed, even though I wasn't sure I could follow through. Nervous energy coiled in my stomach just at the thought.

Dishes clattered as our meals were carted toward us, and suddenly, my uncle's attention shifted to the pretty blonde.

"Here we go, gentlemen." The waitress set down a loaded omelet in front of my uncle and then a plate of fluffy waffles with a small bowl of syrup in front of me. "Let me know if I can get you anything else."

After she walked off, my uncle chuckled and held a piece of folded paper between two fingers.

"What's that?" My eyebrows scrunched together.

His shoulders squared, and he ran his hand over his salt and pepper hair. "I still got it."

He flicked the paper to me, and I peered down at it. It was her phone number. He snatched it back. "Don't want to lose that." He pocketed it with a smug grin.

With everything going on, I'd failed to mention a huge development from yesterday. So I took great satisfaction in waiting until he shoveled a mouthful of eggs into his gloating mouth before filling him in.

"Did you know Courting Echoes called Phoenix yesterday? They want him to write a song for them."

Uncle Isaac choked and his eyes bulged as he struggled to swallow. Clearing his throat, he dropped his fork to his plate. "Excuse the ever-loving fucking what the hell did you just say?"

I didn’t even bother trying to understand some of the things my uncle said, but I nodded with a beaming grin. "Oh yeah, Phoenix writes songs. He never told you?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Can't say that he did. Seems a few people failed to mention it." He leaned forward, staring me down. "I love you, but you better not be jerking me around and playing with my feelings. This isn't funny. I might even cry if you're lying to me right now."

"Because I'm a known liar." I rolled my eyes and stuffed a bite of waffle in my mouth. Sugar from the homemade syrup burst on my tongue, and I