UNFORGETTABLE (Able Series Book 3) by Gigi Aceves Page B

to my neck, stopping where my heart is. “I love you. I love this.” As if I’m a canvas he’s painting by tracing every dip as his fingers run along the valley of my breasts, then rests on my stomach where our child used to be. He lets his tears go, and I don’t think it’s for me—not at all. I’m witnessing his own regret for another life loss—one of his own . . . one of ours.
    His palm rests against my skin as he kneels, then his lips soon follow as another painful declaration leaves his mouth, “I love you. I’m sorry for making you feel I didn’t want you; believe me, I do. I want you so badly, imagining I’m holding you is the only way to ease the pain. I’m sorry I lost you before you found me.”
    He stands and lays his soft lips against my forehead; lingering there for a bit before turning around and walking away. As I watch him walk farther and farther away from me, the sound of the closing door is the sole witness of this painful decision. I finally—finally let it all out.
    I need to let him go to teach him how to let go.

BRIAN
    “BRO, YOU NEED TO GET your shit together, man.”
    Groaning, I swat whoever is trying to wake me up.
    “You’ve been doing this for two weeks, now. I can’t continue covering up for you every time my dad asks about you and my sister.”
    “Jake, just go!”
    “You need a serious intervention, B. The girls are worried about you. Tami’s worried about you. Do you get that?” Cody’s voice grates my nerves.
    Though I try my hardest to stop it, a pained laugh escapes me. Hearing Cody say ‘Tami is worried about me’ is a sick joke and a false truth rolled into one.
    “She’s worried? That’s bullshit! This is her fucking idea! Two weeks, Jake. Two fucking weeks!”
    “God, can you give her some slack? She just lost a baby for crying out loud, and one that she’s been dying to have, so forgive her for asking for time!”
    I stand up, going toe to toe with my best friend. How dare he belittle what the fuck I’m feeling, right now. No one . . . no one knows what I’ve lost. How much I’ve lost. How painful this loss is for me.
    “And, how the fuck do you think I feel? I lost our baby, too. This is the second one I’ve lost! Second! Twice! Two! So, please, don’t tell me I don’t know what and how the fuck she feels!”
    Jake pushes me, and Cody is quick to get between us, stopping what seems to be two freight trains coming straight toward each other at full speed.
    “You fucking bailed on my sister, you idiot! Days! You stew, getting your head straight while she sits at home not knowing what the hell to think, and you’re complaining she hasn’t looked your way? On top of losing her child, you make her feel alone. So, please, don’t tell me not to tell you, you fucked the hell up.”
    I push Jake this time, and Cody pushes me back. “Hey! Hey! Stop it! They’re in the kitchen, Brian. If they hear us fighting, it’ll just make things worse. I suggest you sit down and sing fucking ‘Kumbaya.’” He turns to Jake and points at him. “And you, I called you to act as a damn referee, not to join the shit. Do I need to call Gunny to set you boys straight, because I will.”
    I turn around and walk toward the dresser trying to control my raging emotions. I never lose my shit, and every strong emotion that hits me just makes me feel as though I’m losing my mind. I honestly don’t know how or what to feel. I know she’s hurting, but I am, too. This loss is so much more painful. Maybe because it’s with her, maybe because so much of her is embedded deep inside me, I feel double the pain . . .
    “I’m not discounting her hurt, Jake. I’m not. If I could take it away, you know I would. I know exactly how she feels, and trust me when I tell you, it’s a different kind of pain. I didn’t bail on her. You know me better than that. I just need a moment to get over my shit. This is her idea. I’m just doing what she wants.”
    “Are you talking about