Read Online Beyond Repair by Kelly Lincoln - Free Book Online Page B

in through the corners of the closed blinds. He was just getting home. Perfect. I could give him his card back, apologize again for acting like an ass yesterday, and get my Chris fix.
    Before I could change my mind, I slid into my flip-flops and walked outside, carefully closing the door behind me so that it didn’t disturb Mia.
    I headed to his truck, blinking in the darkness as my eyes adjusted. But as everything came into focus, I came to an abrupt stop.
    Chris sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel. His head hung down, and his body was hunched forward, shaking.
    He was crying.
    I felt awful for intruding on such a private moment. I was torn between giving him privacy and seeing if he was okay.
    For a second I debated and then decided it wasn’t my place to interrupt him. I wasn’t his girlfriend. We were friends, sure, but part of being a friend was knowing when the other needed to be alone.
    Looking at him one last time, I tried to rid myself of the longing to open his door and pull him into me. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair and wipe the tears off his face until whatever pain he was feeling was gone.
    I wanted to help him so badly. But it wasn’t my place.
    I took a step backward, ready to spin around on my heels, when he lifted his head and turned toward me. I froze, and he blinked several times before he quickly wiped his face . I wanted to do that for you.
    He opened the door and stepped out. “Sorry.” His voice was hoarse and full of sadness, empty and nothing like him at all.
    “No, don’t be. I’m sorry.” I held up his credit card. “I just found this, but I didn’t want to interrupt …” I didn’t finish the sentence. He just looked at me with watery eyes, and there was nothing else to say about why I was out there. I stood in silence for a few seconds as he stared at me but then I finally spoke again. “Are you okay?”
    He started to nod, but slowly shifted to shaking his head.
    “Mia’s sleeping. I have to go inside in case she wakes up.” Without thinking, I grabbed his hand. “Come with me.”
    He stopped shaking his head and looked at the ground. “I’m fine. I don’t want to bother you—”
    “You’re not. You don’t have to talk, but I can’t leave you like this.” Zoey had used that line on me several times in the past.
    He nodded, not making eye contact, and allowed me to lead him inside my condo. I steered us through the kitchen and to the couch, grabbing a box of tissues along the way. We sat down, and I held out the box to him. Chris aggressively pulled out a tissue and angrily wiped his eyes. He looked at me for a few seconds before talking.
    “My brother died a year ago today.”
    “Oh … God . I am so sorry.” Just the thought of losing Zoey made me want to cry, so I couldn’t even imagine the pain that he was feeling.
    He nodded, his eyes getting watery again. “Yeah. There’s more to it than that, but I don’t want to … yeah.” He looked down, and his shoulders started shaking again, though he wasn’t making any noises.
    My heart ached for him. There was obviously more to his brother’s death than he was letting on, and it was destroying him. I slid closer and instinctively reached out, wrapping my arms around his strong, trembling body. His head dropped onto my shoulder. I put my hand on the back of his neck, running my fingers through the bottom of his hair. Guilt washed over me for enjoying what should have been a comforting gesture.
    He turned his head so he was facing my neck as his arms hooked around my waist. I could feel his hot breath against me as he shook, not making a sound. After a few minutes, he stilled but kept his head on my shoulder, breathing against me. “I should let go of you, but I don’t want to.”
    “Then don’t,” I said quietly. My heart was beating so hard that I knew he could feel it. But it didn’t matter. We had moved on from me comforting him, and I could tell by the husky tone of his