“Again?” My jaw relaxed and I felt my anger starting to pass.
“We were both in love with the same girl once.” He squeezed my hand then let it go. “It didn’t end well. I’m sorry.”
Jett turned and started walking back to his apartment. My head started to spin with confusion. They were both in love with the same girl once. That’s what the problem was. The clarity hit me so hard I had to grab my doorknob before my knees went weak. I had been sending mixed signals. I was a fool and it might have cost me an opportunity with either one of them. I stepped into my apartment and pushed the door closed. Jett was amazing—but so was Rand. I couldn’t be the one that came between them. If it caused problems before, I could fully understand his concern. I sat down on my couch and turned on the television. I was a little tired from the beer, but my mind was racing too much for sleep.
Chapter Eight
Rand
“So?” I looked up at Jett when he walked into the apartment after walking Brylee home. “Did you make a move?”
“Almost.” He grunted and walked into the kitchen. “Want another beer?”
“I want to sleep, but yeah—it sounds like we’re probably going to have to talk.” I nodded and waited for him to return.
I tried my best to give Jett some room with Brylee. I even moved to the chair after the first movie so they could be alone on the couch. I was afraid of what Jett was going to say. He walked back into the living room and handed me my beer. He was silent for several minutes after he sat down on the couch. I knew my brother well enough to know that he was dealing with something internally—I couldn’t rush his thought process. He was a lot more analytical and methodical in his approach, regardless of the problem. I was more stubborn and just smashed my head into the problem until the answer presented itself.
“She likes us both.” He sipped his beer and leaned back.
“Fuck.” I exhaled sharply. “I’m really sorry, bro. I tried—I swear I did.”
“I know.” He nodded slowly. “It’s not your fault. I should have made a move sooner, or just invited her to go on a date with me.”
“Next weekend, the two of you can do the storage locker on your own. I’ll go see Mom and take her out to dinner or something. You can have the apartment to yourself.” I sipped my beer as I tried to think through a solution.
“Or maybe I’m just overthinking this.” He sipped his beer again. “I like Brylee, but I know you like her too.”
“She’s gorgeous and I won’t sit here and lie to you—I think she’s one of the most interesting women I’ve ever met.” I shrugged and sighed. “But, we have rules about this.”
“Is it fair to sit here thinking about ourselves without considering what she wants?” Jett looked over at me with a blank stare on his face.
“We’ve been down this road before. We’ve suffered because of it, and we swore we would never even consider it again.” I nervously lifted my beer and let a generous portion drain into my mouth.
“Brylee isn’t Hannah. Hannah was a confused teenager. Brylee is a woman who seems to understand what she wants.” Jett shook his head back and forth. “I just don’t see how it would work with just the two of us if she’s already admitted she’s interested in you too.”
“But does Brylee even understand what that means? It’s one thing to be sorta interested in two guys—it’s another thing entirely to be shared by them.” I lifted my beer, already thinking I would need another one once it was empty.
“I don’t know, but I think we should keep an open mind here. We shouldn’t close the door entirely just because something fucked up our perspective of love.” Jett sighed and sipped his beer.
“I never thought you would be the one who suggested something like this.” I finished my beer and stood. “Want another one?”
“Yeah, I think I need it at this point.” He nodded and guzzled what was left.
My thoughts were in turmoil when I walked into the kitchen. I could tell that Jett was seriously considering what he said, which meant he really liked Brylee. He liked her so much that he was willing to relive the most painful moment of our lives. I would have been lying if I said I didn’t feel that same temptation. We were dangerously close to going down a road that could destroy us. The worst part was that a ce
rtain realization was present inside me. Sharing a woman with Jett would erase a lot of my concerns about falling for someone. I wouldn’t have to worry about her being abandoned if something happened to me. Jett would make sure she was taken care of. I wouldn’t have to worry about leaving a child behind if a bad day on the job left behind a widow. She would still have Jett.
“Here you go.” I handed Jett his beer and sat down next to him on the couch. “Since we’re being honest, there’s something I need to tell you. Something I haven’t told anyone.”
“Okay.” He turned towards me with concern on his face. “I thought we didn’t have any secrets.”
“This one—it’s not a secret. It’s just more of a lingering concern.” I sighed and put my beer on the coffee table.
I told Jett everything. I told him about the despair I felt after waking up in the hospital, why I ended things with the girl I was seeing, and why I never pursued a real relationship after that. I saw his face reflect the same despair as mine. I had always wanted to tell him for a long time, but I was scared to say it out loud most of the time. I fought back the tears as I finished my confession and when I reached for my beer, Jett hugged me. We hadn’t hugged—god, we hadn’t hugged since we graduated from high school. The guys at the station would have never let us live it down if they had seen us at that moment. I didn’t give a fuck. I needed it more than I ever wanted to admit. When our embrace was done, I lifted my beer and just let the alcohol fill my mouth. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest.
“That settles it.” Jett twisted the top off his beer and raised it to me. “We say fuck the rules we made when Hannah left.”
“Fuck the rules.” I extended my beer and tapped the top of his bottle. “If Brylee is truly interested in both of us, we stop getting in the way of it.”