An odd kind of silence fell over the kitchen for long, drawn-out moments before Drew lightened the mood. “See? There you go,” he said, crossing the kitchen to give Tucker a slap on the back. “I told you you’d feel better.”

Better? A huge weight might have been lifted from his shoulders, but Tucker wasn’t sure he felt better. If anything, he felt worse, his gut tied in knots. Della was still out with Bo, and now Arlo knew he and Della had been sneaking around.

This night has been crappy enough without that particular revelation.

“Screw you, Drew,” Tucker said. “I’m going to make sure my next of kin know that when I die they’re supposed to get my coffin from Costco and use that budget funeral chain from Denver.”

Drew slapped him on the back again. “Good luck fitting into one of those things, buddy,” he said with a laugh before glancing across at Arlo. “So…I take it if you were going to shoot him, you’d have done it by now.”

Arlo grunted. “Yep.”

“Right, then, so can we agree that Tucker should at least tell your sister how he feels and see if she might feel the same?”

Tucker frowned. What? “No. We’ve gone our separate ways, as per our original agreement. She’s out on a date with Bo Forbes, who’s a really good guy who likes her. I’m not going to mess that up.”

“That’s bullshit,” Arlo said. “Bo Forbes may well be a good guy, but he’s not better than you. You’re the best goddamn guy I know.”

“Hey,” Drew protested.

“One of the best goddamn guys I know,” Arlo corrected.

“Thank you.” Drew nodded.

“And Della deserves the best.”

Tucker blinked, humbled by his friend’s praise, and for a beat or two he let himself believe that he and Della were a possibility.

“Arlo. She’s missed out on a bunch of stuff because of her circumstances, and she wants to make up for lost time. I’m not messing with that,” he repeated.

“Sure, I get that. But what if what she wants is to make up lost time with you? Don’t you think Della has the right to make that decision on her own? Not have you make it for her?”

Drew cocked an eyebrow at Arlo. “Welcome to the new century, dude. We were wondering when you were going to join us.”

Arlo smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, yeah. You were right. When she first came to Credence, I was so desperately afraid for her. She was so…fragile. But she’s grown and changed. She’s independent now. So, it’s up to her. Bo, you, or somebody else—or nobody else—but it should be her choice.”