Page 13 of Double Trouble

A sheepish smile pulls his lips. “Our engagement party.”

She narrows her eyes. “No.”

“Yes.”

“Pete…”

“Candace.”

“You know how I feel about parties.”

“Yes, but I want to show people how I feel about you.”

Whomp, there it is. My brother, for all his faults, does know how to hit with the sweet stuff at the right time. And I know at that moment—and so does Candace—that there will be an engagement party.

Candace purses her lips and takes one look at Demi who can’t stop playing with the ring. I take stock of where my muscles are, if they’ll cooperate yet, but I’m stuck at a standstill, my fingers itching to text Tanner to add extra shifts to his schedule simply so he can sneak me inside every single night.

As if he knows I’m still struggling, Pete swivels his gaze to me again. “What’d you get?”

My brow furrows, and I’m grateful at least some part of my face is moving. “Hmm?” I croak.

He nods to the bags in my hand, the ones I completely forgot about.

“She got boring clothes,” Demi pipes in, and gratitude wraps around my heart and gets my voice working again.

“Which I’m going to try on,” I say, happy I have a great excuse to leave and process. “Congratulations, you guys.” Good… I think that sounded genuine. It gets a sweet smile from Candace, at least.

“Thanks, Maddie.”

I lift my bags like that will be a good substitute for my voice and head upstairs to my room. Lucky me, I got the master suite since I’m the oldest. So I can shut myself in here all night if I want… no need for hallway run-ins during a trip to the bathroom.

I plop on the bed and stare at the ceiling, the burn of tears crawling through the backs of my eyes and blurring my vision. The weight of what Pete’s engagement will do crushes to my chest, and I sink in the mattress, wheezing through the heaviness of it all.

He takes care of half of the expenses, so I will have to double my income somehow or make even more budget-friendly choices. If I don’t get a sponsorship, I’ll have to figure something out. Even if I do get one, I’ll have to make sure the contract is gonna work for me and Dem.

All of that is of course plaguing me, but I realize as I sit and cry in silence that there’s something else. Something hidden in the corners of my mind that I can’t seem to pinpoint until I start thinking about when Pete and I first moved out together just under a decade ago. Even before leaving our parents’ house, we had each other’s backs. It’s been the two of us for my whole life, and now it won’t be.

A fresh wave of tears hit me. I’m not just gaining all the responsibilities of the house; I’m losing my brother.

I’m going to do it.

I’m going to tell Mad I’m in love with her.

The silence around me as I boost up the lights over the Wheel Zone allows me to hear the unhealthy tremble of my breath. I swallow hard and pray to the high heavens that I don’t chicken out tonight.

We’re gonna be all alone here. I’ve got my board ready and a speech in case I need it. I binged The Office and watched the Casino episode on repeat, studying on how Jim perfected the art of telling a best friend that you are absolutely in love with them.

It’ll happen this time.

I pull my phone out and check the time. Mad said she’d be there at ten sharp; she needed the boarding time to put together a routine. I wasn’t working tonight, so I had to wait for everyone to leave before unlocking the back door and sneaking in. Wasn’t hard, either, which makes me a bit worried about our security here. But considering I’m one of the few with a key, maybe we’re okay.

After turning the lights on, I shake out some nerves and push the back door open. It’s 9:55, but Mad is exceptionally punctual.

Just as I thought, her silver Toyota Camry glides into the parking lot at 9:57. My heart kicks up, and I straighten my spine. I rehearsed it in my head. Do it before she boards. Do it before I have the chance to talk myself out of it.

She steps out of the car and gives me a tiny wave. My brows pull in. Her eyes are puffy again. She turns from me quickly and ducks in the backseat for her board and helmet, and my stomach ties itself into a bundle of concerned knots by the time she finally reaches me.

“Uh oh,” I say at the frown distorting her gorgeous lips.

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