where I can drag someone else into my mess. I’ve done it, once before, in my last relationship, and it didn’t turn out great.
I have nothing to offer but the here and now. I can’t promise a future, because my future isn’t promised. That is why I moved here and started over. Not to find love, but to live the best life I can, while I am still able to.
Feeling weighed down by my thoughts, I pause, in front of my makeshift reading nook, and glance at Roman’s house. A shocked gasp flies past my lips, and I jump in surprise. He’s been standing there for who knows how long watching me. His hands are curled around the window ledge. He’s shirtless and looks freshly showered. His dark hair is hanging over his face.
Swallowing thickly, I push open the window and perch my hip on the nook, mirroring him.
“I want to show you something.” His voice travels across the small space between our fence and windows. I swallow, opting for humor.
“You plan to show me from this window?”
His mouth quirks. “You dressed?”
I nod, trapping my bottom lip between my teeth in anticipation.
“Meet me out front.”
Slamming the window shut, I slip my shoes on and lock up behind me. When I pad down the porch steps, Max is already there, jumping up on my legs.
“Hey, buddy.” I scratch behind his ears, enjoying the way he leans into my touch, as if he can’t get enough of me. At the sharp whistle from his owner, Max runs back to Roman who lets him inside the house.
“So, what is it you’re showing me?” I ask, following him into the garage, toward his car. He opens the passenger side door for me, helping me in.
“You’ll see.”
We ride in silence, and my confusion over what’s going on between us only grows, when he leaves Campbell and keeps going south. When I see the signs for Oakland, my eyes widen. As I shoot a wary glance at him, the question is on the tip of my tongue.
He must know I’m on the verge of asking, because he answers for me. “On my days off, I always come down here to visit my brother. I didn’t turn down breakfast with you to be a dick.”
My eyes slam shut. “Rome. You didn’t have to bring me here for this. I’m such a child. I thought you were just blowing me off, but I get it now.”
His grip tightens on the steering wheel. “I’m bringing you along because I want to.”
Warmth spreads through my chest, wrapping around my heart. “This is where you grew up?” I ask, glancing out the windows, taking in the dingy neighborhood. The sky is gloomier here than it was back in Campbell.
“Pretty much.”
There’s a tightness to his voice, as though he’s having a hard time admitting this is where he came from. Or maybe it’s just him suppressing all the awful memories.
“Are you guys still in contact with your mother?”
“No.” His answer is short and clipped. I lean back in the seat, deciding to stop my questions, until he’s ready to talk.
We drive for another fifteen minutes, before Rome pulls to a stop in front of a building, that has me working overtime to hide my cringe. The weeds are overgrown out front. The place looks like it’s a halfway house, and the fact that someone is living here with children? That’s a scary prospect.
“I’ll be back in a few.”
I watch him go. There’s a stiffness in his shoulders that wasn’t there earlier. His gait is less fluid than it usually is. For the most part, the neighborhood seems quieter than I was expecting. There’s a group of men loitering on the corner, glancing our way, but they don’t seem too interested in us.
There’s suddenly a loud uproar of voices, and when I glance back at the building, I see why. The front door opens and closes behind Roman. Just from the door being opened, the inside of that place sounds like someone is having a concert inside. Hell, if it’s loud from out here, I can’t imagine what it’s like inside.
I straighten in my seat, a smile breaking out across my face, when Roman walks out of the building with his arm slung around a young kid’s shoulders. I know Roman said Ryder is his half-brother, but just looking at them together like this, side by side, they look like near carbon copies of each other. The other difference is the obvious age