BooksBarbecue
Back Hard to Lose
Chapters (55)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
  3. PRAISE FOR K. BROMBERG
  4. ALSO BY K. BROMBERG
  5. COPYRIGHT
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. EPILOGUE
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. COMING SOON
  55. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Hear me out,” she says. “I’m not—we’re not going to judge you regardless of what decision you make. But we also know you and know you feel guilty if you even think you’ve hurt one of our feelings. So the question you need to ask yourself is how are you going to spend all this time with him, soak him up and cram months into weeks with him, and not let the guilt eat you alive while doing so? Because if that’s the case, then you’re going to be so preoccupied with it, your time won’t be of any quality.”

“I don’t know,” I mumble, more to myself than to them.

“Well, you have to know,” Brexton interjects. “If you’re going to be there and enjoy your time, you can’t be feeling guilty every damn second of it.”

And she’s right. I can’t. “Have any advice on how to do that?”

“There’s no easy answer,” Dekker says.

“Maybe you have to look at it like this,” Brexton adds. “If he’s not yours to begin with, then he won’t be that hard to lose when all is said and done.”

And I’m starting to realize that that’s what I’m afraid of.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Chase

I’M NOT SURE WHY I breathe a sigh of relief when I see Gunner’s name on my cell, but I do.

Somehow, I’d concocted in my mind that he found out who I was. Whether it be by osmosis or telepathy—or that he merely googled my name—and that he no longer wanted anything to do with me.

That’s what happens when guilt owns your every thought as you decide what you should do.

Or rather, when you know what the right thing to do is and you’re choosing to do the opposite.

I take a deep breath and answer it. “Hey, you.”

“Hi.” Chills chase over my skin at the sound of his voice.

“You working?” I ask. There’s the muted hum of music and talking in the background.

“Of course, I am. Just like I’m sure you are, researching your little heart out.”

“Aren’t we quite the pair?” I state.

“We are.” He falls silent, and I hate that I wait for the other shoe to drop.

“Gunner?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed upset yesterday and I hate that I had to run to work without making sure everything was good. Then I got busy with inventory issues before heading to coach the games at The Center, so I wasn’t able to get back to you so . . . I don’t know, I was calling to check-in.”

That familiar ache is back beneath my breastbone.