Page 84 of Breaking Point

I hum, trying my best to answer honestly. “I do. Bringing people together is a beautiful thing.”

It’s true.

Or it was, at least.

I feel so far removed from that feeling lately.

“But?” she pries, and I grin at how well she peel saway my defenses.

“But I’m tired. Love is…” I laugh, trying to explain it. “Exhausting. Consuming. A lot of effort goes into a day most people have imagined since they were young.”

“I can’t imagine how it must be in a place like Sutton. Everything’s so expensive and lavish. I bet it all starts to lose meaning after a while.” That’s exactly how it feels, and I almost tell her as such until she prods further. “Have you thought about your own wedding?”

I smile, shaking my head at her careful attempts to get to know me. “Of course I have ideas, but I think a wedding should be more about the person you’re with. And I’m not…”

“You’re not with anyone,” she finishes.

“No. I’m dating, just… No luck.”

She nods as she plants a new pot in the ground, carefully breaking open the soil to expose the roots. “That I know of, Crew hasn’t dated since losing Winter.”

The mention of her brings a swell of feeling to my chest. We’ve talked about Winter a few times. I know he blamed himself for her death. I think I held the same guilt for far too long.

“I think your son carries a lot. Grief makes loving… hard. Being loved is even harder.”

“You’re right.” She smiles again, eyes watching me for a long moment. “Thanks for letting me rope you into some manual labor.”

“I don’t mind,” I giggle, and when she hears Jimmy knocking at the patio door to signal he’s ready to come outside, she stands.

Brushing the dirt off her jeans, she removes her gloves. “I’ll get started on lunch.”

I try my best not to look in Crew’s direction as I finish the rest of my de-potting. I dig a hole to drop the last plant into, but I give in anyway, lifting my gaze. Even dripping in sweat and covered in sawdust, he looks sexy as hell, but the fact that he’s already looking in my direction makes lightning erupt across my skin.

He drops another few planks of wood, wiping the dust off his hands before looking back to the task at-hand. I drop my own eyes with a sigh.

Before too long, Theresa calls us in, and we pause long enough to scarf our faces full of food before working again. My dad calls at some point, and I let it go to voicemail.

I push off calling him back until it’s dark out. After clearing the dishes from dinner, I dismiss myself early for bed. Crew lingers behind with his parents, but I’m glad that I have theguest house to myself to shower and get dressed before dialing my dad.

Crew steps inside, the musk of sweat and soil heavy on him as he shoulders through the door and sees me on the phone.

“Hey, Dad,” I say when he answers immediately.

“Button! Are you alright??”

Crew motions toward the bathroom as he grabs a pair of clothes. I nod, turning to talk into the phone. “Yeah. I’m okay. Been enjoying some time away from work, but… Got a lot on my mind.”

“Taylor called and told me more about the fire and the letter. He said his wife had the baby too. Gabrielle. She’s a preemie.”

“Yeah.” I explain everything to him with all the calm I can manage. I set the phone down on speaker, braiding my hair before tying it off.

My dad is reasonably upset, and though I can tell he wants to say more, neither of us mentions our last conversation. We talk for about ten minutes before Crew emerges from the bathroom- freshly showered, clad in a loose tee and sweats. The sight alone is distracting, and when Dad calls my name, I know I missed something he said.

“Sorry, Dad. I was just about to head to bed.” I glance away, rubbing at the bandage around my palm absently.

“Look… We haven’t talked about what happened before you left. I- I’m sorry you found out that way-“

“Dad,” I snap, wincing at the edge to my voice. “I don’t want to talk about it. Not right now. Okay?”

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