First and Forever (Heartache Duet #2) - Jay McLean Page 0,126
stop when I notice Trevor out on the balcony and make my way over, sliding the large glass door as quietly as possible. He looks up at the sound. “Can’t sleep?” he asks.
I shake my head. “You?”
“Same.”
I take the seat next to him. “You’re leaving early tomorrow, right?”
He nods, looks up at the moon. “Yeah. Flying straight to Colorado for Amy’s dad’s sixtieth.” He adjusts in his seat. “I haven’t told Ava yet, but Amy landed this killer job in Denver, so she’s moving back there in a few weeks. She only stayed in Texas for me to finish up, but this job is… it’s too good an opportunity for her to refuse.”
“Are you… I mean, are you still going to stay together?”
“Yeah.” He nods, sure. “We’ve done the long-distance thing before so it’s not a big deal, but I don’t want it to be forever.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” he says. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”
“Me?” I ask, my eyes wide.
“Yeah,” he breathes out. “I know that Ava and I have been living in different states the past few months, and when Ava told me that you and she were back together… to be honest, it took away a lot of the worry I’d been carrying.”
I smile, my chest filling with pride.
“I know you’re going to take care of her, of both of them, so… I guess moving back here isn’t so urgent.”
“You want to move to Denver with Amy?”
Expression pained, he offers a nod.
“That’s good, right?” I ask, confused.
“Yeah, but Ava… I don’t know how she’s—”
“Nah, dude. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Trust me. All she wants is for you to be happy.”
“It goes both ways,” he tells me. “All I want is for her to find The Happiness, and you make her happy, Connor. So, thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” I murmur. “Like you said, it goes both ways.”
“I don’t just mean with her, though. I mean, with Mama Jo, too. You light up something inside them that… I don’t even know how to explain it. I just know that I’m grateful for it. For you.”
There’s a knot in my throat that makes it hard to say, “Thanks.”
“We should hug again.”
I turn to him. “Are you serious?”
“No.” He chuckles. Then stares at me, his hand going to his pocket. He pulls out a tiny black box and pops open the lid to reveal a ring.
I blow out a breath. “Are you asking me to marry you? Because I hate to break it to you, but homosexuality isn’t genetic, so…”
He busts out a laugh. “I’m going to ask Amy to marry me in front of her family.”
“Seriously?” I can’t hide my grin. Trevor nods. “That’s awesome, man. Congrats.”
He closes the lid with a pop, then shoves it back in his pocket. “It’s the ring my dad gave Mama Jo.”
“Isn’t that bad luck?”
His eyes widen. “Is it?”
“I don’t know,” I backtrack. “I thought I heard it somewhere, but I could be wrong. I’m kind of dumb, in case you didn’t notice.”
“Shit, Connor. Is it?”
I shrug.
“Fuck.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
He groans, runs a hand down his face. “Dude, we’re both athletes; you know how superstitious we are.”
I kick myself with the foot that was just in my mouth. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“No, it won’t. And now it’s too late. I’ve told her parents and everything…” He groans again, the heels of his palms going to his eyes. “Dammit.”
“Can’t you, like, trade it in?”
“It’s a little late, dipshit.”
I sigh. “You and Ava have such strange love languages.”
“And even if I could, I wouldn’t get much for it, and I don’t have the money to buy another one, and what the hell am I doing, Connor? Jesus, I can’t even buy her a ring and I’m expecting her to marry me. She’s the only one with a job until I find something and—”
“I have a... proposition.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
I chuckle under my breath. “Well, there goes that idea.”
“What’s your proposition?” He sighs, kicking the balcony railing. “I’m kind of desperate here, and if it’s just one night, and we never have to bring it up again, then maybe…”
My lips lift at the corners. “Be my agent.”
His head dips in frustration. “You have an agent.”
“No, I don’t.”
His gaze lifts, locks on mine. “As good as that sounds, I couldn’t do that to you. I haven’t even graduated, and I’ve got no real-life experience.”