Brisé by Leigh Ann Lunsford, Chelsea Kuhel Read Free Book Online Page B

friendship, then when the time is right, I will romance the shit out of her and make her fall in love with me, again. If it isn’t what she wants when the time comes, I’ll let her go. Everything I’ve done since I was seven-years-old is with her happiness in mind. I won’t change that now.
    I want to take her out on dates, not be just her best friend, but her lover. I want to watch her face as I introduce her to new people I have met at school, and I want her to be proud to be on my arm. We have a familiarity about us, but I want that shaken up. I want to get the sweaty palms and want her to get butterflies in her stomach when she sees me. I want our experiences to be new, throw us out of our comfort zone.
    Sitting on the porch, wondering if she’ll come home early or stay out all night, I watch her parents walk hand-in-hand to their car. Both called out a greeting attached to a friendly smile. That relationship is a bit strained, but I know they see the real me. They know my heart and have been an integral part of my life. I get lost in my mind and my thoughts. When I hear the scream from the kitchen, I immediately run inside. My mom is gripping the phone, white knuckled, not speaking. Other than her blood curdling scream, she hasn’t made a sound. My dad extracts the phone from her hand and listens to whoever is on the other end. I watch in agony as his face pales in front of me.
    “Emily and Scott are gone,” my dad mutters as he hangs up the phone.
    I stare at him trying to figure out what he means. I know they’re gone; I watched them leave a few hours ago. “There was an accident at the construction site. The building collapsed, and they had no chance. They were trapped.” My mom is sobbing; my dad is on the verge of a breakdown. I watch them mourning their best friends, and the only thing I can say is, “Phoebe.”
    How the hell do you tell her? Who is going to tell her? “Did you hear me, Luke?” My dad breaks in my thoughts. I shake my head, because I didn’t hear a word he said after he told me they were dead. “Scott’s partner from the firm is on the way to tell Phoebe and go over things with you.” My father never agreed with Scott and Emily’s decision to name me as Phoebe’s guardian when I turned eighteen, but he couldn’t change it. I sure as hell didn’t understand all of it, their reasoning or what it would actually mean, but Mr. Wells just told me nothing would change. I would still look out for the best interest of Phoebe. They didn’t pick my parents because they were usually together: vacations, dinners, and pretty much everything else. If something ever happened, it was likely they would all be together, leaving Phoebe alone. They decided this was a logical scenario, and I signed the paperwork almost two years ago. Never expecting I would ever need it. Mr. Wells said the conversation the two of us had when I turned sixteen made their decision.
    I remember it so well, I was scared to death to approach Phoebe’s dad, but I manned up and did it.
    “Mr. Wells, I’m in love with your daughter.” No pussyfooting around the issue, just straight to the point.
    “We’re all well aware of that, son.” He stood up to get Phoebe’s mom. Emily’s sweet smile and kind eyes met mine as she walked into the room. Just like so many years before. “I couldn’t ask for a better man for my little girl, but you know the concerns with her health, she isn’t guaranteed a long life, and she hasn’t led much of a full life.” I wasn’t sure what he was telling me. Is she sick again?
    “I don’t understand, Sir. Is the leukemia back?” I heard her mom choke back a sob. My heart clenched in my chest, and it seemed my lungs had forgotten their job of pumping oxygen through my body.
    I remember him reaching out and squeezing my shoulder, shaking his head, “No, she’s still in remission. I know you’ve been through it all with us, I just don’t want you to have any illusions as to what