Page 19 of Hello Forever
“Okay,” hewhispered.
“He’s still barely civil to me. After I got home that summer, I spent months just trying to stay out of his way. Then, about ten months after I last saw you, my mother died of livercancer.”
Axel’s eyes grew large. “I’msosorry.”
“It was a long time ago. But it made my life complicated, because I have three youngerbrothers.”
“Iremember.”
“Everything at home changed really fast. My mother died a few months after her diagnosis. My father didn’t get any nicer. He transferred here toBarmuth.”
Axel leaned forward in his chair. “Here? You finished high school inMassachusetts?”
“Sure did. And all my brothers still go to school here in town. After high school I went away to B.U. for four years, because I wanted to get awayfromhim.”
“Right. Why wouldyoustay?”
“Well…” I cleared my throat again. “Three reasons. Scotty, Mark andJared.”
“Yourbrothers.”
“Yeah. That’s why I decided to do my PhD at Barmuth. My brothers need someone around who isn’t an asshole. They don’t have a mom. Scotty was only six when she died.” This was some really depressing shit I was unloading on him. “As far as I can tell, my father doesn’t hit them. I think he saved that just for me. But his mind games are pretty bad…” It was hard to talk about this stuff. The only person who ever heard these things from me was Amy. “Anyway. By the time I’m done with my doctorate, Scotty will just be turningeighteen.”
“Whenisthat?”
“About six yearsfromnow.”
Axel nodded. “You liveathome?”
“Ohhellno,” I said, and Axel laughed. “Actually there’s exactly one perk for being my father’s son—my graduate housing is half price because he’s an employee of thecollege.”
“That’shandy.”
“This whole setup only works because I don’t have to live under his roof. But I pick up Scotty from school most days. And I ferry the kids to some of their after-schoolcrap.”
He grinned. “And to basketballgames.”
“Yeah. I have five seasontickets.”
“Who’s the fifthonefor?”
I felt my face gethot. “Amy.”
He cocked a single, sexy eyebrow. “Yourgirlfriend?”
Slowly I shook my head. “She’s my ex,” I said. And that was technically true. But I was hiding a lot behind thatstatement.
“You two must beclose.”
“Yeah,” I practically grunted. I’d been pretty depressed since Amy told me about her new man. I knew it wasn’t rational, but I felt like I was losing myfriend.
“Any new prospects on the horizon?” Axel asked. His eyes were beautiful in the candlelight as he studied me. I could tell he was fishing for clues about my sexual orientation. And damn if I wasn’t flattered. Again—it was my dream come true. Dinner with a gorgeous guy who might be trying to figure out if I wasavailable.
But dreams were for otherpeople.
“No,” I said slowly. “I don’t date. I can’t.” I took another bite of his excellent cooking. This was the only dinner he’d ever cook for me. I might as wellenjoyit.
“Whynot?”
