Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
He handed me both mugs and said, “Hold my coffee while I act super butch and start a fire.”
That was hilarious, because all it involved was pulling a lighter from his pocket and holding it to the wrapper the log came in. I told him, “You’re so outdoorsy,” as the wrapper caught fire.
“I know. I hope you’re impressed.”
“Oh, I am.” He sat down beside me, and I handed him one of the mugs and said, “Thanks for the coffee and the log.”
“There’s a sentence I don’t hear every day, and you’re welcome. I saw you sitting back here, so I came to check on you. It must have been an odd day, between trying to acclimate back to reality and getting a brand-new literal roommate.” He’d messaged me earlier that afternoon, and I’d told him about Kit.
“The new guy’s been downgraded from roommate to housemate. Embry made it official—he’s staying with Bryson, so he gave up his room for Kit.”
“I knew Embry and Bryson were going to end up as a real couple, despite the fake marriage.”
“Me, too. There was always something between them, even when we thought Bryson was straight.”
Logan took a sip of coffee before saying, “I guess I thought it would take them longer to figure it out, though.”
“Well, when it’s right, it’s right. And really, what’s standing in their way? Nothing. They’re even already living under the same roof.” I muttered, “Must be nice,” which made Logan turn sideways in his chair, so he could look at me.
“I knew it!”
“Knew what?”
“That you’re pining for Ryder. When I picked you up at the airport yesterday, you tried to act like you were fine. But you were just doing that Hal thing, weren’t you?”
I frowned and asked, “What Hal thing?”
“You have a habit of compartmentalizing your emotions and locking them away. The more upset you are about something, the more stoic you become.”
“That can’t be true. I feel like I’m way too emotional, and that they spill out all the time.”
“You definitely show emotions,” Logan said. “But not with big things, that’s my point. Exhibit A is when you came to live with me after your ex cheated on you. Even though you were completely devastated, you didn’t shed a single tear. Instead, you threw yourself into work and school.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
He shrugged. “Yes and no. It’s awesome that you let it motivate you to pursue the life and the career you wanted. At the same time though, I’ve always worried about what bottling up so many feelings might do to you. They don’t really go away, you know? They just get tamped down. You can shut the lid on them for a while, but what happens when it gets to be too much and that lid flies open?”
If this was coming from anyone else, I probably would have dismissed it, because I didn’t see a problem. But Logan knew me better than anyone. He’d been my best friend since we were fourteen years old, so maybe he even knew me better than I knew myself.
I asked, “Why are you bringing this up now?”
“Because you’re shutting down how you feel about Ryder, which tells me this is big. You’re crazy about him, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” I said softly, “I really am.”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
“For now, there’s not much I can do. I need to get through school and my internship, and close that chapter of my life. I’m planning to go back to Texas and spend more time with Ryder as soon as I finish this semester, and hopefully we’ll be able to figure out where we go from there.”
“If he says he wants a committed relationship, do you think you’ll be ready for that? I know it must be scary to put yourself out there and let yourself be vulnerable again, after what your ex did to you.”
“I’m already committed to him, even if we haven’t made anything official. And you’re right that I was scared to try again, but this is Ryder we’re talking about. He makes it easy, because I trust him, and I know he’d never hurt me.”
Logan beamed at me. “I’m so happy you found someone you can trust, after all you’ve been through.”
Just then, Kit stepped through the back door, bundled in a bulky purple sweater that was three sizes too big for him. He raised a hand in greeting and asked, “Mind if I join you? The fire looks cozy.”
“Absolutely.” When he took a seat across from us, I said, “Kit, meet my best friend Logan. He’s Lark’s brother, who you haven’t met yet, and he used to live in the pink Victorian. Now he lives there, with his husband and son.” I pointed to the smaller, white house at the other end of the yard.