“Does your Irish goodbye have anything to do with the bloody lip I saw Bret sporting at the end of dinner?” Jed asked.
All my woe-is-me thoughts crashed together in an epic wreck. “What?”
I’d been so intent on not looking for Ty, carefully not missing him sitting beside me, absolutely not thinking about his infuriating strong, silent act, I’d barely paid attention to the rest of the rehearsal dinner.
Jed looked even more satisfied than he had the night of our embarrassing family dinner. “I’m guessing he and Ty had words.”
I was still trying to make sense of the image. “You think Ty hit Bret?”
“Can you name anyone else who would want first pick? It wasn’t you or me.”
He had a point. “Ty isn’t supposed to exert himself like that. That can’t be good for his healing.”
Jed’s laughter finally broke free. “I guess someone had better tell him.”
I’d been fussing over Ty against his will for the better part of three weeks. I guessed he could take care of himself. Butwhyhad he hit Bret? And why hadn’t he done it so I could see it play out in all its glory?
“I’m the last guy who should be giving anyone advice on love,” Jed said. “But are you sure hiding out at Pop’s is really what you want to do right now?”
No, I wasn’t, but I couldn’t trust myself to be sure of what I did want right now. My head wanted to go to my pop’s, drink a fifth of Jack Daniels, and forget Ty Hardy entirely. My heart wanted to run right back to him at the Robinsons’, confess all my feelings for him in a stupid, messy speech, and hope somewhere deep down, he felt the same.
My heart was an idiot.
Rather than tell Jed all that, I stuck with the facts.
“Ty knew Bret was cheating. Heknew, and he never told me.”
Jed didn’t take this news as hard as I had. He made aso whatgesture with his hands on the steering wheel. “What was he supposed to say?”
“I don’t know, maybeMy brother is cheating on you, thought you should know.”
“You were close with Ty when you were dating Bret?”
He didn’t say it like an accusation, but surprise wove through the question.
“Not exactly close. Not at the end, anyway.”
“Uh-huh. So you’re mad he didn’t rat out his brother to someone he wasn’t exactly close with?”
My mouth dropped open, but I shut it again. Maybe Ty and I had been a little too comfortable together at the beginning, but by the last couple of months of my relationship with Bret, he’d stopped coming to the family dinners. He hadn’t been around to tell me anything. Did I really think he should have run to my apartment in Austin to tattle on his brother?
“Well, we’re close now.” I refused to let go of my righteous anger so easily. “He’s just as bad as you and Pop and Wade, keeping secrets and thinking you can’t tell me anything.”
“Interesting how you just tossed Ty onto a list with the three men who love you most in the world.”
I swiveled my head around to look out the window, even though I saw nothing but darkness. I wanted him on that list, but that didn’t mean he qualified.
“He doesn’t feel that way about me. I thought maybe…” Heartache nipped at me, threatening to pull me under. “I guess I was wrong.”
“Hey.” Jed reached over to squeeze my hand. “I know your heart, June. And your heart’s never wrong.”
“It was wrong about Bret.”
“Yeah, but did you love Bret?”
I sagged against the seat. That had never come into play. Sure, I’d had feelings for him and blinded myself to his lack of them for me, but actual, gut-wrenching, heart-leaping out of your chestlove? “No.”
“What about Ty?”
