Hendrix by Kelsey Clayton

Author:Kelsey Clayton [Clayton, Kelsey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-08-19T16:00:00+00:00

PULLING UP TO COLBY'S, I don't think I've ever been so nervous. What if she doesn't want to see me? What if she tells me she hates me and never wants to see me again? My stomach churns at that actually being a possibility. It's always been Brenna and me. We've always had each other. And now? I can't say for sure that she wouldn't rather have Colby.

I grip both my hands into fists to find some ground and ring the doorbell. It only takes a couple minutes before it opens and Colby stands there looking just as hot but somehow more responsible. He looks like a protective father.

“I just want to talk to her,” I tell him.

He nods and opens the door further to let me in. “I was going to bring her to your place tonight, but you're probably right. It's better you talk to her here than with Topher there being an asshole.”

The instant reflex to defend my fiancé simmers under the surface but I swallow it down. Now's not the time. The only thing I need to focus on right now is Brenna.

We walk through the house and out to the patio. She's sitting at the table playing her iPad when she looks up and sees me. I expect a hug, or at least a smile—something that tells me she's happy to see me—and my heart drops when she does nothing but look away.

“Hey, Bren,” I say softly, pulling out the seat next to her. “Have you had a good time with C—your dad?”

She nods but says nothing. The awkward tension between us pulls at me and makes me wish I could rewind and take it all back. Tell her the truth when Colby wanted to, because he was right. If we had, there wouldn't be an issue.

“B,” Colby says sternly. “Put the iPad down and talk to your mom.”

Giving him a sad smile, she does as he says, and I mouth a silent thank you his way. She turns toward me, and I slide off the seat to drop down in front of her. I take her hands in mine and press a kiss to one of them.

“I am so sorry, baby girl. I swear I was going to tell you, I just wanted to keep you safe.”

Her brows furrow. “Why would you need to keep me safe from Colby?”

I know I can't tell her the truth about how he left. She's too young for that. So, I go with something safer.

“Because he just came back into our lives,” I explain. “I wanted to make sure he was good enough for you, because you deserve all the best things, and I never want to see you get hurt.”

She looks away and down at her lap. “But you lied to me.”

I exhale slowly. “I know, and I'm sorry. Sometimes parents lie in order to protect their kids, and it's easy to forget how smart you are. I promise I will never lie to you again.”

It may be an empty promise, knowing there are things I still can't tell her.

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