Page 48 of Until the End

My brother’s voice makes me jump. I snap out of my daze to hug Noah before he sits across from me in the red leather booth at Jones’s Diner. “How are you? How are the girls?” I’m not even going to address him comparing me to his six-year-old daughter. It’s probably more accurate than I want it to be.

“Everyone’s good. Nellie’s started making packing lists for college, and Lilly spends half her time crying and the other half in planning mode. Neither of us is ready for Nellie to leave, but we’re trying to keep brave faces.”

Noah’s daughter Nellie is only seventeen, but she’s brilliant. She blasted through her high school classes this past year and has been taking courses at the community college.

Noah and Lilly struggled to decide whether they should let her enroll full-time at a four-year school this early. Even Nellie was hesitant at first because she wasn’t sure she was ready to leave home, but once she toured the campus in Greensboro, she was hooked. They had to jump throughmultiple hoops to get her enrolled since she’s not legally an adult yet, but in the end, they knew she needed the challenge of college courses.

“Has she decided what she’s going to study?”

Noah rolls his eyes. “No, which means she wants to sign up for too many classes, and Lilly and I have had far too many discussions with her about not going crazy her first semester.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

The waitress comes over to take our order, and after she’s gone, Noah gives me his best big brother stare.

“Tell me why you’re all mopey today.”

“Why do you think? Ginny flew out to LA yesterday, and we still don’t know how long she’ll have to stay. At the very least, a couple of weeks.”

Noah looks at me like I’m stupid. “Why didn’t you go with her?”

I treat him to a look of my own. “Because I have a job? Responsibilities I can’t just walk away from?”

“Like what? Uncle Levi wouldn’t give two shits if you went out to LA for a month. He’s always talking about feeling bad that he can’t give all his guys work. He could replace you in a minute. And it’s not like you do anything other than work.”

I ignore the pinch in my chest at being so easily replaced. Noah isn’t saying it to be mean—he’s making a point. “I would just be imposing on Ginny’s life out there. What the fuck do I know about LA or music or whatever?”

Noah’s eye roll could compete with Nellie’s when she’s especially annoyed. “You’re an idiot. Ginny loves you. She probably wanted you to go with her but was too polite to ask.”

I think back on the looks she gave me while she packed to leave. He might be on to something. “You think she wants me to be there?”

“Duh. She’s alone in the city she had to run away frombecause of her ex-fiancé. Why would she not want you by her side?”

“I don’t belong out there with her. I’m a small-town blue-collar man with only enough money to live comfortably here. What the hell can I do for her out there?”

“Carson…you love her. You support her. She doesn’t care about your money or what you do for work. She cares about you. She wants you by her side, through all the ups and downs of her crazy life.”

Can we really make this work? I’ve always imagined trying to support myself in some big city while Ginny does her thing, and it never worked out well in my head. But I guess things have changed a bit since I imagined us living in Nashville together. Ginny doesn’t need my money. She doesn’t need me to be the provider.

What she does need is for someone to love her unconditionally. She needs someone to believe in her when she doesn’t believe in herself. I’ve always been that guy. Even before we stepped over the friendship line, I’ve been the guy she turned to when she needed help.

I finally have the chance to give her my all, and instead, I’m sitting in this diner like a pathetic wimp, too afraid to shake off the toxic masculinity that society has drilled into my head since I was too young to notice.

“I’m going to LA.”

Noah beams at me. “Damn right, you are.” I start to stand up, but he grabs me before I can get too far. “Not this second, you idiot. You need to book a flight, talk to Levi, pack…”

I shake my head. “Right. Okay, Levi first, then flight.”

Walking out of LAX,I’m blasted with heat and noise. There are entirely too many people rushing around me. In myjeans, boots, and T-shirt, I stick out like a sore thumb. I try to shove down my insecurities, but it’s not easy. It took a full day to get everything set for me to fly out here.

Levi, of course, was more than happy to give me the time off. He assured me that I’d have a spot on his crew when I got back if I wanted it. I didn’t question his words at the time, but now I wonder if he thinks I won’t be coming back to work. I want to say he’s wrong, but I never imagined I’d be flying out to LA, so who knows what will happen?

Once my work was squared away, the next flight out wasn’t until morning, so that gave me time to pack and tell everyone where I was going. Ginny’s parents were especially happy to know I was joining her. It just proved I was doing the right thing. I felt like an idiot for not going with her from the beginning.

Daren said he sent a car to pick me up, so with my duffle bag in hand, I navigate to the right spot to wait.

A few minutes later, a familiar black SUV pulls up to the curb. Daren himself steps out of the driver’s seat, and my shoulders drop. I’ve never been more relieved to see a familiar face. I feel like a fish out of water here. He’s in his typical black T-shirt and dark pants, and I have no idea how he’s not dying in the heat. Maybe he’s used to it. His dark sunglasses cover his eyes, but his smile is a welcome sight.

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