Chapter 3
three
. . .
Cutler
Bass
Did you make it to Paris?
Cannon
Bonjour, bitches.
Just landed.
Brody
Glad you’re there. It’s time for her to come home.
Phoenix
Hopefully you’ll stop being a moody bastard.
Bass
Says the moodiest bastard of all.
Phoenix
Correct. I like riding solo. Heart is the life of the party. He isn’t supposed to be mopey.
Cannon
He’s not mopey. He’s taking a look at his inner self.
Brody
The fuck are you talking about? Did someone steal Cannon’s phone?
Phoenix
No. He hooked up with a woman who wrote a self-help book, and now he’s being all philosophical.
Cannon
Listen up, boys. It’s all about inner reflection. This shit is life-changing.
Bass
So are you going to see her again, seeing as she changed your life.
Cannon
Nope. She’s a tourist and she already left town. But she left me with a lot to think about.
Brody
She left you with a boner and deep thoughts? That’s quite the one-night stand.
Phoenix
He has a perpetual boner.
That’s not a bad thing. People pay good money for boners.
Cannon
Thanks, brother. You’ve always got my back.
Phoenix
Sounds like he’s got more than your back.
Bass
I’ve got to get to work, just wanted to make sure you made it there.
Brody
See you in a couple days.
Cannon
Bring our girl home. Tell her we miss her.
Phoenix
You’re all so sappy lately.
I’d arrived in Paris and grabbed a taxi, and I was immediately taken with the architecture, the cool mix of old and new.
I cracked my window to let the breeze in, taking in the streets bustling with people as we drove past local shops and cafés.
I craned my neck to get a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance, making small talk with my driver before we pulled up at her building.
I swiped my card, thanked him for the ride, and stepped out of the car before climbing three flights of stairs to her apartment.
The door swung open, and there she was.
My girl.
Gracie Reynolds.
She looked thinner than usual, her face a bit gaunt, but her dark brown eyes still sparked the way they always had.
Her long brown hair fell around her shoulders in waves, and even though I could tell it had been a tough couple of months, she was always the most beautiful girl I’d ever laid eyes on.
It was difficult for me to see her in pain. It always had been. When Gracie hurt—I hurt. I never could stand to see her struggling. So my rage for Gabriel ran deep.
I had this weird mix of anger and relief as I took her in.
I wanted to put my fist through Gabriel’s face—but at the same time, I was so damn happy to see her.
I’d made the right decision insisting she come home and stay with me until her big move to New York. No sense staying here and suffering when we could have the summer together.
There was no hesitation. I pulled her into my arms and wrapped her up.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Bear,” she said, her cheek settling in the crook of my neck.
She’d given me the nickname when we were young. Everyone else had called me my self-given nickname at the time, “Beefcake,” which still made me laugh. Because that shit had stuck, and it was a name I went by for most of my childhood.
But Gracie started calling me “Bear” when we were just nine years old, one summer when our families had gone camping. She said that I hugged like a bear.
As if she’d been hugged by a bear before.
She looked relieved to see me. Gracie had always been strong. She’d been there for me at my darkest moments, and I was happy to return the favor. I’d always known I was the lucky one in this friendship.
She was the best person I knew.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“Come in and see what I’ve done with the place,” she said, her voice teasing as she stepped back and motioned for me to come inside.
It was a small studio apartment, with just a bed and a small kitchenette.
“It’s really something,” I said, not making any attempt to hide the humor from my voice.
“Well, there were cute curtains and some peel-and-stick wallpaper on the walls, but seeing as we’re about to blow this popsicle stand, I’ve taken the little bit of décor that I had down.”
“It’s charming. And you have the one tiny window at least.” I moved to glance out at the view of another tall building and chuckled. “But I think my favorite part is the bathtub in the middle of the room.”
She shrugged as a wide grin spread across her face. “You know a bathtub is my deal-breaker. I can’t go without my baths.”
I pulled her back into my arms, because I’d fucking missed her.
Her laugh and the smell of her strawberry and coconut hair.
“Well, you know there are multiple bathtubs at my house, because you designed it. So you can bathe as many times a day as you want to. And the view from the bathroom looks at the mountains, and the guest room has a nice view of the bay.”
