Until Then (Cape Harbor #2) - Heidi McLaughlin Page 0,60

open for Graham. He kicked his shoes off, slipped out of his shorts, and pulled his T-shirt over his head. The moment their bodies met, his lips were on hers, and her hands pulled him close. Graham needed Monica. He wanted to feel like himself again, the person he was when he was with her and who they were as a couple in San Jose. They were in love, they had a future, and he prayed she would go with him back to Washington, where they could start their lives. Monica and Graham made love until the sun rose, and though he was tired, he couldn’t close his eyes and find sleep.

Graham kissed Monica’s temple and told her over and over again how much he loved her. Tears fell from his eyes as he searched for the words that would change their future. Monica rolled onto her side and pushed her fingers through his hair.

“What’s wrong?”

“Everything,” he told her. “I lost my friend, someone I thought would always be around when I went back to visit my parents. He’s gone. My brother is a wreck.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.”

“I know.”

Monica wiped away his tears and placed a kiss on each cheek. Graham was surprised she hadn’t asked about Rennie yet. When he’d received the call, he hadn’t called Monica to tell her until he had to stop for gas. His only focus was getting home. When he called, they argued because Rennie had gone with him.

“Is there anything I can do?” Monica asked.

“Come with me.”

“Where are you going?”

The words pained him, but he had made his mind up on his drive back. His brother needed him. “Back to Cape Harbor.”

“To visit? Of course I’ll go. I’d love to see where you grew up.”

He shook his head slightly. “I need to go home, Monica. My brother needs me.”

Monica opened her mouth to say something but stopped. Her eyes darted back and forth, and her fingers fiddled with the hem of the blanket. “What you’re asking—”

“It’s a lot. I know,” Graham interrupted. “And I’m torn, Monica. I don’t know what to do, but right now, staying isn’t an option. I can’t afford my rent here anymore—”

“What are you talking about?” It was her turn to cut him off. She sat up and pulled the blanket to her chest. “What’s going on?”

“I didn’t have the time to take, and they demoted me at work. An entry-level job in one of the fastest-growing markets isn’t going to pay my rent. I’d have to get two full-time jobs just to make ends meet. As is, I’m living paycheck to paycheck but surviving. I’ve exhausted what little savings I had driving back and forth. And then there’s my brother.”

“He survived, right? Is he hurt?”

“Not physically. Emotionally, yes. He needs me.”

“I need you, Graham. We have plans for our future. We have a life here.”

“I know, and I need you, too, but I don’t know what to do. I have to go home.”

Monica crawled out of bed and searched for her clothes. Graham watched her get dressed, wishing she’d come back to bed with him. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” she stated. “I have to work.”

He was silent.

“Will you at least think about what I asked?”

Monica came over to Graham and placed her hands on his cheeks. His hands rested on the back of her thighs. He looked up at her and sought her eyes for the answer he desired. She leaned down and kissed him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered against his lips. She kept her mouth on him as tears fell from her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Graham. I love you, but I can’t go.”

Before he could reply, she was out of his door and out of his life.

What if Monica had come to Cape Harbor with him—where would his life be? He would’ve asked her to marry him if she had moved. If Brooklyn hadn’t left, would Graham and Rennie be a couple? He could play this game every day and night, and still, the outcome would be the same. He put his life on hold for his brother when no one asked him to, and now he was alone while everyone around him had moved on.

Life passed by, and Graham was no longer willing to sit on the sidelines and watch. He was going to put himself out there. He would download every dating app he could. He would allow his mom to set him up, and he would reach out to Monroe