“Just give her some time, then go talk to her,” Reardon urged.

We were sitting on his back deck. He was drinking a beer, and I was nursing a scotch, as I wondered how in the hell things had gotten so screwed up so quickly.

I sighed and looked out over his yard, barely registering that the leaves had changed color. “She was so upset. So hurt. Jesus, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut when she looked at me like I was an asshole. I know her ex treated her like shit, and I hate that she’s in her apartment comparing me to him right now.”

“She knows you’re not…” Reardon began, then joked, “Well, you are an asshole, but she knows you’d never intentionally hurt her. Not like he did. There’s no comparison, Dillon.”

“I should have told her what Jazzy said, and I should have told Jazzy about me and Laurel,” I said, hanging my head in misery. “It’s just,” I sighed, “things were going so great. We were moving forward, had agreed to try an exclusive relationship… Hell, I’m falling for her. I’ve never felt this way for anyone before. Shit, Rear, what am I going to do?”

“I know what you’re going through, man, and it sucks. Obviously, what Chloe and I went through wasn’t exactly the same, but the best advice I can give is to stick. Don’t give up at the first sign of struggle. If this relationship means what I think it does, if Laurel means what I think she does, then be there when she’s ready to talk. Don’t do anything stupid, or go off half-cocked, be ready when she’s ready, and be open and honest.”

“Just wait?” I asked, thinking that was impossible.

Reardon nodded.

“And when she’s ready to talk, grovel. Admit what you did wrong, and say how you wish you’d played things differently, women love that, for you to talk about your feelings and really communicate what’s going on in your head. If you’re falling in love with her, tell her that. Once she has all the information, it’s out of your hands. She’ll decide what she wants to do next, but if you don’t tell her, she can’t make an informed decision.”

“That makes sense,” I said, then eased back and took a sip of scotch. I looked at my cousin thoughtfully and added, “I never thought I’d be coming to you for relationship advice.”

“I know,” Reardon agreed. “Ain’t it great?”

“Well, I appreciate the talk, man, but I think I’m going to head home,” I said, standing up and stretching, my body feeling tight and tired.

“Are you sure?” Reardon asked, getting to his feet as well. “We have some leftover Mexican from the party, we were going to heat it up for dinner.”

“Nah, but thanks. I think I need a little alone time.”

We went inside and were headed to the door when Chloe stepped into the hall.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked me, her face full of concern.

“No,” I said truthfully. “But I will be once we get this sorted out.”

Chloe nodded, pulled me in for a quick hug and said, “I know you guys will work things out.”

“Thanks,” I said, then left her and Reardon, arms wrapped around each other, in the hall and let myself out.

I drove home on autopilot, not realizing that I was already there until I’d parked and pulled my key out of the ignition.

“Shit,” I muttered. “That was dangerous.”

Luckily, I’d made it home without incident, and the welcoming licks and wags from my dogs helped to ease the ache in my heart a bit.

“C’mon, let’s go for a walk,” I told them, needing the fresh air and to stretch my legs.

They were trained well enough, and my land was big enough, that Copper and Penny didn’t need leashes. They never strayed too far from me, and loved the freedom of running and playing on the vast land.

We walked for about an hour, and although I felt more relaxed, my head wasn’t any clearer than it had been when I left.

As we neared the house, the dogs each gave a sharp bark of excitement, then took off running. I searched the yard, hoping to see a familiar blonde waiting on my porch, biting back disappointment when I saw my sister waiting for me instead.

I trudged up the steps, then walked around the dogs, who were laying on the porch, and joined Jazzy on the swing.

“Hey,” I greeted, sounding so glum that I wanted to punch myself in the face.

“Reardon called me,” she said, the nudged me with her shoulder and asked, “Why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know,” I said, and I honestly didn’t. Jasmine was usually my go-to person, followed by Reardon, but the only person I really wanted to talk to right now was Laurel.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No, Jazz, I’m not mad at you,” I said with a sigh. “It’s my fault that I didn’t tell you about Laurel, and I didn’t tell her about Chicago and that I knew about Travis. I’m the one who fucked up…”

“I’m sorry she’s upset with you, and I’m sorry I busted into the party like the Hulk and ruined everything.”

I chuckled and put my arm around her. Jasmine leaned against me and put her head on my shoulder.

“So, you and Laurel, huh?” she asked.

“Yup,” I replied.

“Bitchin’.”