Falling for Your Best Friend (Love Clichés, #4)

by Emma St. Clair

If he wasn’t my brother, I might laugh, but since we’re related, I’m deeply embarrassed for and by him.

It’s a stark reminder that Chase deserves someone who does the same for him. Someone who doesn’t need so much, who doesn’t require so much consideration. Someone who is normal, not just pretending to be.

Why is it that the family you’re born with sometimes understands you less than the one who chooses you?

“Sometimes going after what we want isn’t as terrifying as living without,” Tank says. That takes me a moment to think about. I nod, finally. “I love her,” I say simply. The words are the truest ones I’ve ever spoken. “Then do something about it, son.” And unlike the rare times my dad calls me son, when Harper’s father says it, I feel a warmth and a comfort that feels like coming home.

She was my inspiration when I had none, my hope when it had gone dark, my strength when I was at my weakest. Everything about me is better for knowing her. But have I ever said this in words? Nope. I just make lentil burgers.

We all just seem to understand Harper’s differences or preferences and leave it at that. That’s what you do for people you love, isn’t it? Whether there is a diagnosis or not.

I think most women want to know that a man loves them enough to stand up and fight for them.” “But I’m fighting her. She’s the one closing the door.” Molly chews her lip. “Look. If she really wants it closed, you’ll know. But if there’s hesitation, maybe it’s not you. It’s something else. Maybe she’s afraid or … I don’t know. I do know that if it’s love, it’s worth having your foot broken.”