That actually makes me chuckle. “I would never do that, but I get what you’re saying.” I lean my head against the headrest and ask, “Do you really think it could work?”
“Never know until you try,” Huxley says.
“And I just want to state for the record one more time about how right we were about this.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I say, causing them both to laugh. “I hate you.”
“No, you don’t,” Huxley says. “You just hate that we’re always right.”
“Yeah, that too. Okay, Birdy is here for our hike. Got to go.”
“Be gentle with her,” JP says.
“No, I thought I would kick dirt at her and tell her to get lost.”
“Not recommended,” Huxley adds right before I say bye and end the call.
I look out the window where Birdy steps out of her white SUV wearing a matching set of maroon biking shorts and sports bra. And from where I’m sitting, I can see a small bird pattern on them.
Fuck.
I squeeze my eyes shut again.
I don’t want to make her feel bad.
But I’m going to. There’s no way around it. She definitely thinks we’re about to have a fun birdwatching hike. How do I tell her otherwise?
Grumbling to myself, I get out of my car just as Birdy steps up.
“Hey, you,” she says in a cheery voice just as her hand lands on my chest, and she stands on her toes to press a kiss to my jaw. “How are you?”
Fucking awful.
“Good.” I tack on a smile. “Uh, I like your outfit, very themed for birdwatching.”
“I told you it was good.” She beams up at me, and I realize I must tell her now. I can’t go on this hike and pretend everything is fine and then tell her after. That would be brutal. She must sense my uneasiness because she asks, “Is everything okay?”
I pull on my hair and shake my head. “No.”
“Oh, what’s going on?”
“Come talk with me,” I say as I take her hand in mine and lead her around to the back of my SUV and open the trunk. I take a seat, and she does the same. “I’ve been a fucking idiot, Birdy, and I dragged you into my idiocy.”
“What do you mean?” she asks.
I look up at her and say, “I like someone else, and I thought that maybe if I just ignored it, I wouldn’t think about it. But it’s become more and more clear that I like this person, and I don’t want to lead you on.”
“Oh,” she says, looking down at her hands and making me feel like the absolute shithead that I am. “I’m guessing it’s Lia, isn’t it?”
I could deny it, but what’s the point in lying?
“Yeah,” I say softly. “Like I said, it’s really fucked up, and I can’t pretend the feelings aren’t there while I try to date you at the same time. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“I appreciate that,” she says softly and then asks, “Does she know?”
“No,” I say quickly. “Not even a clue.”
“Are you going to go for it?” When her eyes connect with mine, I realize at that moment who I’m talking to, who set me up with her. Brian. Fuck.
“Uh . . . no,” I answer, but the lie even sounds stupid to my ears.
“I won’t say anything,” she says. “I don’t care for Brian all that much. I think he’s a tool, and honestly, I think Lia could do better. I don’t know what she sees in him.”
“Me either,” I say softly.
“You should go for it,” Birdy says. “You two have such a strong connection.”
“That’s nice of you, but you don’t have to talk about this. I know it’s got to be weird.”
“Sure, it’s weird, and am I disappointed? Of course. I think you’re amazing, Breaker, and if you asked me out on a date, I would one hundred percent go, but I also know when a guy isn’t interested or is hung up on someone else. I had a feeling that might be the case. I could just tell by the way you two interacted and the way you spoke about her. Something is there, and I really think you should try to figure it out.”
“But she’s getting married in four weeks. Doesn’t that make me look like a giant ass? Like I couldn’t have figured this out sooner? Now I’m going to come swooping in and tell her how I feel? It doesn’t seem appropriate.”
“Not sure there is a standard for an appropriate time to tell someone you love them. But the last thing you want to do is not tell her and regret it forever.”