Trust Me .(53)

“Maddox’s pumpkin? Why does Maddox need a pumpkin?” Will asks Brooklyn.

“Because he comes to duh house and bwings me chocowate ice cweam!” Seriously, I might as well drop dead right here, right now. My eyes must be as big as saucers as I stare at my daughter, too afraid to make eye contact with my brother.

“He does? Well, that’s nice of him. When did he do that?”

“When I was sick. And guess what, Uncle Will. Maddox was in his underwear,” she giggles. I feel the world tilt on its axis. I stand there waiting and praying for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Will looks up at me with a combination of question and fury all over his face. I have yet to say a word. I stare back at my brother whose mind is processing the information his niece just spilled at his feet.

“Brooklyn, let’s get these pumpkins and head over to the corn maze,” I say as I turn on shaky legs to walk towards the little shed to pay.

We walk quietly along the path for a few minutes before Will finally speaks in a low growl. “Maddox? What the hell is Maddox doing at your house in his underwear, Avery?”

And in that moment, I can’t lie to him nor do I really want to. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks,” I mumble in a low voice so only he can hear.

“Seeing each other? What the hell does that mean exactly?”

“We’ve been hanging out; watching TV and stuff.” My eyes are still cast down on the walking path.

“You watch TV and stuff. Is it the kind of stuff that leaves him standing in his underwear where my niece can see him?” His tone is accusing.

“Will, that happened once when she had her fever. He helped me wake up every four hours through the night to take her temp and give her medicine. It was an accident that she saw him.”

He exhales loudly and finally asks the question that I’m sure he has been dying to ask. “Does Jake know you’re sleeping with his best friend?”

“No! And he can’t find out, Will. This thing between Maddox and me, I don’t know where it’s going. We decided we would take it slow and see where it goes. If, and that’s a big if, it gets to the point where we want to have an official relationship or something, we’ll figure out how to tell everyone. But right now, we’re just having fun.” I take a deep breath and look my brother in the eye. “I really like him, Will. I think that I might want it to go somewhere.”

“What happens when Jake finds out?” he asks.

“I don’t know. I would hope he’d be supportive. I’m an adult now, not a little girl who needs her big brothers to protect her.”

“Yeah,” he says full of sarcasm. “I’m sure Jake is gonna be just fine with this. You’re playing with fire here, Avery. When he finds out, he’s gonna be pissed! At you AND at Maddox.”

“I know. We’ll tell him. I promise we will, just not yet. We still have things to figure out. Please, Will. Don’t say anything to him. For me.” I’m pleading at him with my eyes.

He sighs. “Yeah, I won’t tell him. But only if you promise that you get this mess figured out and fast. If he hears it from anyone other than you and Maddox, it’ll get real ugly, real fast.”

I smile at my brother and stretch up to kiss his scruffy cheek. “I will, I promise.”

After I pay for the pumpkins and we get them loaded into the trunk of Will’s car, we set out to walk the corn maze. It’s lined with straw bales, corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds. There are even a few scarecrows along the path and alcoves cut out where families can rest and take pictures along the way. Will has Brooklyn on his shoulders as we stroll along the path.

“You know, I really do like Maddox. I think he’s a good guy and a hard worker, but he doesn’t exactly have the best reputation. And as your brother, I don’t think I’m comfortable with him messing around with you.”

“First off, it’s my choice who I spend my time with, not yours, Will. Second, I’ve given it a lot of thought. I know he has a reputation for being a player. But, I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s not Drake. While we’ve been together, we’re not seeing other people. And I trust him. That in itself is a huge feat for me. I won’t let what Drake did ruin any more of my life or possible relationships. But that also doesn’t mean that I’m not scared, Will. I’m scared of getting hurt again or winding up alone. I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life.” My voice goes quiet with that last part.

“I don’t want you to be alone either, Ave. I just don’t think I can stand to see you go through another Drake thing again. I wanted to kill that guy. I wanted to hurt him for hurting you. And I’m the quiet, reserved one. I can’t imagine what Jake and Nate were feeling.”