The sunset lit the sky on fire, casting an orange glow over every leaf and flower in the shadow garden. Kaden and I had gone out beyond the far edge of my family’s property, where the distillery was out of sight and out of mind and the tilled earth gave way to tall grass and the forest beyond.

We sat on an old quilt I dug out of the attic after deeming the one at the foot of my bed too tainted to sleep under. Kaden wrapped his arms around his knees as he stared out into the night. The fireflies dotted the darkening sky like stars.

I could do this for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy.

The thought hit me like the heat of the sun coming out from behind a cloud. It soaked into my skin and warmed me all over. It had only been a month since I found Nate in the back alley, and while part of me was afraid people would think I was bouncing from one brother to the next, using Kaden to try and move on, I knew it wasn’t like that. This was at once something new and something that had been growing inside us both long before this moment. I’d loved Kaden for so long, I just hadn’t realized I’d been falling in love with him.

Maybe this summer hadn’t been all bad.

I moved closer to Kaden and rested my head against his shoulder. I’d done it a hundred times before, as friends, but this time, with my cheek pressed against his flannel, everything felt different. More alive.

“You know, my mom told me that if you were just a rebound, I needed to stop all this foolishness right now,” I said. “That you don’t deserve a broken heart simply because I gave mine to the wrong man.”

Kaden laughed softly. “I’d happily be your rebound.” He threaded his fingers through mine and tilted his head back. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

“What? To stare up at the sky and hold my hand?” I asked.

He gave me a half smile, then leaned closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he whispered, “You have very nice hands.”

I let out a laugh. “Sure, if you like calluses.”

“I do, in fact, like calluses.”

I had to admit that I’d thought about going out with Kaden long before then, but I’d been too scared to lose my best friend. When Nate had asked me out, I’d mentioned the idea of dating him to Kaden to see how he’d react. He’d been nothing but supportive. I’d decided I’d made the right choice. I could have the best of both worlds—Nate as my husband, and Kaden, his brother, my best friend.

“I wish you’d told me sooner,” I said.