The Summer Deal (Wildstone #5)(62)

“My grandma always said to never take home an asshole.”

“And my grandma always said that when you make a mess, you need to fix it,” he said.

“I’m not your mess.”

“I’m not just leaving you out here, Brynn.”

“Fine.” She crossed her arms. “You can take me home, but you’re still going into the asshole file with everyone else.”

He was just relieved she was still willing to consider his house her home. “Understood.”

WHEN KINSEY LEFT Brynn’s moms’ place, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. Olive and Raina had been wonderful to her, so kind and sweet even though she hadn’t deserved it, but she couldn’t stay forever. She had apologies to make and fences to mend. Only the minute she left the safe bubble of the house, her chest started hurting.

Okay, her heart. Her heart hurt.

Her mom, as always, had made the evening about her. Shock. But then she’d done the exact same thing. She was grateful Eli had gone after Brynn, and she hoped he’d caught up with her. She didn’t want Brynn to be alone right now. Max had taken an Uber. Kinsey could do the same, but she didn’t pull out her phone.

Instead, she started walking. It was pouring rain, but she liked the rain. It matched her mood, and within minutes, she was just about as wet as she could get.

And cold.

Fitting, since her heart was also cold.

Except that wasn’t quite right. It didn’t feel cold. It felt . . . broken. She still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around how bad it had gone, and how fast. She felt really alone.

Also her own doing. She could’ve invited Deck to go with her tonight. He would’ve wanted to be here with her. But she hadn’t asked him because she’d been trying to reinforce that they weren’t like that. They were friends with benefits—minus the friends. And even though she knew that wasn’t really true, she also knew she couldn’t change the reality of her life.

Everything felt so wildly out of her control, and, oh, how she hated that.

She realized she’d been walking for half an hour and was shivering and soaked through only when she found herself in front of Deck’s house.

The door opened and Deck stood there in jeans and nothing else except a five-year-old on his back. “Hey,” he said, with a smile that failed when he caught sight of her face.

“Ms. Davis,” Toby yelled. “You came to visit us!”

Deck gently set Toby down. “Hey, kiddo. It’s almost bedtime. How about you go get started with getting on your pj’s and brushing your teeth, and I’ll be right there to tuck you in.”

“But—”

“What did I say about buts?”

Toby sighed. “That they stink.”

Deck ruffled his hair. “Go on now.”

The kid turned his beautifully woeful eyes on Kinsey. “Sorry, Ms. Davis, you’ll have to come visit me another time. I can’t argue my bedtime, on account’a if I do, then I don’t get to go fishing with Daddy tomorrow.”

Somehow Kinsey managed to give a smile and a “no problem,” and then she was alone with Deck.

He pulled her inside, peeled her out of her drenched sweater, and draped a throw blanket around her shoulders. Then he pulled her into him and wrapped her up in his arms.

She didn’t even realize she was crying until he palmed the back of her head and soothed her with his low voice, murmuring things she couldn’t hear over the sound of her sobs.

It was mortifying.

But seeing Brynn shut down with shock had just about gutted her. She hadn’t expected that. Hadn’t really even realized how much she wanted to be sisters with her, until she’d blown it. She didn’t want to lose her, or her moms. They were amazing. But as usual, she’d put a match to all of it.

It wasn’t like she enjoyed being the girl who everyone loved to hate. But no matter how hard she tried, she chased people away. She honestly had no idea why Eli, Max, and Deck still liked her, but she was grateful.

But it was only Deck she needed tonight.

He extracted himself briefly, then reappeared a few minutes later. “Wanted to make sure Tobes was settled okay. He’s already out like a light.” He then scooped her up and sat on the couch with her in his lap. Holding her against his big, warm body, he didn’t press her to talk.

Which was probably why she did. “I screwed up,” she whispered.

He stroked a big hand down her back and she snuggled in, wishing there weren’t wet clothes and a thick blanket between her and his bare chest.

“What happened?” he finally asked.

“I was at family night at Brynn’s tonight.”

“By accident?”

She snorted, appreciating his dry sense of humor. “I know, right? Pretty unlike me. But Brynn’s moms asked me to come, invited everyone. They said no one ever skips family night, so we all went.”

He was quiet a minute. “By all, you mean who?”

“Eli, Max, me . . .”

“So . . . everyone got an invite.”

She lifted her head. “My mom came too. I never thought she would. She never shows when she says she’s going to. I only invited her in the first place because Olive and Raina insisted. And then, because she was about to spill my secret, I had to tell Brynn the truth.”