“Not really,” I say. “I think she likes my money more than anything, but that’s not even the real problem.”
“What is the real problem?” he asks.
I almost say it. I almost tell him that I’m in love with his daughter. That I’ve loved her since we were kids, and it’s killing me that I can’t be with her.
But I don’t.
“I don’t love her,” I say. “I like her, I suppose. She’s beautiful and we have a good time. I know I haven’t been with her long, but I don’t see that ever changing.”
“Then you’re right to end it,” he says. “Being with the wrong person is never a good idea.”
We both go quiet for a while. I wait until his nurse goes inside, then hand him the flask I sneaked in.
He takes a pull and hands it back to me. “Love is a shit show.”
I can’t help but laugh. “It really is.” I take a drink and put the flask on the bench next to me.
“You probably think I’m a cynic,” he says. “I’m not. I can’t regret marrying Kylie’s mother—without her, I wouldn’t have Kylie—but she was a bad decision. A series of them, if I’m being honest.”
“Did you ever think about getting remarried?” I ask.
“I did,” he said. “But I was always too worried about Kylie. I didn’t want someone to interfere with our relationship. Plus I worked too much. I put everything I had into my practice and my daughter. I didn’t have much left for someone else.”
“Do you regret it?” I ask.
“A little,” he says. “These days, it would be nice to have someone to share my life with. I have Kylie, and you, and even your sister. But you three have your own lives, and I want you to focus on living them.”
I hand him the flask again and he takes a drink.
“Braxton, do you want me to tell you what you need to do?” he asks.
I lower my sunglasses and raise my eyebrows. “Do I?”
He hands me the flask. “You do. You’re the sort of man who makes things happen. That’s why you have such a successful business.”
“I don’t know about that. Mostly I had plenty of seed money,” I say. “I could afford to take a loss for the first few years while I built up my clientele.”
“True,” he says. “You had a financial advantage not many young men have. But you used it well. You took hold of that opportunity and you ran with it.”
I take a pull from the flask. “True.”
“My point is,” he says, “if there’s something you want, you need to go after it. If Aubrey isn’t what you want, you’re better off ending it now, so at least you’ll be open to what’s going to make you happy.”
I had the flask back to him. “You know, I think you’re absolutely right.”
***
I invite Aubrey over the next day so we can talk in person. It’s obvious she’s knows something is up as soon as she walks in. I’m usually pretty good at hiding behind my wall, but today I don’t have the energy for it. I step aside when I answer the door, avoiding kissing her, and walk into the living room.
“What’s going on?” she says.
I sit down on the couch. “Why don’t you come sit?”
She eyes me with suspicion.
I might as well get it over with. “Aubrey, I’ve been thinking—”
“You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” she says. The hostility in her voice catches me off guard. Not that I expected her to be happy about it, but I wonder if she’s about to loose more venom than I’m prepared for.
“Honestly? Yes.”
Her eyes narrow. “You fucker.”
Really? “I’m sorry, Aubrey. You’re a great girl. But this isn’t working for me.”
“What isn’t working?” she asks. “We have fun together. We have great chemistry. What the fuck else do you need?”
I need Kylie. “Look, I know you think I’m the asshole here, and usually you’d be right. But this is the least asshole thing I can possibly do for you.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” she asks. “Like you’re doing what’s best for me?”
“It’s better than pretending,” I say.
She gets up and wanders to the window, her arms crossed. “This is about Kylie, isn’t it?”
Fuck. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play stupid, Braxton.”
I let out a breath. I don’t want the first time I say this aloud to be in the middle of a breakup, but there’s no point in lying to her now. “Yes. It’s about Kylie.”
“You know, when you told me your best friend was a woman, every alarm I have went off. You were so adamant about it, but I figured what the hell. I’d make sure you wanted me, regardless of how you felt about her. But no matter how fucking hard I worked, no matter what I did, you never looked at me the way you look at her.”