From what he could tell, Noah was a good father to Zach. For that, Cade was genuinely happy. And he would love to be able to say that knowing they were close wasn’t a bitter pill to swallow, that he had no further feelings on the matter, and that after all these years he’d come to accept that Noah was just the guy who’d gotten his mom pregnant, nothing more. He wanted to fall back into the comfort of his routine, and be that blithe, that matter of fact. He wanted the why not to matter. He wanted to not care.

But after all this time, he thought maybe he still did.

Thirty-four

BROOKE PARKED HER car in a spot across the street from Cade’s apartment, and killed the engine. She sat there, waiting for the moment when she knew this was a bad idea, when logic and reason kicked in and she realized that instead of a face-to-face conversation, she could just text Cade something simple like, “Not going to Charlotte. Dinner tonight?” Because that—ha, ha—would put the ball in his court, not hers, and then she wouldn’t be the one . . . sitting outside his apartment looking like a stalker.

But the moment never came.

Crap.

So, fine, she was doing this. No clue what she was going to say to Cade—Remember that part where I wanted to keep our relationship casual? Psych!—but she figured she’d start with “hi” and go from there.

She got out of the car and crossed the street. It was hot outside, especially for eleven A.M. She’d wanted to wait a little longer to drop in on Cade, but she’d been driving herself crazy mulling over the various ways this conversation could go and had decided it was best to just rip off the Band-Aid and get it over with.

A teenager dressed in cargo shorts and a T-shirt was walking on the sidewalk, heading in her direction. They reached the wrought-iron gate in front of Cade’s building at the same time, and he politely held it open for her.

“Thank you,” she said.

She walked up the steps of gray stone, teenager in tow, and pushed the buzzer for “Morgan.”

“Looks like Cade’s a popular guy this morning,” the teenager said from behind her.

Brooke turned around and saw that he was studying her curiously.

“You’re the Niagara Falls girl,” he said.

She had no idea what that meant, but after taking in his tall frame and familiar cobalt blue eyes, she was certain of one thing. “And you’re the brother.”

“Zach.”

She smiled. His hair was lighter and shorter than Cade’s, but he was cute and athletic-looking in a way that probably caught the eye of many a sixteen-year-old girl. “Brooke.”

“You came to see Cade?” he asked, in a tone that hovered somewhere between a question and an accusation.

“I did.” She gestured to the silent intercom. “Although . . . he doesn’t appear to be home.”

Zach seemed particularly interested in this. “Huh.” He stared at the buzzer for a moment, and then looked back at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Charlotte?”

She pulled back in surprise. “He told you about that?”

“I was with him when that guy Charlie told him you were moving. Something that Cade strangely didn’t seem to know anything about.”

Zach waited, clearly wanting a response from her.

“I think this is probably a conversation Cade and I should have, Zach. It’s complicated.”

He rolled his eyes. “You two are like a broken record with that.”

Brooke’s ears perked up. “Cade said the situation between us was complicated?” She paused. “Did he say anything else about me?”

Instead of answering, Zach looked her over with a wary expression, as if debating something. “You know what? It’s been a really shitty couple of days, so I apologize if this comes out a little harsh. But . . . do you even like my brother? Because if he’s where I think he is right now, this day is going to be pretty shitty for him, too. So if you’re about to say good-bye, or do anything else that’ll make things even worse for him, then you should go. Just send him a text message when you get to North Carolina, or an e-mail, or tweet him, whatever.” He stopped and stared defiantly at Brooke, hands tucked into his pockets.

Brooke thought about how best to respond to that, since it sounded like there was a lot going on with Cade and Zach that she was out of the loop on. “I’m not here to say good-bye, Zach,” she said gently. “I’m not moving to Charlotte. And yes, I do like your brother. Very much so. That’s why I came here this morning—to tell him that.”

“Oh.” His face relaxed, some of the tension seeming to leave him. His expression turned sheepish. “Sorry. You’ll probably be wanting your head back now.” He pantomimed handing it back to her, a gesture that made her smile, then he took a seat on the first step.

He rested his arms on his knees and bowed his head, taking a deep breath. Brooke stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do, and then sat on the step next to him.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

Brooke cocked her head. “Niagara Falls . . . from The Breakfast Club, right? Good to see you kids are keeping up on the classics.”

Zach chuckled, then glanced over. “In answer to your question, yes—he talks about you. He says you’re the smartest, wittiest woman he’s ever met.”

“He did?” Brooke’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly filling with hope.

But first things first.

“About this shitty day you and Cade are having—is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.