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"I saw you doing it with your friends, too" She sounded upset, frustrated "You’re trying to put on this good-guy i You’re trying to be Joey But you’re not him, AJ You’ll never be him"

Pain sliced into his chest Her tone was so sad, so e to flee hit hiers on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as he gripped it tight, needing to steady hi

"I knohat it’s like to lose someone you love," she said quietly "I lost e you lost your brother But my mom would never have wanted me to be anyone other than myself And I think Joey wouldn’t have wanted that either"

Her eyes flashed suddenly, anger coloring her cheeks "You are a good guy, AJ You’re sweet and coood to the people you care about But there’s more to you than that You run a successful business You stick up for people even if you have to use your fists to do it You like to fuck and fight and take chances You get off on the adrenaline high frohts out in a fighting match, and I love that about you"

AJ couldn’t answer Couldn’t breathe Every word she spoke was the truth, and it washis head spin

"It’s not your fault that your brother died," Brett said, sounding tired now "It was an accident A very tragic accident You were a little kid, and it wasn’t your fault But you’ve been trying to be a dead guy ever since" Her shoulders sagged "And it’s turned you into a ghost"

Panic skittered through him as she reached for the door handle "Brett--"

"I can’t be with a ghost I want you, AJ--the real you, every part of you I want him all the time, not just in private, but in front of the whole world, and until you can accept yourself for who you are, I can’t be with you I’one Out of the car and inside the building

AJ stared at the eed a knife in his heart

And that’s when he realized he’d fallen in love with her

Chapter Seventeen

"Can we talk?"

AJ looked up to see Darcy standing in the doorway of his office He was supposed to be tending bar, but the thought of spending the night slinging drinks and chatting with faceless people was about as appealing as rolling around in mud

Four days It had been four days since he’d seen or spoken to Brett, and he was going throughCouldn’t go a single second without thinking about her He’d almost called her hundreds of times since Sunday, but he’d stopped himself every time, because he wasn’t sure what he would even say to her