The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (The Grumpy Devils, #2)

by Elizabeth O'Roark

“Hey, Drew?” I say. She looks over at me. “Just so you know, you’re not the fifth wheel, right now. You’re the glue.”

because the worst things they say about me aren’t nearly as bad as the things I say about myself.

You deserve someone who worships the ground you walk on, Drew. Someone you can lean on. Who cares more about your happiness than his own.”

It’s only a second, but infinity rests within it. And I see exactly what we could have been. I see what he wants, what I want, and how terrifying it would be if it was at all possible. He would be more. He would be the long journey into the unknown. And I’m pretty sure, with him, I could be convinced to try.

“And then, once we’re back in Oahu and I’ve secured you a cappuccino and some Sour Patch Kids, I will ask you why the hell you’re dating my brother and you’ll explain it to me. I’m assuming there must be sorcery involved, as there’s no other logical explanation.”

Sloane was wrong about her. Maybe my feelings for her are messy, but she isn’t. She’s a tiny little fighter, resilient and perfect just as she is. It doesn’t take long, with my breath against her hair and rain lashing the tent, for her to fall asleep. But I lie awake for a long time. I will never forgive my brother for this. I’m going to stay calm tomorrow, until I get her home, and I’ll probably put a good face on things for my mother’s sake. But I’m never going to fucking let this go.

“When I was eleven, my dad got drunk and threw a bottle at my face,” I tell him. My dad was the only person who seemed to like me back then, but even he didn’t like me quite enough. “He lost visitation and that was the last time I saw him. That’s how I got the scar.”

Oh my god

“I was in the neighborhood,” he says. He hands me a small white bag and his mouth curves upward. “I heard you wanted brioche.”

Shut up!!!

How did I ever convince myself I was someone he’d want for longer than a few non-consecutive nights? He’s a doctor who testifies before Congress, while I’m a living, breathing disaster who never even finished high school. Anyone looking at this situation would have known I wasn’t good enough for him, was never going to be what he wanted.

Noooo

“No, Josh, you actually wouldn’t give anything, because if that was true you’d be here. And if that was true, you’d be willing to tell your family and you wouldn’t have hidden me from your colleagues. Let’s call a spade a spade: you’re not willing to give up a fucking thing.” And then I hang up, block his number, and get into the shower where I cry like a child for a very long time.

Im so sad

What changed?” “What changed is that I fell in love,” he says. “And I don’t ever want to spend a single night away from you again. It might take a while, but Drew, even if we’re apart, you’re not alone anymore.”