Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
A short time later, dinner was called, and we all moved to the dining room for a delicious feast prepared by Declan’s talented chef. We lingered over good food, good wine, and spent some time teasing Declan and Parker for disappearing to cuddle their little girl before Franks gave her a bath and got her ready for bed. Hanging with Sebastian, Declan, and their partners helped me forget about the turmoil that still twisted in my gut about Liam.
Maybe I was making a mistake taking this course. I should have listened to Pierce and walked away, but Simon had a good point too. Liam was a captive audience. Why not use that to get the answers I wanted?
I strolled out of Declan’s house a bit after ten, bundled up against the cold. Simon left at the same time, and we stood in the cold, bathed in the warm, yellow glow of the landscaping lights.
“So, can I ask you something?” I started because I couldn’t stop myself from being nosy.
Simon made a soft scoffing noise. “You can, but I doubt you’re going to like my answer.”
That was probably true, but I had to try. “Is there something going on between you and Pierce?”
“Why would you think there was something between us?” Simon’s smile grew more enigmatic, and his eyebrows lifted, disappearing under his messy, long hair. “I’ve barely seen him since I moved to the area.”
“Yeah, I get that, but he’s been acting weird for months. He’s always been grumpy, but he gets extra grumpy anytime we mention you. I just…” I held my hands up helplessly, not knowing what to say next. Maybe I wasn’t the world’s smartest guy, but it didn’t take a fucking brain surgeon to see that something was going on.
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
I snorted. “I don’t believe that for a fucking second.”
“Rome, prior to moving to Cincinnati, the last time I saw Pierce in person was while you and the others were in town for my graduation,” Simon admitted.
A frown tugged at the corners of my mouth. “Do you think his issue is something to do with your brother? I know they had some kind of argument that day he died, but Pierce has never been willing to talk about it.” I shoved a hand through my hair, scratching my scalp. “Do you think he feels guilty about something?”
Simon sighed. “The brief moments I’ve stolen with him, I have told him he has nothing to feel guilty about with Sawyer, but I honestly feel like whatever I say to him goes in one ear and out the other. There’s no way Sawyer’s death is his fault. Everyone knows that. If something happened between him and my brother, I’m willing to put money down on the fact that it was Sawyer’s fault. My parents like to canonize him, but I remember my brother clearly. He was very good at being an asshole when he wanted to be.”
The young man’s words made me grin. It was nice to hear him speaking so frankly about Sawyer. I’d always loved Sawyer like a brother, but there were times the man had been a prick. The only time any of us had ever taken a swing at the other, Sawyer had been in the middle of it.
But there was nothing Simon or Pierce could do about Sawyer now. The ghost needed to be left to rest at last, and we needed to break through the stonewall surrounding Pierce.
“I kind of wish I had an arrangement like you’ve cooked up with your old friend,” Simon admitted. “Something that would force Pierce to interact with me.”
I held up a hand, stopping him and his devilish looks. “Uh-huh. No way. I’m not helping you there. Pierce would take my fucking head and bury it out in the woods. I’ll help you any way I can, but not that way.”
Simon chuckled and continued to his car. “You’re no fun, Rome.”
I snorted. “I’m a hell of a lot of fun. It’s just that I’ve learned some self-preservation over the years.”
My friendship with Liam had soured, and I had no intention of allowing my friendship with Pierce to follow the same course. Yeah, I didn’t want to see Pierce miserable. Especially since it looked like Simon was going to be a regular part of our crew. But meddling in that tangled mess seemed suicidal to me. It was better to let Pierce and Simon work their shit out.
Besides, I had my hands full dealing with the Liam issue.
10
LIAM ROSE
“A cooking class?”
Rome’s eyes were so wide I thought they were going to roll out of his head.
“Can you cook?” I mocked.
Rome blinked, and his confidence returned in a flash. “Actually, I can cook. Some. Way better than my friends, at least, who have professional chefs on staff in their homes.”