Chapters (89)
- Dedication
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ONE
- HENRY
- TWO
- EMMA
- THREE
- HENRY
- FOUR
- EMMA
- FIVE
- EMMA
- SIX
- SEVEN
- HENRY
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- HENRY
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- EMMA
- THIRTEEN
- HENRY
- FOURTEEN
- HENRY
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- EMMA
- SEVENTEEN
- HENRY
- EIGHTEEN
- HENRY
- NINETEEN
- HENRY
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- EMMA
- TWENTY-TWO
- EMMA
- TWENTY-THREE
- HENRY
- TWENTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- TWENTY-FIVE
- EMMA
- TWENTY-SIX
- EMMA
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- HENRY
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- EMMA
- TWENTY-NINE
- HENRY
- THIRTY
- HENRY
- THIRTY-ONE
- HENRY
- THIRTY-TWO
- EMMA
- THIRTY-THREE
- HENRY
- THIRTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- THIRTY-FIVE
- EMMA
- THIRTY-SIX
- HENRY
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- EMMA
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- HENRY
- THIRTY-NINE
- HENRY
- FORTY
- EMMA
- FORTY-ONE
- HENRY
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- EMMA
- FORTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- FORTY-FIVE
- HENRY
- EPILOGUE
- ALSO BY CHELSEA CURTO
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“You want to talk about tortured? Do you know how much it hurts to look at someone and know you can never have them? To recognize you’ll spend the rest of your life pretending to be excited for them, all while your soul fractures as you watch them find happiness with someone else?” Patrick asks, voice cracking and barely above a whisper. “Walking away hurts too damn much, so I put up with the pain. I’m too much of a coward to voice how I feel. I can’t, because if I do, I’ll lose her forever. And I cannot lose her. She means too much to me.”
“I let the one woman who loved me for me, and not my finances or fame, get away,” Noah adds, hanging his head. “All because I wouldn’t move to be with her. Now she’s happily married, and I’m constantly wondering what if? What if I had chased after her? What if we made it work?”
“I wake up every day fearful Rebecca is going to realize she can do so much better than me,” Neil sighs. “I’m selfish and arrogant. She sees the good in me and doesn’t leave. But that could change any minute.”
“You see?” Jack asks, his hand grasping my shoulder. “You’re not in this alone. You’re not an idiot. Far from it. You’re a man who cares about someone, which is allowed. It’s scary because it’s new and different from what you know. Trust me, I get it. We all get it. No matter what does or doesn’t happen on Sunday, your feelings are valid, and we love you a whole fucking lot. Worry about the complications later. You gotta do what makes you happy, Hen. And if this girl brings you even an ounce of joy, you gotta fucking go for it, man. You’ll hate yourself if you don’t.”
“Fuck,” I curse, dipping my head and wiping my eyes. They’re damp with tears and I brush the moisture away, grateful for the solidarity from the men surrounding me. The raw honesty shared by them—my brothers—to help make me feel better pierces my heart like a sharp dagger. Deep.
I’m not alone.
“Thank you,” I get out, raising my chin to look at each of them individually. “All of you. I love you guys.”
“We love you too,” Patrick says, voice quivering. “But now that the moment is over, I think we need some alcohol and fries because that was deep as hell. We’re never talking about it again.”
I huff out a laugh. “Alcohol. Carbs. And trying not to have a panic attack thinking about the next 36 hours. Bring it on.”
FIFTEEN
JD: I need to tell you something, and I need to say it before we meet tomorrow.
JD: I don’t want you to get mad at me.