Page 87 of Hard To Love

“What the hell am I doing?” I asked, turning to Cassie hoping she would provide me with some sort of clarity.

She sighed, set her glass down then leaned into me. “I know this is hell for you.” She leveled me with a look, “Brad will definitely be hurt when he finds out what you’re up to.” She trailed off shaking her head. “Now Chase, that man scares me. He’s so intense when it comes to you. I mean don’t get me wrong, I know this was all part of the plan, but I would not want to be in your shoes right now.” She reached into her bowl and placed a piece of popcorn in her mouth.

I cocked my head to the side. “If this is your idea of settling my nerves, it sucks.” I said pushing the bowl away, as she tried to pass it over to me. Food was the last thing on my mind.

“Hear me out,” she said, turning and crossing her legs to face me. She placed her bowl on the table next to her wine, then picked up her napkin and wiped off her hands. “First, Brad is crazy about you. I really believe in my heart that his intentions are sincere. With that being said, what he is doing is f-ed up. There’s no way this ends without him being pissed at you for playing him, but what’s the alternative? Now, with your boy Chase… well that’s a little more complicated.”

My head shot up “You think?”

She leaned back folding her arms. “Chase doesn’t seem like the type that’s just going to sit back and let things happen. God help Brad, when he gets the upper hand. You don’t fuck with a guy like Chase Newman. I mean, I know Brad is a badass police commando and all, but my money is on Chase. He has too much to lose and this is a guy who isn’t used to losing! You guys are on your way to getting married and having 2.5 kids, buying a big-ass house in the suburbs and driving a nice shiny grey minivan to shuffle your butts to soccer practice and PTA meetings. There is no way he won’t bury Brad’s ass when this is over.”

I buried my face in my hands and shook my head while letting her words sink in. “This is going to be more work than I thought. It pains me to admit this, but Chase isn’t the only one who’s affected by all this. As much as I dislike Colin, he doesn’t deserve to be caught up in all this, either.”

Cassie leaned back and looked at me. “Didn’t you tell me that Chase and his brother talked things through?”

“Yes, but you know how important family is to Chase and as much as I dislike Colin and his immaturity, he is Chase’s brother and I still feel bad.”

Cassie tsk’d me. “I understand family defines us and is a significant part of who we are. However, it was family loyalty that damaged your relationship in the first place. I think it was well past time that Chase re-evaluated his relationship with his brother. Love and loyalty can be a double-edged sword and sometimes the people we love the most can cause us the most pain.”

Her words pushed their way in through my hard head, knocking the guilt out as they settled comfortably in my thoughts. This girl was my lifeline and I didn’t know what I would do without her.

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