Leveling The Field (Gamers #4)(6)
Chad paused. “Alone?”
“You know what I—”
“Please don’t tell me you found that grumpy bastard attractive.”
She bit her lips.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “Ethan’s, like, immune to happiness.”
She thought about asking Chad what happened to him, why he didn’t smile and had scars on his neck, but that felt violating. If she was going to do this, then she was going to give the guy the honor of letting him tell her his secrets. She shrugged, even though she knew Chad couldn’t see her. “I don’t know, I think the right person could make him happy.”
Chad didn’t speak for a minute, and when he did, his voice was softer. “I gotta go, babe, but just be careful, okay? You’ve been through a lot and you’re still shining like a diamond. I don’t want anyone to dull that.”
Her eyes stung as she said her good-byes to her friend and hung up the phone. She glanced at the clock and wiped under her cheeks, because her clients were going to be here in ten minutes.
She didn’t want to dull her shine, either, but she would have loved to share it with someone, if it was needed. And if anyone needed a little shine in his life, it was Ethan Talley.
…
Ethan didn’t understand what was wrong with his black suit.
His sister Chloe wasn’t so bashful anymore, not since she hooked up with Grant. She didn’t tiptoe around Ethan, and while he’d been glad about it at first, this bold Chloe was into “fixing” him.
He didn’t need to be fixed.
The main reason was there were no broken pieces anymore. They’d been crushed long ago. Ethan was quite whole; there just wasn’t much to him anymore.
Chloe tapped her finger to her chin and held up a series of ties she’d brought over. “These will all match the wedding party. Do you like any of them?”
He eyed the pile of silk. “What’s wrong with my black-and-white-striped tie?”
“Which one?” She flailed an arm toward his closet at his tie rack, which held…okay, a lot of black and white ties.
He didn’t answer, and she rolled her eyes. “Please, for the love of God, let’s get some color on you.”
“I wear color sometimes,” he pointed out.
“Yes, but this is a wedding. You’re supposed to look festive.”
He sighed and leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed over his gray T-shirt. “You pick.”
She looked at the ties, running her fingers down a couple before she settled on a plain pale blue tie. She held it up to his face and smiled. “This one.”
He took it from her and rubbed it between his fingers. To be fair, it was a great tie. “Why this one?”
“It looks nice with your eyes.”
Hers were filling now, and fuck, was she going to cry? He tugged her to him in a brief hug then let her go, refusing to look into her face, because that might start a discussion about him. He didn’t want to talk about himself. “So I’ll wear this one. Anything else?”
He heard a small sniffle and then her voice, which was clearer than he expected. “I have a blue handkerchief to match. For your pocket.”
He turned around and held out his hand for the fabric square. “Thank you.” She nodded then gathered up the ties and stuck them in the bag she brought to return the ones he didn’t want. “I really appreciate it.”
She looked up, and yes, her eyes were wet. “I know this wedding isn’t on your list of things you’d like to do, but it means a lot to me that you’ll be there. And Grant. You are a part of this whole family, you know?”
The word family made him cringe. Their family was broken. “Right.” His voice sounded hoarse.
Chloe flinched. “Ethan—”
“Of course I’ll be at the wedding. I’ve gotten to know Austin and Marley more since I took over Gamers, and I want to be there for them.” But he didn’t want to be told he was part of a family. The only family he cared about was Chloe, his youngest sister. The sibling who was still alive. His best friend, really.
Her struggle over the death of their sister still cut him to the core, as if he’d been hollowed out with a serrated knife. But she’d found happiness now, with the ever-happy Grant and his teenage daughter. They’d kept their relationship a secret from him at first because they worried about how protective he was over his sister, and that made him feel worse. He wanted Chloe to be able to share the joys of her life with him. She wasn’t meant to be in the muck where he was stuck.
She stepped closer to him, the bag in her hand. “I have to go, but do you want to come over tonight? Sydney’s cooking.”