Page 97 of Fourth Wheel
I make my way up the stairs to the loft and free fall face-first into the mattress of my queen-size bed. The tears fall silently, and I’m just thankful I’ve had weeks to nail down the ability to cry without making a sound.
Only a few minutes pass before I hear someone on the stairs.
“Maddie girl, I wanted to talk to you about our holiday schedules,” my brother says before he even comes into view.
He flips through the calendar on his phone without looking over at me and perches on the end of the bed, but I turn my head to the side so he can’t see my tears.
“We’ll probably do Thanksgiving in Hampton again since Jake and Cory can’t get away that weekend, but we’ll plan on Christmas at the cabin, like usual. Did you want me to book your…”
He trails off, and I know I’m busted.
“Hey,” he nudges me with a shake of my leg. “Are you awake?”
“I’m awake,” I mutter into my pillow.
He chuckles in his good-natured way before pulling the pillow out from under my face. “Will you at least sit up and acknowledge me then?” he teases, hitting me in the back with the pillow he just stole.
I know I’m not going to get away with this now.
I sit up and sniffle, but I don’t bother trying to dry my eyes.
“Are you crying?” he demands, sounding equal parts shocked and concerned.
I roll my eyes. “No, I was just moisturizing my cheekbones.”
“Maddie girl,” he soothes, genuinely sympathetic this time as he pulls me into a hug. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
I lean into his side and sigh. It was stupid to come here. IknewI wouldn’t get through this weekend without breaking down.
“Oh, just having one of my daily cries,” I admit with a shrug.
“Oneof them? What the hell’s wrong with you?”
I sigh again—something I picked up from Dempsey, apparently—before pulling back and studying my brother. “If I tell you, do you promise not to judge me?”
He agrees, so I tell him everything.
About the first night, when I realized Dempsey didn’t know who I was. About the clock tower and his reaction when he drove me home. The nights that followed at The Oak, and about helping Fielding at the party.
Rhett cuts me off there and makes me show him the video on my phone—he stays silent while he watches, but his jaw does that agitated tick thing it does by the end.
I explain what happened when Adley came to the bar, and I take great pleasure in ratting out Jake for telling Fielding about our secret relationship. I go on about my summer with Dempsey. I show him pictures of New York. And then I recount the harrowing time we spent apart after their mom died, followed by what I now realize was the most meaningful, profound week of my life.
I tell my brother how I left, and that Dempsey didn’t ask me to stay. I sob as I confess that I’ve cried over him every single day for the last five weeks.
Rhett holds me and pets my hair. He soothes me and assures me it’ll be okay. At some point, Judy magically appears in the loft with a box of tissues, two glasses of lemonade, and a plate of fresh-baked cookies. I would roll my eyes at her overbearing antics if I wasn’t so comforted by the gesture.
“When’s the last time you talked to him?” Rhett asks through a mouthful of warm chocolate chip goodness. Judy really does make the best cookies.
“The night before I left Hampton. Five weeks ago.”
“Jesus, Maddie,” he hisses. “You’ve been this upset for over a month and you didn’t think to call him or reach out?”
Damn. Not exactly the brotherly love I was hoping for.
“I figured that would just make it harder! How was I supposed to know I’d become you and fall in love so easily?” I retort.
Rhett laughs and shoves my shoulder before pulling me into a side hug. “Come here,” he mutters as he holds me tighter and kisses the crown of my head. “Do you really think you’re in love?”
