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because I couldn’t stand to hear the truth.
    Macy inched down on the chair and covered my knee with her hand. “You know I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. You were like family to me. But I saw how hard it was for my sister to break up with you, to come to terms with the fact that you two would never have the happy ending she’d always wanted.”
    “You don’t think I wanted to give her that?” I looked Macy in the eye, pleading with her to understand. “You don’t think I tried? Believe me, I did.”
    “Fine, maybe you did,” she said, leaning back in the chair. “Let’s say I believe you. The fact is, you came to terms with the fact you couldn’t. So did my sister. So again I’ll ask: why are you back in her life, Brody? Has something changed? Have you changed?”
    Macy had never been afraid to ask the tough questions, especially when she was going to bat for someone she loved. “Honestly? I don’t know if I’ve changed. The only thing I can say for sure is that living without your sister has been…” No words could describe how empty I’d felt since she broke up with me. “It’s been hell.”
    “I don’t understand you,” she said, shaking her head. “What do you want out of life?”
    There was a time when I’d thought the big house, designer clothes, and fancy cars would make me happy. Now that I’d had all that, I knew it was just a Band-Aid solution. Those things had made me feel better for a while, but eventually the pain seeped in again.
    “I’ve been asking myself that question for a long time,” I said, trying to be honest with her. “And I still don’t have the answer.”
    “Don’t you think you should have figured that out before you showed up on my sister’s doorstep?” She blew her side-swept blond bangs out of her eyes.
    “Yeah, I probably should have. But last night, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was just acting on impulse.”
    “Yeah, and who do you think is going to have to deal with the fallout once you’re gone again?”
    “Riley.” Macy was right. I was a selfish bastard who didn’t deserve her sister. “I’ll talk to her. I’ll try to make her understand.”
    “Understand what?” she asked, fisting her hand on the arm of the chair. “How the hell can you make her understand what you’re thinking and feeling when you don’t even understand it?”
    Blowing out a frustrated breath, I said, “Look, Mace, I know you’re pissed at me. I get that. You have every reason to be, but what happens between me and your sister is our business. Not yours.”
    “Really?” She clenched her jaw as she leaned over the arm of the chair. “Who the hell do you think took her calls in the middle of the night when she was crying her eyes out over you? Who do you think flew in to take care of her after she finally found the courage to break up with you?” Narrowing her eyes, she stabbed her chest with her thumb. “I did. I made sure she ate and slept, and I listened when she wanted to talk. I held her when she felt like crying. I helped her go through your things and ship them to you. I helped her box up all of the mementos from your relationship and put them in storage. So don’t you dare tell me I don’t have a right to be concerned. This does affect me!”
    “Fine, point taken,” I said, raising my hands in supplication. “But you can rest assured I’m not here to hurt her. I love her. I’ve never stopped loving her.”
    “But your brand of love isn’t what she needs. Can’t you see that?” she cried desperately. “She needs a man she can depend on. She needs a friend and a lover, someone who wants the kind of future she does.”
    “I know that.”
    After a long pause, she said, “Riley said you saw your father last night; that’s why you needed someone to talk to.”
    “Yeah.”
    “I know it’s none of my business,” she said, sounding wary, “but whether you believe it or not, I do still care about you.”
    I chuckled, giving her a