Total pages in book: 190
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
I went to say, yes, of course I did. But, honestly … “I don’t remember.” Facing that, fuck, it was like I’d had the breath knocked out of me. I sat up straighter and put a hand to my twisting stomach.
Brooks gave me a bland smile. “I could sit here and have a similar conversation with Dax about Gracie, only there’s no point because he’d stare at me blankly and not say a word.”
I felt my brows pull together. “What do you mean you could have a similar conversation with him?”
Brooks scratched at his nape. “Look, people talk of how tight he and Gracie were. They loved each other for sure, but they weren’t tight, Addie.” He shook his head. “Their relationship wasn’t solid. How could it have been? He didn’t fully trust her. She knew it, and it ate at her. She made him pay for it in small, passive-aggressive ways.”
I blinked. “I never heard about the last part. Though … Mimi likes to say that her sister wasn’t ‘so perfect.’”
“Nobody is, are they? But the fact is that people speak of Gracie like she was a freaking saint. She had a sweet disposition for certain. But she also had her faults, just like everyone else. She and Dax had their problems, just like every other couple. And, genuinely, I don’t think she was the great love of his life any more than I think Lake was yours.”
Feeling a weight settle on my chest, I licked my lips. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I sensed something tonight. Something I hadn’t expected.” Brooks propped his elbows on the table. “Dax trusts you—it’s right there in the way he talks about and to you; in how close he sits to you; in how relaxed his body is while near you. The man is not one bit on his guard around you. I don’t know if you realize how much of a big deal that is.”
“I do realize,” I said, absently rubbing my thigh. “I’ve seen for myself how deep his trust issues run. There were so many occasions where he seemed taken aback that I’d defended him or stood by him or backed him or whatever. He’d often look wary and suspicious at times, like he couldn’t bring himself to believe I was someone he could count on. I thought maybe we’d never get to the point we’re at now, but we have.”
“And that’s huge, Addie. There are people who’ve been in his life for decades—including me—who don’t have his trust. It’s not often that he lets people close enough to earn it. With you, he did. You have something from him that Gracie never did, so don’t go letting people convince you that you’ll always play second fiddle to her.”
“I’m not convinced of it, I’m just not going to hope for too much.”
“I get that. And maybe you’re right to be leery. Maybe I’m wrong to think you’ll both declare your love for each other at some point. But, Addie, if you do find yourself in a situation where you feel more for him than he does for you, don’t let it eat at you. Remember what you do have; remember that you’ve won something he gives rarely. Remember that—” Brooks stopped speaking at the sound of footfalls.
Moments later, Dax slowly ambled outside. His eyes narrowed as he took in my too-bright smile and how Brooks was now looking all overly casual. “Something wrong?”
I shook my head. “Nope.” My response was just a little too cheery.
“Not at all,” Brooks assured him. “I was just trying to convince her to run away with me. I know it makes me greedy, since I already have two partners, but you know what they say about three being a crowd.”
Dax stared at him, making it clear with his doubtful expression that he wasn’t buying Brooks’ bullshit reply. “It’s a good thing Brittany wasn’t here to hear that—she’d have your balls for even joking about it.”
Brooks gave a dramatic wince. “Probably. She’s a vicious little thing. But who says I’m joking?”
“I am.” Dax sank onto the sofa, retaking his previous spot right beside me, and draping his arm over the back of it. “And if you weren’t, you’d be wasting your breath. Addison wouldn’t leave me.” He said it with such conviction it made me smile.
Brooks hitched up a brow at him. “How can you be sure?”
“Because I wouldn’t let her.”
My smile fell away. The whole “let” part never failed to be annoying. “If I wanted to leave—”
“We’d talk about it,” Dax finished. “And talk and talk and talk until you changed your mind. Which you would.”
Considering he was very much the master of persuasion, I couldn’t with all honesty argue that he wouldn’t succeed in talking me round. “Whatever. In any case, I’m not considering leaving with Brooks.”