Free Last Heartbreak by H.M. Ward

such thing. Okay, yes I laughed, but it wasn't at you, it was at the situation. You assumed she was my girlfriend—which is ludicrous. Until your little freak-out, it never occurred to me you'd think she was an adult. I mean, obviously!" He gestures to Lori, who's still giving the fictitious bad guys a rough time.
    I grin. "So, you've been talking to her about me, huh?"
    Graham rubs his jaw with his hand and shrugs before looking back toward Lori. "Yeah, well, she tells me about her friends, and I tell her about mine."
    "You told her I'm beautiful?" I anxiously wait for his answer.
    "I already told you that you are." He turns his head toward me just enough to see me out of the corner of his eyes. “Even if you do think I’m the type of guy who’d cheat on my girlfriend with you.”
    "In my defense, it wasn't hard to make the wrong assumption. You sounded like a man in love when you talked to her. I was starting to think the only decent guy on this planet was completely stuck on this Lori chick." I look up and notice the dark shadow of end-of-day stubble across his jaw and cheeks.
    He catches me staring and tightens his hold on me. "Well, you're right. I do love her. She's the only family I've got." His smile fades, and he lets out a shallow sigh. Up until today, Graham has been nothing but smiles, but I see something in him, something that he hides behind quirky remarks and his mischievous grin. We continue watching silently as Lori goes from impersonating one character to the next. He looks at her with such awe. She's clearly the center of his universe.
    There are so many questions I want to ask. Now I know why his adolescence was taken from him. He couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen when he became a dad. His fingers absently twirl strands of my hair. He's lost in deep thought.
    "Graham?"
    He hums in response.
    "Where's Lori's mother?"
    He shifts on the bench and leans away from me, pulling his arm back. He rests his elbows back on his knees and stares at the ground, his voice hardening. "Are you going to tell me what you feel so guilty about?" He glances anywhere but at me. The silence is painful. "I didn't think so."
    "I'm sorry, Graham. I shouldn't have asked. We're not there yet."
    He lets out a huff of air and runs a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be a dick. You just hit a nerve. It's something I don't talk about in the same way there are things you don't talk about. It's okay to keep some things hidden. Maybe someday we'll feel ready to share our skeletons—I hope we can get there—but not now, not today. It is too soon."
    I rub a soothing hand over the fabric covering Graham's back, feeling his tense muscles loosen. My voice is soft, hoping to diffuse the unease that my curiosity created. "You're right Graham, and I'm sorry I pried. I hope we get there, too. I'd love to have a friend to confide in once in a while."
    He lifts his head to the side, watching me from the corner of his eyes. He straightens his posture and extends an arm. "Come here."
    I scoot closer to him and lean into his warm embrace. His voice becomes a comforting rumble with my cheek resting against his chest. "What about all those women I saw you with the other night? They're not your friends?" His fingers comb through my long hair. Combined with the crisp fall breeze, I could easily fall asleep like this for a long, lazy afternoon nap.
    "Not really. They're more like lifelong acquaintances. My only genuine friend passed away a few months ago and, if you don't mind, I don't want to talk about that either." My fingers play with one of the metallic buttons on his jacket.
    I want to tell him everything, but I know what'll happen when he learns my ugly secret. Once he knows the truth, he'll run away, disgusted, and never look my way again.

CHAPTER 15
    L ori runs up to us , breathless, and Graham's attention snaps back to her with the same look of total devotion he has when he talks to her on the phone. I guess she's