Breaking The Bro Code (Hawthorne Brothers 3)

“I’m not really in the mood.”

“Oh, come on.” She wraps her arm around mine. “It’s New Year’s Eve. Do you really want to welcome the new year looking like you’re knee-deep in shit?”

I look at her. Is that how I look?

“Just forget about him, okay? That’s what New Year’s is about—forgetting the hurt, the people who took us for granted, the mistakes and just celebrating the good things and resolving to have more of them.”

I say nothing. She’s right, I think, but unfortunately, forgetting is something more easily said than done.

“Please?”

Christy tugs at my arm as she sticks out her upper lip and gives me puppy dog eyes. Her ace move. As usual, it works.

“Fine.” I get off the windowsill.

Christy grins as she pulls me into the middle of the living room. Then she lets me go so she can increase the volume of the speakers. I start to dance. At first I’m just moving my feet, nodding my head and clapping my hands, mostly for Christy’s sake. But the more I dance, the more I realize she’s right.

A new year is coming. New opportunities. New adventures. There’s a whole new blank page waiting for me to write on, and I can’t start with a lousy first line full of pain and fear and regret. So I’m going to cast all that aside.

This year, everything is going to be even better. In fact, it’s going to be my best year yet.

With that resolution in mind, I move more freely, losing myself to the music. Now, I’m dancing for me, for the year I had and for the amazing year I’m going to have.

Christy gives me a smile of approval. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”

We dance until midnight, until the fireworks start exploding and the horns start blowing and someone pops the bottle of champagne. The two couples in the room kiss. As for us, we just place our arms around each other’s shoulders and drink.

In the midst of all the celebration, I get a message on my phone. I don’t hear the beep because of all the noise, but I notice the screen lighting up. Christy does, too.

“You have a message,” she says.

I grab my phone. As soon as I see the name on the screen, my heart stops.

Ryker.

It seems he just wished me a happy new year.

“Would you look at that?” Christy grins. “It’s barely three minutes into the new year and things are turning around already.”

“Oh, shut up,” I tell her, even though I’m almost grinning myself.

I need to calm down. It’s just a New Year’s greeting. For all I know, he could have sent it to everyone on his contacts list. Or he might have sent it to me by mistake. Either way, it’s just a greeting. No reason to get excited.

So stop beating so fast, my stupid heart.

Then another message comes in, also from Ryker. This time, it contains two words.

I’m sorry.

My breath catches. Okay, so that’s not something he could have sent to everyone, or by mistake. In fact, I can almost hear him saying it to me. Sincerely.

“Aren’t you going to reply?” Christy asks me.

I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. Should I forgive him just because he said sorry? Just because it’s New Year?

“At least say ‘Happy New Year’ back,” Christy tells me.

So I do that. A few seconds after, he sends me another message.

Are you free this afternoon? I was thinking we could play paintball. I know the owner of a place and we can have it all to ourselves. Also, I’ll let you hit me the first few times.

This time, I grin.

“It seems like he’s really sorry,” Christy says.

I glance over my shoulder. “Why are you reading my messages?”

“Because they’re exciting.”

I shake my head but don’t push her away.

“So, what are you going to say?” she asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

I have nothing against paintball. In fact, I’ve played it a few times before, and I liked it each time, even when I didn’t win. What I’m worried about? Spending time with Ryker. I want to, but should I? I thought New Year’s was about leaving your mistakes in the past and moving on, doing better. Wasn’t I supposed to forget about Ryker?

“Say yes,” Christy urges me.

I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re a drunk.”

“And you’re a fool if you’re going to let this opportunity pass you by.”

My eyebrows furrow. “I thought you said I should forget about him.”

“That was before he apologized and asked you out on a date.”

“So I’m just supposed to forgive him and go out with him? What happened to New Year’s being about moving on?”

“Giving people a second chance is part of moving on,” Christy tells me. “It’s a fresh start. Take it.”

I stare at my phone. Well, I guess New Year’s is about new beginnings.