Chapter 39
Reid
Once the girls are back from their tour of the place, I see my opening. I knew this had to happen one day, and now’s as good a time as any.
Scar hovers near the perimeter of the kitchen, Walker’s arm wrapped around her waist. She’s a petite woman, but next to my best friend, she appears even smaller.
She’s never looked frail before, but she does now. Despite that though, she still has the cool, aloof look on her face as she watches everyone. And when she notices me approaching, it grows harder.
“Mind if we chat for a minute?” I ask her.
Walker’s hand tightens against her hip, like he’s reluctant to let her out of his sight. “You sound like one of those guys on dating shows,” she snarks.
“Trust me, I’m not trying to court you.”
“In your fucking dreams.” But Scar steps out of his embrace.
Walker shoots me a warning look. Don’t fuck this up.
I won’t.
We step outside onto the large patio. It’s mostly just grass and weeds right now, as Hayden said they’ve been too focused on making the inside perfect that they haven’t touched the exterior of the house yet.
Scar shoves her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. It looks ridiculously big on her, but when I take a closer look, I realize it’s Walker’s.
Something about that brings me an odd sense of relief.
“Well?” Scar asks, looking at me expectantly. Her impatience grates against my nerves, but I keep a reign on it.
“I’m sure you’re aware that Walker and I met up awhile ago to talk.” She nods stiffly, and I wonder if she knows what Walker told me. But now’s not the time to bring that up. “I told him I wanted to be able to apologize to you someday, face to face.”
She cocks her head, long hair flowing in the breeze. “And?”
God, she’s…I clench my teeth. “And I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I should’ve never leaked shit to the press about you, or added fuel to the fire when things started coming out. It was wrong and I’m not going to try to justify it to you but I…I was just trying to watch out for Walker.”
“By dragging his girlfriend’s name through the dirt?”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
She hums. “Complicated…of course.”
Scar and I were never close. The entire time we were on tour together, we barely exchanged more than a handful of words.
It wasn’t until I admitted to my part in leaking information about her online that we had our one and only confrontation. Since then, it’s been terse nods and silent cordial cues.
“Look, it’s my fault we never had an opportunity to get to know each other,” I admit. “I was too bitter toward the guys coming off the break that I didn’t want anything to do with anyone.”
“I could tell.”
“But for the sake of my relationship with Walker, and out of respect for his relationship with you, I wanted you to know that I’m sorry. I took some shit out on you that wasn’t fair, and it was wrong.”
She blinks expectantly.
“I was wrong,” I clarify.
A satisfied gleam sparks in her eye, the first real hint of emotion I’ve seen from her this whole time. She’s just wanting to hear me say it. What, is she gonna ask me to beg next?
We all might as well just go our separate ways now—
“Listen, I was prepared to move past it as soon as Walker did,” she finally says. “Before you guys broke up and we all had that dinner at Nikolai’s house, I told Walker heading into that night that if he wanted to work things out with you, I’d support him. I’d let it go.”
“You still feel that way?”
She looks over at the open patio door, inside to my best friend. There’s a softness that overtakes the hardness in her face as she watches him. I wonder if that’s how I look when I look at Penny. “Yes. For his sake, it’s already done.”
A pang in my chest eases. “Thank you.”
“I’m not doing it for you.”
“I know. Just like how I didn’t apologize for your benefit.”
“Fucking dick.”
I smirk at her. “Alright, we’re done here?”
She immediately turns toward the house. “Thank God.” As we walk over to rejoin the group, she adds, “I still think you’re an asshole.”
“Takes one to know one.”
She glares at me, but it lacks any true hostility. Walker stands from the couch as soon as we approach, reaching out toward Scar. “Everything okay?”
She allows herself to be folded into his embrace. “Yep. We’re besties now, aren’t we?”
“Just like this.” I hold up two fingers twisted together.
Walker sighs at our deadpan nature. “Maybe you two should just go back to hating each other.”
I clap him on the back. “Give it time, brother. I’m sure it’ll happen again.”
Scar smirks at me, and although Walker plays up his irritation, I can see the relaxation of his shoulders at seeing her smile.
The doorbell rings. “Food’s here!” Hayden jumps up. “Everyone can head into the dining room. Nikolai, give me a hand?”
The two of them head toward the door, while the rest of us convene around the large, circular wooden table. Carter tells us to take a seat while she grabs pitchers of water and lemonade. Scar mutters something to Walker, but he quickly appeases her.
I pull out a chair for Penny. “For you,” I say. She taps my ass as she walks around me to sit. “Hey now.”
She flashes me a devastating smile, her blue eyes alight with mischief. “For being such a gentleman.”
“We never thought we’d see the day,” Nikolai calls out, striding in with arms full of pizza boxes.
I flip him off as I take my own seat. Everyone finds a spot, the food all going in the middle of the table. We take turns passing around containers of salad, packages of breadsticks, pouring each other drinks.
The conversation is light, everyone cracking jokes and ribbing each other like old times. Penny joins in when she can, but for the most part she sits quietly, observing everyone around her.
“Are you having fun?” I whisper in her ear.
She scans the table, before leaning in. “This feels like what I picture a real family dinner being like.”
She’s right. It does.
Neither of us have anything to compare it to, but this is how it feels like it should be.
My throat grows tight as I look from Walker and Scar, to Hayden and Carter, to Jane and Nikolai. Together. Laughing. Sharing stories and checking in with one another. Simply because you care and want to be in each other’s company.
And for the first time in years, the meal goes off without a hitch.