Page 34 of Trouble
“Man, ain’t it the truth.” I drained the rest of my beer and reached for another one.
“Do you love her?”
“I think you already know the answer to that question.”
“Then if you really,reallylove her, you go after her. You chase her down. You win her back. And you never let her go.”
“It’s as easy as that? Scarlett didn’t have a brother who was completely against you though.”
“And neither does Lyla. He’s only doing what any big brother would do, making sure his sister’s choice of boyfriend passes muster.”
“Fuck, Wes, I’ve been Dre’s friend since we could walk and talk.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “I thought he would have known I was suitable by now.”
Wes laughed. “Yeah, but he’s also seen the locker room chat, the lusting over unsuitable girls in school, the flirting with the waitresses at the diner, having a string of women and never settling down…”
“Okay, stop already, you’re making me out to be some kind of playboy. You should know I could never settle down because none of those women could ever compare to Lyla.” My chest constricted as I said the words aloud. If I could be this honest with Wes, then I should be able to say the same things to Andre, to convince him I was serious about his sister, I honestly didn’t want anyone else. Never had.
“I know that, Andre probably knows that, but does Lyla? Did you ever tell her exactly how you feel about her?” Wes tilted his head.
I thought back to the weekend and what we’d said to each other. At no point did I tell her I loved her, even though she had said it to me. If I’d have been honest with her at the time, we probably wouldn’t even be in this mess right now. I would have stood up to Andre. Correctionshouldhave stood up to Andre.
It was time to stop pretending and face up to how I really felt. Even if I risked getting another beating from my best friend.
I’d made my decision. Before I changed my mind, I grabbed my phone and dialed Andre’s number.
“Maddox.” His tone was cold, but at least he answered my call.
“Dre, we need to talk about me and Lyla.”