“I can’t wait. And I’m sick of eating ramen noodles, so cooking in your kitchen will be a treat.”
“No more brick buildings and ramen noodles for you. You need a steak and some bread. You’re dwindling away.”
“You sound like my mother,” she said with a sigh as she stepped back. “Speaking of food, you must be starving. Let’s go downstairs and get something in your stomach. They insisted I come for a farewell meal on the house.” She chuckled.
Her long dark hair fell in waves down her back, and she adjusted the strap on her yellow sundress whenever it slid down her shoulder. She looked like she hadn’t seen the sun in a while, and normally her skin was a golden brown.
She clearly wasn’t getting out much.
Gracie was an outdoorsy girl. She loved the mountains. She loved the water. She loved to ride horses. Hell, the girl grew up with a pet pig. What in the hell was she doing in this tiny apartment all by herself?
It was time to get her home.
“I am starving. But you know me, I’m always hungry.” I chuckled as she leaned her head against my shoulder and blew out a breath.
“I’m so happy you’re here. You did not need to come, but I’m so glad you did.”
“Me too.”
She took my hand and led me out of her apartment and down the three flights of stairs to Le Café.
“Gracie! I still can’t believe you’re leaving me!” A woman who appeared to be around our age hurried toward her and gave her a hug.
“I’ll miss you, Maribel.” Gracie motioned to me. “This is my bestie, Cutler.”
“The infamous Cutler, a.k.a. Bear,” Maribel said with a mischievous grin on her face.
I smirked more at the fact that she knew about me than the mention of my nickname.
“He’s my Bear for sure.” A wide grin spread across Gracie’s face.
“Best friends, huh? She insists you two never dated, but I’ve never heard of a man and a woman being as close as you two are and not dating.”
People always gave us a hard time about why we’d never dated. Why we’d never crossed the line.
Hell, I was surprised myself.
But at the end of the day, the timing had never been right for us. Once we were teenagers, the friendship had grown so strong that neither of us ever wanted to mess with a good thing. And then I had a brief time where I lost my way. Gracie got a boyfriend, and she stayed with him for years.
I became a serial dater when I joined her our second year of college, and it became clear that we were best off as friends.
Hell, it was probably for the better.
But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit there were moments—occasional moments—when I’d catch her laughing, her head tipped back, her dark brown eyes sparkling, and something in my chest would tighten.
I never allowed myself to think about it for too long.
I always buried those thoughts as quickly as they’d come.
My relationship with this girl was the most important one in my life.
She was the closest person to me, and I wouldn’t ever want to do anything to fuck that up.
“I think she likes it this way,” I said to Maribel. “And this allows her to complain about all of her boyfriends to me, and I get to stay the good guy.”
“All of my boyfriends?” She gaped at me. “All two and a half of them? You’ve got quite the more extensive list, Bear.”
I chuckled as I took her in. Damn, she was pretty. Gracie Reynolds always managed to be the most beautiful girl in the room.
Always had been.
“You two are so funny. I’ve heard so much about you,” Maribel said as the front door opened again and a group of four people walked in. “Pick any table you want. I’m guessing Collette will want to wait on you. You’ve always been her favorite.”
Gracie chuckled. I’d heard about this place ever since she moved here. We settled in chairs across from one another on the patio, tucked beneath a red awning, and she reminded me that Collette and her husband owned the place. They’d hired Gracie a few months ago after she and Gabriel had broken up.
There were black flower boxes sitting on all four window ledges, filled with white and pink flowers. Sunlight bounced off the weathered wood tables, and the rich aromas of espresso and baked pastries floated around us.
“I’m glad you had this place to fall back on after you left that asshole.
I’m just sorry that you lost so much time supporting him, while he did nothing to support you.
” I leaned back in my chair as the space around us was filled with the chatter of locals in hushed French and the occasional clink of porcelain cups.
She rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe that I got myself in this position. That’s why I didn’t want to even tell anyone that we’d broken up.”
“I’d wondered why you weren’t getting your design business off the ground, and you just kept saying you were busy helping Gabriel at his office. It makes sense now.” I blew out a breath.
“What does?”
“I knew something was off. The guys gave me a hard time and said it was because you were living so far away, but you were so distant, and I just had a feeling something wasn’t right.”