“High school and after. The dummy moved halfway across the United States with him after graduation,” Bill grumbled.

Whoa. He didn’t know that. Not that it mattered, but he didn’t expect it.

“Oh, Bill. Stop it.” Emmy smacked his leg. “Gavin is a good man, and it wasn’t halfway across the United States.”

“I never said he wasn’t, I just always knew he wasn’t the one for Braden. Don’t pretend you didn’t, either.”

“Okay, I’m thinking that’s about enough of the Family Braden Hour. I went, I had fun. It wasn’t just for Gavin. You knew I never wanted to stay around here after school, Dad. That just wasn’t my thing. I always planned on exploring.”

“Here we go again,” Lizzy groaned.

So this was obviously a conversation they’d had before, and as much as Wes probably should agree with Braden and want them to stop, curiosity nagged at him.

“You have to admit, the way you did it wasn’t the best way, Brady. You came to us after graduation and said you were leaving in a couple days. I get it. I understand what Gavin was going through, and I know you. That’s what you do. When someone needs you, you’re there. You jump right in and do whatever they need, even if it’s not what’s best for you. You’ve always been the first to make sacrifices like that, because you have this strong sense of honor. But you know it hurt us, too. And you know deep down you made yourself think you cared about Gavin more than you did, because he always felt like he needed you.”

With each word that Emmy spoke, Wes’s gut sank deeper.

Braden’s vow from earlier slammed into Wes. That’s not me. I don’t walk away. I won’t leave you.

Was he with Wes because he wanted to be, or because that’s just who Braden was? From the beginning, he’d been the first one try and help Wes out—because of what? The sense of honor that his parents spoke of? Because from the way they made it sound, that’s the way he’d been with Gavin, too.

“There’s more to the story than you guys know, and that’s all I’m going to say about it.” There was finality in Braden’s voice that Wes had never heard from him before.

The family went on talking about other things, but Wes’s mind was still on what he’d heard. He head a heaviness in his chest that he’d thought long gone since things with he and Braden had gotten more serious.

Alexander had fallen out of love with him, yet stayed out of responsibility before just walking out one day, the same way his father had walked out on his mom. Not that Braden was in love with him—those words had never left his mouth—yet he’d stayed, stuck around, brought Wes and Jessie here because they’d needed him. What happened when Braden realized that wasn’t enough? When he didn’t want to be stuck in the kind of town he never permanently wanted to be in, or didn’t want the responsibilities that came with Wes? When he did what was best for him rather than what he thought was best for Wes and Jessie? Braden did a lot of thoughtful things, but that’s just who he was. He said he loved Jessie, and Wes didn’t doubt that. Still, he loved his family, yet picked up and left them. Is that where Jessie and he stood, too?

He hadn’t realized he squeezed Braden’s hand tighter until the man looked up at him, questions in his eyes. Wes shook his head as if to say he was okay, but he really didn’t know if he was. It made him nauseous to think of Braden being with them—of sticking around because that’s just what he did. That it was just who he was. He didn’t walk away when he committed to doing something. He needed Braden with him because it’s where he wanted to be.

Wes tried to keep his head in the game the rest of the night, but his mind stayed in the conversation Braden’s family had had.

Braden must have realized it, because when they were all saying their goodnights, he stopped Wes in the hallway.

“Hey, everything good?” he asked. Wes looked down, distracted by Jock, who sat at Braden’s feet.

“You never told me how he got his name?” he asked.

Braden’s brows pulled together but he answered, “I named him Tom when I first got him, but soon realized the dog had a crazy obsession with jockstraps. He got a name change pretty quickly.”

“Tom?” It wasn’t as if any of this mattered, and he wasn’t even sure why he’d brought it up.

“From Tom and Jerry, of course. What’s up with you, Wesley?” Braden stepped forward, boxing Wes between his body and the wall.

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I just have a lot on my mind. I’m gonna hit the sack. I know we’re leaving early in the morning.”