Page 61 of Final Goodbye
I cupped her chin in my hands and gave her a long kiss. No tongue. Nothing that would lead to anything more. Just a long kiss that told her how much I appreciated her and how strong my feelings really were. I knew I loved her, and I’d let her know soon, I just needed to find the right moment.
I loved her so much it was crazy.
We finally made our way back down to the dining room and took our seats when five pairs of eyes gave us the look like they knew exactly what we had been up to. No one was brave enough to say it out loud, but we had definitely been caught. I wouldn’t be surprised if my mom said something to me later in private.
It was better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?
We picked around at our food and jumped back into conversation like we hadn’t missed any time at all.
“Myles, honey, you never said what you’re thankful for,” Mom said to my brother. He found my gaze from across the table when a mischievous grin found his face.
“Hmm… There is so much to be thankful for. I don’t know if I’ll be able to top Declan’s declaration of love, so I’ll just keep it simple. I’m thankful for the new friend I made at the bar last night. When Declan bowed out early, my friend was kind enough to offer me a ride home.” That fucking asshole. He was being vague when it came to everyone else sitting around the table, but he knew he was getting under my skin on purpose. Even after our argument and him acting like everything with Logan was no big deal, he still got a ride from him instead of getting an Uber like any other normal person.
“Oh Myles, how wonderful! Both you and Declan have new friends,” Mom saidfriendslike it was something more. With me it was, but obviously Myles had her thinking something else entirely. My fists were clenched tightly underneath the table—crescent shapes etched into my palms. If Paige and her family weren’t here, I’d launch across the table and let my frustration out on Myles. He was fucking asking for it lately.
“Pumpkin pie, anyone?” I asked as I stood up with my empty dinner plate.
After we finished up with dinner, we gorged ourselves on some pumpkin and apple pie for dessert. Made from scratch, of course, because my mom was a pro around the kitchen.
Paige’s mom and brother left a few moments ago and we were about to head out ourselves. I was eager to get back home and spend the rest of the night tangled in my bed sheets with Paige wrapped in my arms.
“I’m going to use the restroom before we head out. Be right back, okay?” I kissed Paige on the cheek before heading for the bathroom.
“Okay. I’ll grab the leftovers from your mom and get everything ready to go.” I gave her a nod and made my way down the hallway.
When I turned the corner, a noise caught my attention. Myles popped out of the restroom clapping his hands together slowly.
Clap… Clap… Clap.
“Bravo, brother. Good performance tonight. I’m surprised you controlled the urge to beat my face in. You didn’t even take the bait,” Myles slurred. Not surprised he was drunk on Thanksgiving, since this was pretty on par for him, especially lately.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re getting under my skin just as much as that prick friend of yours.” I shoved him back into the restroom so we could have a private chat.
“Dude, he’s not that bad. You just hate him because he dated that girl of yours.”
“Paige,” I cut in. “Call her by her fucking name and have some respect.” My face burned red.
“The guy is a low life, a drunk and off his fucking meds. If you keep hanging around him, you’re going to fuck your life up even more than it already is. Do you want to be thirty years old and a nobody like that guy? What’s it going to take to wake you up?” I gripped his shoulders and gave him a strong shake.
“There’s no point in waking up when that’s your cue to face reality,” Myles mumbled with his head hung low.
“What the fuck is going on man? What is wrong with you lately?” I leveled with him, asking in a serious tone, trying my best to throw out the anger in my voice.
“Ugh!” he grunted, pulling on the back of his neck in frustration. Maybe something really was going on with Myles. Something more serious than him just drinking too much and partying. He’d been pulling away from me lately and his habits had only gotten worse.
What could have happened in the last few months that had him off his rocker?
Suddenly a pang of guilt hit me. I was hanging around Paige so much lately and letting our relationship consume me, I hadn’t been paying close enough attention to what was going on with my brother.
“I can’t fucking talk about it, man. It’s bad. I fucked up. And you’re the last person I could ever tell.” Tears started to form in his eyes. I don’t remember the last time I saw Myles cry. He was a drunken mess right now. Something was tearing him up so badly inside, he was finally breaking down. But why couldn’t he talk to me about it?
“You can always talk to me, Myles. It may be rough between us right now but you’re still my brother. I’ll always be here to talk to you. What kind of shit storm do you need my help getting out of?” I came to his defense. He looked up at me with bloodshot eyes, his mouth opening and shutting like he was trying to form the right words.
“I fucked up,” he admitted again. I stayed quiet in hopes he would continue to get what he needed to off his chest.
“Remember when I said I drove Logan home from a party a while back?”
“Yeah?”
