Just Let Me Love You (Judge Me Not #3)(41)

That brightens little bro considerably, and he excitedly informs me that he knows of a great little Mexican restaurant in a strip mall not far from the house.

“It’s so good, Chase. You’ll love it,” he enthusiastically states.

He’s already heading to the door as I’m grabbing the car keys, and saying, “Cool. Let’s go.”

Fifteen minutes later, we are at the restaurant in the strip mall. Will was right, too—the food is pretty damn good.

Over a mound of chips and a bowl of fiery salsa, just how Will and I like it, my brother suddenly blurts out a from-the-heart sounding, “Thank you, Chase. Thank you for everything.”

Whoa, serious-talk from Will.

I choose my words carefully for my response as I dip a chip into the hottest salsa I’ve ever tasted. Before raising my gloppy mess to my mouth, I say, “What exactly do you mean by ‘everything’?”

I want Will to elaborate; it’s good for him.

“For staying,” he says. “And for being here for me like you’ve been all week. Before then, even. But the past few days have been especially great, like old times.”

I know it’s hard for my brother to open up like this, but he’s doing a commendable job.

Smiling, I tell him, “I’ll always be here for you, Will, no matter what.”

It’s true. I won’t ever be my father—I won’t leave Will.

His green eyes, eyes that have been nothing but clear lately as he, too, finds the peace to move on, meet mine. “I know that, Chase,” he says. “I trust you.”

Those three words, spoken by my baby bro, mean the world to me.

“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we, kid?”

Will knows what I mean. I’m referring to our rift and the bumps we encountered while reuniting and rebuilding this fractured relationship.

“Yeah,” Will says, smiling, “we sure have come a long way.”

After a minute of reflection, on both our parts, I carefully inquire, “Therapy going okay?”

“Yeah, Chase.” Will nods once. “It’s going real good.”

Since Will is being so talkative, I continue with another question. “How are you holding up with Cassie out of your life?”

Will winces, and I’m concerned I’ve pushed too far. “Sorry,” I mumble.

Will shakes his head, and insists, “No, it’s okay to ask.”

I shrug, as he sighs and rakes a hand through his hair.

“I still miss her, Chase,” he says. “But breaking up was the right thing to do…for both of us.”

I can’t disagree, but I don’t want to make a production, so I stick with an affirming nod.

I’m glad there’s such an easy camaraderie nowadays when Will and I talk like this. It really does feel like old times. Truthfully, I haven’t felt this close to my brother in years. And that makes me want to share something with him, something that is as important to me as all the things he’s been sharing are to him.

I clear my throat, and Will looks up. “Everything okay?” he asks.

“Everything is great,” I assure him. “It’s just…” I search for the right words. “I want to tell you something, Will, but you can’t tell Mom. Not yet, anyway.”

“Oh, a secret, that’s cool.” Will laughs, and then he says, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Mom a thing.”

My eyes meet his, and I just lay it out there. “Kay and I are married.”

There’s a salsa-laden chip halfway to Will’s mouth, and it drops to the table, making a mess.

“Shit…” Will starts to wipe away the spilled salsa with a napkin. “No way, dude. When did this happen? And where did this happen? Damn, bro, how do I not know this?”

“One question at a time,” I say, laughing. “We got married here in Vegas, like, a couple of weeks ago. We just went to one of the chapels and that was that.”

“Wow.” Will levels me with a grim expression. “You do realize Mom is going to flip when she finds out.”

“Ha,” I laugh. “I know she’ll be pissed as hell. She’s bound to give me shit for years over this stunt.”

“No doubt,” Will agrees, and then he adds, “I don’t envy you, Chase.”

“She’ll get over it,” I say. “And having done things the way Kay and I did is still worth her wrath.”

It’s true. No amount of grief my mother can give me will ever make me regret the decision to run off and marry the love of my life. You never know what might happen day to day. You can’t wait around for everything to be just right.

Will leans back in the booth and blows out a breath. “So, how did all this happen, like, specifically?”

I grab a chip and dip it in the hot salsa. “We just decided to do it one night. We snuck off, drove down to one of those fancy casinos with the nice chapels, and got it done.”

“Hey,” Will says. “I think this is pretty damn cool. If any two people in this world should be married, it’s you and Kay.”

I can see he’s genuinely happy for me, and I reply with a heartfelt, “Thanks, Will.”

He digs back into the chips I’ve been devouring, and after a minute of crunching, says, “Hell, you gotta get back to Ohio now. You’re a newlywed, dude. That’s some awesome shit.”