Page 7 of Don’t Fall For Your Ex-Boyfriend's Brother

“I’ll let you tell Mom,” he says, tossing me the keys.

I catch them and shake my head. “Honestly, I don’t even mind. It’s long overdue.”

“I agree and Hartford said once you’re all moved in you should have a housewarming party.”

I can’t pull my eyes away from the keys to freedom. “Yeah, that will be fun.” I lift my eyes to him, clenching the keys in my hand. “Thank you, Pax. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“You’re my little brother, I’ll always help you out. No thanks necessary.” Before I can say anything, he lifts an eyebrow. “So, what are you doing hiding out here?”

I stare at him and for a second I feel like I should tell him I want to walk away from the brewery and focus on my writing. But the fear of disappointing everyone takes over and I shove the keys into my pocket.

“Just wanted a little air.” It’s not a complete lie.

“All right, well, the place is yours. We’ll get the lease switched over to your name as soon as possible. But I need to get out of here. I have to run to Moore’s and meet Brock.”

Moore’s is the restaurant that Brock’s girlfriend, Willow works at. Her brothers own the place. A bunch of really cool guys. I’ve often hung out with the youngest, Kai. Strangely enough, there are five of them and one girl, just like us. Atta Boy supplies their beer and it’s all kinda in the family on both sides.

“Cool, tell them all I said hi.”

“Will do. Talk to you later.”

He leaves and I take advantage of being outside a little longer. I pull out my phone and check my email. I see I have a new one, so I open it.

My pulse races when I see it’s from Millie. I blow out a nervous breath as I open it. A smile slowly spreads on my face as I read that she’s loving what she’s read so far. It’s a confidence boost for sure. Millie is a dedicated bookworm and if she likes what I’ve written it gives me hope that others will too.

I send back a simple reply thanking her.

“Tripp, you’re not on break, come on,” Griffin yells out the door.

Fuck.

I go back in and work like I always do. I keep a fake smile on my face like I always do. I bust my ass like I always do.

When I’m finished I leave, with all my siblings still busy working. They’ve commented a few times that I should stay longer and learn more, but tonight I don’t even hear them if they say it. Because tonight, I’m grabbing my computer and staying at Paxton’s, well, my new place. I’ll pack up my stuff and tell my parents tomorrow.

Tonight, I’m going to write for as long as my eyes will allow. Tonight, I have hope that one day, I might be able to walk my own path, beside my family, but not with them.