Page 145 of Best Friends for Never

“I am, huh?”

“Well, yeah. There’s no way mysoulmatecould be such a jerk.”

The redness to his cheeks that was fading comes back in full force. “So now we’re back to being soulmates?”

“Oh, Axel. We’vealwaysbeen soulmates. Platonic ones. Even when you were being a buttmunch to me. You pushed me back then—to be better, to be smarter, to beme. In a way, you were helping me much more than you ever hurt me. And now, as an adult, you do the same.”

“I do?”

I nod. “I wouldn’t even be in the renovation business if you hadn’t convinced me I could do it. Without you, I wouldn’t have adopted Pumpkin or started my obsession with whiskey sours, though I secretly hate you for that last one sometimes.” I wink at him, then take a sip of my drink.

“I guess I am a good influence, huh?”

“The best,” I agree.

“Good. Then that brings me back to why I’m here—Noel.”

“You’re here for Noel?”

“No. I’m hereaboutNoel. You’re being a dumbass.”

I rear my head back. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” he says, stroking his thick red beard. “You’re both being pigheaded about this. You want to stay, he wants to go, but neither of you is willing to compromise.”

I shake my head. “You don’t get it. It’s complicated. It’s—”

“It’s really not,” he interrupts. “I know why you didn’t go when you were younger. That made perfect sense. You were just starting your life, and you were scared to leave. But now you’re an adult. You have your life figured out. You know who you are. You can do whatever you want, Park. You just need to be brave enough to go do it.”

I tip my chin up. “I’m plenty brave.”

“Just because you watch scary movies through your fingers now instead of hiding under the blankets doesn’t mean you’re brave. You’re strong, that’s for damn sure, but you’re still running scared. Why?”

“It’s—”

He cuts me a glare. “Don’t you dare say it’s complicated, Parker Bernice. That’s a shit excuse, and you know it.”

“Wow.” I whistle. “You’re going to middle-name me right now?”

“Yes. Because this is that serious.”

I sigh, pushing my whiskey glass back and forth between my hands.

“I don’t know,” I tell him. “I mean, Idoknow a little bit. There are parts of it that make a lot of sense. But ... he lives in a whole different world than I do. We’re two completely different people. What if I can’t handle it?”

“Are you kidding me? I see you yell at grown men all the time. Hell, you made our lumber guy, Ike, cry. You’ve almost mademecry. You can handle Hollywood, Parker. Especially for Noel.”

I don’t say anything because I don’t know what to say. Axel’s right. I have done those things, but they’re different than uprooting my life for a guy who has left me twice.

And that’s the real root of my issue. Everyone is always leaving. My father, Noel ... Noel, again. What’s to stop him from taking off a third time?

“What if ... what if he leaves?” I ask quietly. “Like my dad did?”

“Then I’ll personally hand his ass to him. Twice. No.Thrice.But honestly, I don’t think it’s something you have to worry about. That man loves you. Everyone can see it. Hell, everyone could see it back then too. Even me.”

Noel loves me?

Sure, he’s said so before, but that was years ago, when we were teens who knew nothing about the real world.

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