Inked Obsession (Montgomery Ink Fort Collins #2) - Carrie Ann Ryan Page 0,60

to happen now. Eliza is trying to figure it out. She has her own life with a lot of shit going on. Apparently, I have even more going on. I have no idea what I’m doing. This will probably all explode, but I can’t help it. I really like her. I wasn’t expecting it. She’s always just been there, but now, she’s really there. I don’t want it to stop. I probably should, but I don’t want to.”

“On top of that, you need to tell Brenna,” Lee said quickly.

“Unless the girls tell her first.”

“Fuck,” Benjamin said softly.

“Brenna told me that she needed space,” I whispered.

My twin sighed. “Then you should give it to her.”

“I need to tell her.”

“Pull out your phone and do it now,” Archer said.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, yes, I should do this over the phone or by text.”

Lee shrugged. “Well, you either need to do it that way or wait until the girls tell her.”

“Brenna needs to know.” Benjamin met my gaze. “If you’re going to tell the whole world, Brenna needs to know before the rest of them.”

I looked at all of them as they stared down at the phone in front of me. “You really going to make me do this in front of you?” I asked.

“Yes. We are,” Lee said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’ll be needing more tequila for this,” Benjamin growled and reached for the bottle.

“It seems I’ll be driving tonight,” Archer said as he switched to water.

I pulled up my phone and went into the bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind me so nobody could follow.

Brenna picked up on the first ring, and I knew I was an idiot for letting all of this play out this way. “I’m working, Beckett. Is everything okay?”

“Fuck. I’m sorry. I just…I’m sorry for a lot of things.”

“I know. I swear my mood isn’t all about you. I’m just in a funk. You were almost killed, Beckett. And I love you. I don’t like that you were almost killed.”

“I don’t like that I was almost killed, either.”

“We’re going to be okay. I promise. I just need to think about a few things. And it really has nothing to do with you. It’s sort of just a catalyst, pushing me in the direction of where my life is going.”

“I’ll always be your sounding board, Brenna.”

“I know.”

“There’s something else I need to tell you. We promised no secrets.”

She let out a hollow laugh. “That doesn’t sound ominous at all.”

“When I went on vacation, someone else was there.”

“You met somebody?” she asked, happiness and warmth filling her tone. That was my Brenna. The one who was always there for me. Why had I been hiding a big part of myself and pushing her away since the shooting?

“No, it was someone I already knew. Someone we both know.”

“What are you talking about?” Then she cursed. “Oh my God, it was Eliza, wasn’t it?”

“How did you know?”

“Who do we both know that happened to be on a trip at the same time as you? Oh. You were there. On the weekend she went away. When her brothers sent her off so she had time on her own for the anniversary. Wow. I’m glad you were there for her.”

I swallowed hard, not sure what to say.

“You were there for her, weren’t you?” she asked.

“Yes. Brenna? Eliza and I, well…”

Brenna laughed. “Well, then. That’s a secret I’m glad you told me.”

I shook my head, though I knew she couldn’t see me. “I didn’t even actually tell you.”

“Because you’re like a teenage boy, stammering over what you want to tell me over the phone. This is what you wanted to tell me when I was at your house, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. And I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not. I promise. You know, I kind of like the idea of the two of you together. And, hey? She could be that person you can talk to.”

“I want it to be you.” I paused. “Just not in the way that sounded. I meant the talking, not the…whatever.”

“The whatever is not something I need the details on, although I am really good friends with Eliza, so she’ll probably tell me.”

I cringed, even though she couldn’t see me. “This is where it gets weird.”

“Oh, Beckett Montgomery. It’s been weird for a long time. However, I’m glad you told me. And I’ll let Eliza tell me, as well. Because we’re friends, we’re girls, and that’s what we do. It seems like that trip was good for