“No, come on. I want to hear your pitch. What’s this brilliant supernatural horror movie about? Please tell me it’s about a guy who’s haunted by his decision to become ascreenwriter.”
Erin turns to face him. “Have you ever even read his work? He’s really good. He actually creates worlds and characters and makes the reader feel things—that’s what writers do—we connect people to each other and to themselves. It’s an honorable profession and it takes a lot more courage to be creative and put yourself out there on the page than it does to make deals and transactions with other people’smoney.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see my dadgrimace.
“Not that either thing is more or less important than the other,” she continues. “That’s not what I’m saying. I just…Scott’s very much respected and admired among the people who’ve read him. I think it’s a shame that his own family doesn’t realize that, when he cares very much about what youthink.”
She is fighting back tears, and I am fighting back the need to hold her and never let go. Nobody says anything, for what feels like an eternity, until my mom wipes her lips with her napkin and says, “That’s very nice of you to say, Erin. I’m glad to hear that people respect and admire him. Would anyone like more coffee ortea?”
Idon’t realizeuntil we’ve reached JFK that I haven’t said anything to Erin since we left the apartment, but I’ve been thinking about her the entire time, and replaying what she said about me over and over in myhead.
This is the only woman I’ve ever met that I would want to spend the rest of my life with, and as much as my head and my cock have known this for a while, I think my heart finally got in the game for real when she stood up to mybrother.
I don’t want to fuck thisup.
I can’t tell if she hates my family and wants no part of it and I’m afraid toask.
For once in my life, I have no idea what tosay.
Chapter 19
*Erin*
We’re landingat LAX and we haven’t spoken to each other on the plane except the kind of airplane talk you make with strangers who are sitting next to you. “Do you want my nuts?” “No thanks. Do you want my juice?” “No, I’ve had enough, thanks.” If that isn’t end-of-the-road talk I don’t know what is. We’ve both tried to sleep or at least pretended to, butstill…
He must be mad at me for mouthing off to his brother. Typical! Bro club. Doesn’t matter how many times you suck a guy’s dick—if you show disrespect for his family, even when they’re being a dick to him—yer outtathere.
I fucked up. I finally let my heart crack open a little and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut when it really mattered. He probably decided I’m not the type of lady his family would want him to end up with. That probably matters more to him than the connection that I thought we had this weekend. I can’t believe he’s shutting me out. He’s blowing me off just like he did with Brianna. Maybe I was right to be pissed off all along—but now I’m mad at myself too. I knew this would happen if I came to New York with him—I confused my love for the city with my feelings for the guy. Dammit, now I’m mad at New York too.Fuck you, Braddock. You always ruin everything. Especially when you’re beingawesome.
I can feel myself slowly putting the bars up around my heart again and getting the CLOSED sign ready to hang on thedoor.
When Scott takes my bag down from the overhead bin and hands it to me, I smile at him like a 1950’sstewardess.
He furrows his brow. “Youokay?”
“I’m great! Glad to be home.You?”
“Yeah. Good.Great.”
“Good.Great.”
“Okay.”
When we’reon the escalator I clear my throat and say to him in an unplanned crazyThe Price is Rightcontestant voice: “So thank you! For the trip. I had a really amazing, special time. I’m gonna crawl back into my writing cave and get back to work on the rom com I was writing before this whole…” I wave my hand around. “This whole interlude of ours. So. Fingers crossed on our script selling, and talk soon. I’ll just take a cab home—you’ve obviously got some stuff you’re dealing with.” My plan was to subdue him by not giving him a chance to interject—it seemed to work for hisbrother.
I step off the escalator and begin my speedy exit, cautiously looking back at him to make sure he heard me and is magically letting me go and quietly wishing mewell.
No suchluck.
“Hey!” He says, so loud I actually jump. “You can’t just runoff!”
“I’m not running.” I slow down. “I just want to get home and get back towork.”
“You don’t talk to me the entire time we’re on theplane—”
“Uh no—youweren’t talking tome!”
“Because you were beingweird!”
