Broken Course (Wrecked and Ruined #3)(91)

"I’m a friend of Sarah's," she tells her, and I can’t help the small laugh that erupts from my throat. "Look. I brought you some coloring books and Play Doh, but judging by the size of that suitcase in the corner, you probably don’t need them." She laughs at her own joke, and Liv smiles.

"Oh, you have no idea. You should see her room. I’m a little jealous." I brush the hair off Liv’s shoulder and stand back up.

"Really? What’s it look like?" Jesse asks excitedly.

"You want to see?" Liv perks up, all signs of her anxiety gone.

"I’d love to!" Jesse replies.

"Come on." She pulls on my hand, but I stop her.

"Hey, how about I make us a snack? I have some cookie dough in the fridge. Why don’t you go show Jesse your room and I’ll be right here in the kitchen."

"You won’t leave?" she asks, and it pains me.

"I swear." I make a show of crossing my heart. "Hey, why don’t you take Leo with you? I bet he would look fantastic in one of those feather boas." I wink.

She rewards my effort with a laugh. "Okay. Come on, Leo." She grabs Jesse’s hand and motions for Leo to follow her.

He gives me a knowing glance, flashing it to Brett. I nod and shoo him away.

"Good to see you again, man." He lifts his chin to Brett.

"Yeah. You too," Brett replies stoically.

"Now, if you’ll excuse me. Apparently, I have a drag show to give."

I laugh as he heads back down the hall. Leaving me completely alone with Brett. Yep. Puke time.

"Can I get you a beer or something?" I inquire, remembering my manners.

"I could use a bottle of whisky right about now, but yeah, a beer sounds great."

"Look. I’m sorry. I know this is weird. Leo just really wanted to talk to Jesse. This has been overwhelming for us. I’m sorry to bother y’all. I’m sure this was definitely not how you wanted to spend your Friday night. You didn’t have to come," I rush out uncomfortably.

"It’s fine. Happy to help," he says shortly.

"It’s just… She’s only a little girl, and she’s just lost her mom. I really want to make this a smooth transition, and…quite honestly, we have no idea what the hell we are doing," I ramble, completely unsure why I’m still talking. Brett must feel the same way because he quirks his eyebrow. "Anyway, yeah. Beer."

"I figured you’d have this on lockdown," Brett speaks up. "I mean, you’ve been in her shoes. You know firsthand how it feels to lose someone. Let’s just hope she handles it a hell of a lot better than you did." He throws the verbal blow and it lands hard in my gut.

"I’m sorry," I choke out as tears spring to my eyes.

"Shit. I’m sorry," he mumbles. "I shouldn’t have said that." He runs a hand through his hair in frustration.

"No. I deserved it." I walk into the kitchen to retrieve his beer. As I pull open the fridge door, I burst into tears.

Brett suddenly appears behind me. "I know I shouldn’t have come here tonight, but I didn’t like the idea of her being around you without me."

"I get it. I really do. I can’t blame you one bit." I wipe my eyes and grab a beer before turning to face him.

"I didn’t mean to upset you. It was a low blow."

"Really, it’s fine." I pull the cookie dough out to keep my hands busy so he hopefully won’t notice that they’re trembling.

"She pregnant," he blurts out before picking up the beer I placed on the counter.

My head snaps up. "Really? That’s great," I respond sincerely. Brett always wanted kids. It actually surprises me that they don’t already have a litter.

"God, if you thought I was a overprotective before… I’ve taken it to a whole new level since we found out. We fought for two full hours before coming over here. She even cursed." He laughs at the memory.

"I’m sorry," I once again apologize, regretting having asked Jesse to come in the first place.

"It’s not your fault. She was thrilled to be able to help tonight. That’s who she is. It makes me insane, but as you can tell, I have zero ability to change her mind once she sets it on something."

"She’s a great person."

"Yeah. I won’t argue with you there." He shoves a hand in his pocket and looks down at his shoes. "Listen, I’m gonna go wait outside. I shouldn’t have come. I'm sure this is a tough time for you guys right now. I’m just making it harder." He turns to walk away.

"You don’t have to do that. Brett, wait," I call out as he heads for the door.

"Just tell her I’m in the car. No rush." He pulls open the door but pauses, not even turning to face me. "For what it’s worth, I’m really happy to see you doing so well."

As he leaves, he closes the door behind himself, but surprisingly enough, it’s not the only closure I feel.

I take a deep breath and look around the room. I’ve been here for hours, but suddenly, the air seems lighter. I walk to Liv’s bedroom but stop just before entering. She’s sitting on the floor, reading a book to Jesse with Leo, complete with a boa around his neck, sitting beside her. I lean on the doorjamb and just watch, reveling in the life I never thought I would have. Leo’s eyes immediately jump to mine as if he can sense my presence.