Page 61 of Known By You
It took him a minute, but the second I saw more of his face, my heart broke and I froze. His eyes were glassy with tears and all the sunshine in his countenance had disappeared completely.
“I gave them money.” His voice was so brutally small and broken.
I dropped to my knees in front of him and took hishands in mine. “That’s great if that’s what you wanted to do.”
“I don’t know why I feel so… so sad about this. I’ve read this book. I know this story and I’m not surprised by the ending, but it still makes me feel so… broken.” His voice was ragged, and a tear slipped down his cheek.
“It’s okay to feel whatever you feel,” I said, fully recognizing these were words far easier to say than to adopt and believe for myself.
“I know. I just hate crying. I mean I hate crying over them. Why should they get any more of my tears? Why do I still care?” He swiped at the moisture and rested my hands on his legs.
“Because you’re not the kind of person who will stop caring about other people, even when they’ve mistreated you.”
He sniffled. “Just makes me feel like all the work I’ve done to get over this is failing me, but logically and probably without a few shots of tequila on an empty stomach, I would recognize that’s crap.”
I smiled and one side of his mouth quirked up.
“It is crap. You’re an amazing person and I’d be shocked if seeing them and having them act the way they did didn’t hurt you. I probably would’ve worried you’d been body-snatched.”
A watery laugh escaped him. “Yeah but then maybe I’d be a little more what people want. A little more of a man like they expect.”
He had to mean his family, and I didn’t give a damn what they wanted of him, but I couldn’t sit here and listen to him demean himself, even if wallowing was perfectly acceptable for a time. I stood, then shoved his knees togetherand slipped over them, sitting on his lap. His brows perked up and his eyes lit with awareness.
I took his stubbly face in my hands. “You are wonderful. You are loved by so many people who appreciate and admire and love you for exactly the man you are. I would be heartbroken if you were body-snatched or, more importantly, any other version of you than this one.”
He gave me a full smile. “Thank you for saying that.”
I wanted to say more, but maybe now wasn’t the time. I pulled him close and hugged him, doing whatever I could to push truth into him.You are loved. You are wonderful. You are exactly who you’re meant to be.
After a minute, I released him and stepped away.
“I’m completely fine if you want to stay right there until tomorrow morning.”
I chuckled and wiped at the corner of my eye. “I appreciate that, but you need something in your belly or you’ll be miserable tomorrow.”
The toast had popped at some point, so I slathered it with butter and slid it toward him.
“Aw, you cooked for me.”
This man. He was the sweetest man alive, regardless of sobriety. I didn’t anticipate seeing him like this again soon, but there was something lovely about knowing he was still himself, just even more unfiltered. He was sweet and warm and funny and flirty and loveable.
I wouldn’t think about all that right now, though. I’d focus on feeding him and doing whatever I could to abate the inevitable hangover he’d have. When he felt better, it was time to have a discussion.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Kenny
Stone and Cookie arrived at eight on Saturday morning, plates of goodies plastic-wrapped for safety in hand.
“Did we have plans?” I asked, scratching at my scraggly face.
They barged in without me inviting them, but they were always welcome, so this wasn’t anything particularly alarming.
“We heard you might need a pick me up,” Cookie said, right as Stone rumbled, “Welfare check.”
That was all it took to release the dam of memory from the night before.
My family claiming to want to take me to dinner again and clear the air, but then pushing, before we ever sat down, for money, which I had already planned to give them. Their disdain and total lack of desire to know anything about me other than a routing number.
