Only Her

“Don’t worry about me,” he scoffed.

“Don’t get pissy with me. Why don’t you date?”

“Because the girl I like won’t give me the time of day. I’m not settling for second best.”

“Who?”

“I’m not telling you,” Brett told her. “You have a big mouth.”

“I have a big mouth?” She snapped. She took a big gulp of her beer. “You, who told Ava who her father was and didn’t bother to tell me that you had told her.”

“I didn’t want to upset you. Sky, you didn’t even want to hear his name. She took one of the pictures that you keep under your bed and kept it for herself thinking that he was her daddy. I know you think she’s fine without him but she’s not.”

Skylar’s eyes met Luka’s. “Why not? Why am I not enough for her?” Skylar sounded so sad it nearly broke his heart. Brett took a sip of his beer.

“Sky, it doesn’t work like that. Little girls need their daddy. I couldn’t lie to her.”

“She’s too smart for me. What am I gonna do when she’s a teenager?”

“God help us all,” he mumbled. “She has four uncles who all have hunting rifles. We’ll be happy to greet every one of her dates at the fro

nt door.”

After downing the remainder of the third beer, Skylar handed it to him. She wanted another. “I think you really have had enough. Sky, you aren’t used to drinking.”

“Give it up. I can take it.”

He handed her the beer and took her empty. “You’re going to be so sorry in the morning.” He was shaking his head at her. Skylar just scowled at him in return.

“Do I know this girl you like?” She asked then she took a huge gulp of her beer.

“Why do you care?”

“Because you’re my best friend in the whole world and I want you to be happy. I love you Brett.”

“Like you with our illustrious mayor who has a stick up his ass. Seriously, what do you see in Tag Richardson? He has no personality.”

“I agree.” She did think Tag often acted like he had a stick up his ass. He was formal, almost too much so. He was rigid. The only time he cut loose was in the sack. The beer was going to her head. “Don’t you love me?”

“What?” Brett looked at her with confusion. “Why are you with him if you agree with me? And yes, you know I love you. I kept a mighty big secret from my brother for you,” he informed her.

She swallowed a huge amount of the fourth beer.

“It’s going to come between you, isn’t it?” She asked him.

“What?” He was confused again by her question.

“Keeping my secret.” She looked at Brett. She finished off the fourth beer and asked for another. Brett was right; Skylar wasn’t used to drinking but she felt light as a bird right now and she wanted the feeling to continue. Her head was spinning like she had been twirling around for minutes when they used to play ring around the rosy as kids.

They were quiet while Brett thought about her question. He and Luka had always been close. All five brothers were close to each other and their mother but he and Luka were especially close. Brett stared over the pond. A bullfrog hopped off the bank into the water.

“I hope not. So, why are you still with Tag if you also think he has a stick up his ass? It’s not like he has anything in common with you. He doesn’t like Ava…”

Skylar sucked down half the beer. She glanced at him uncertainly. Then she gulped down more. She needed liquid courage to answer this question. Her reasons sounded asinine in her head so saying them out loud was going to sound even more ridiculous. She knew that.

“Because I have needs,” Skylar interrupted Brett.

She took another huge gulp of the fifth beer. Then she realized Brett was looking at her stunned by her admission that the only reason she was still seeing Tag was he was great in the sack.