Trouble with the Fake Boyfriend (Rock Bottom #3) - Holly Renee Page 0,35

that I made her feel the need to do so.

My dad handed us both a beer, and Brooke started to stand from my lap but I held her against me. I didn’t want her going anywhere.

She looked down at me, and I felt surrounded by her. Her hair was draped over her shoulder and had the slightest hint of coconut, and her body fit perfectly against mine as I held her to me. Her hip was in my hand, and my fingers were aching with the urge to lift my jersey just the tiniest bit and feel more of her skin against mine.

She took a sip of her beer and looked out over the back yard. We were sitting on my parents’ deck, and the stars were so damn clear. I almost forgot what they looked like.

I hadn’t seen a sky like this in a long time. Not since the last time I was home.

“Brooke, are we still good for dress shopping tomorrow?” my mom asked as she stood from the swing she and my dad had been sitting on.

“Yeah.” Brooke nodded and appeared genuinely excited. “As long as this one can take care of himself while we’re gone.”

“I’ll be fine,” I grumbled. I wasn’t a damn baby.

My mom just laughed then reached out for my dad’s hand. “Then we’re headed to bed. We’ll see you all in the morning.”

My dad followed her without a second thought, and the more I thought about it, he always had. I was pretty sure he would follow her through anything.

“Goodnight, guys.” Brooke ran her hand over my hair as she spoke and her body settled into mine. I wasn’t sure if she had realized she had done it, but I did. I noticed everything about her.

“’Night.” My parents slipped through the back door and left me and Brooke alone under the stars.

The night was quiet except for the sound of crickets and the slight breeze blew through the trees, but Brooke wasn’t planning to sit back and enjoy it. As soon as my parents were gone, she went to stand, but I held her harder against me.

“Where are you going?” I leaned my head back against the chair.

“Your parents are gone.” She looked to the back door as if maybe she missed them still standing there.

But she wouldn’t find them. I just wasn’t ready to give her up yet.

I tightened my hand on her hip and ignored what she said. “Tell me something about you that no one else knows.”

She was so tense you would have thought I’d asked her to marry me. It only made me want to know her secrets more.

“What do you want to know?” She looked out to where the trees were barely lit up by the stars, and I knew she was just avoiding looking at me.

“Anything.” I ran my thumb over her skin. “Tell me something about your family.”

She looked back at me, and I could tell this was the last thing she wanted to talk about. I hated knowing that she was getting a front-row seat at my past, but I barely knew a thing about her.

“Tell me something about why you don’t ever come home.” I knew she said it because she thought it would shut me up, but she was wrong. If she wanted to play this game, we would play it.

“It’s good to come back for a few days, but I just needed to get out of here.”

“Because of her?” Her words were soft, and I could tell she regretted them as soon as she said them.

“Yeah.” I nodded my head, and I couldn’t lie and say that even talking to her about Katie made my chest feel tight. “Because of her and what everyone thought of me because of what she did. I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

I could tell she wanted to ask more, but her lips didn’t budge. She stared down at me with sympathy in her eyes, and I fucking hated it.

“I don’t know how much you know.” I had no doubt that my mama or Sophie had already opened their mouths about what happened. That was one thing you could always count on in this town. “But I was completely blindsided when Katie cheated on me. I hadn’t really prepared for what life would be like without her.” I let out a deep breath.

I hadn’t talked about Katie in so long that it felt foreign. I sure as hell didn’t talk about what she had done and how