Page 84 of Back for Seconds

I tried to swallow, but my throat was too dry. I pulled my eyes away and nodded twice.

“And Sal, I’m sorry I broke your little sister’s heart. I’m sorry I egged you on. And Joey, I’m sorry for swinging on you.”

Joey cleared his throat, pulling his eyes away from where he’d been watching me, silently watching over me. “No hard feelings. You’ve got great aim, man.”

Sal hefted a sigh, then turned toward his cellmate. “Bri, I got too excited. What I did was extremely immature and downright dangerous. I’m sorry. I love you, buddy. You’ll always be my favorite ex-brother-in-law.”

Then, all their swollen, bruised eyes swiveled to me.

“Junebug,” Joey said, after a beat. “We can’t hear you.”

“I’m sorry, what am I apologizing for again?”

“Out of principle, you stingy dork,” Sal snapped. “God, your head’s so hard I’m surprised you ever needed a helmet.”

“And…” Joey grinned down at me, folding his arms over his chest. “You started all of this. You showed up at Brian’s house.”

I narrowed my eyes at Joey, at Sal—at all of them—all of these men. “I’m moving to a radical lesbian commune as soon as I’m uncuffed.”

“Apologize and then you can move wherever you want, Junebug.”

I clenched my jaw. “I’m…sorry.”

“Just sorry?” This came from Sal.

“I’m very sorry,” I barked.

“There we go. Doesn’t hurt so bad, does it?”

“Alright,” Burke sighed. “I’m sick of hearing all of you. Everyone, go home. If I see you out tonight, you’re getting arrested.”

He opened the tank and let Sal and Brian free. He turned to uncuff me from where I was connected to the metal chair, but Joey held up a hand.

“Can I have five minutes with the defendant, sir?”

Burke grimaced, shifting his gaze back and forth between us. “Ok…but I’ll be in the office, so no funny business. I can hear everything from in there. These walls are paper thin.”

“No funny business. We promise.”

With an exhausted sigh, he retreated.

“Don’t,” I said as soon as the door to Burke’s office clicked shut, this warning aimed at my muddy sneakers. “Whatever you’re going to say, don’t. Because I know. I know one of the first things I said when I met you was that I was the black sheep of my family. I know I said I’d never yelled at a cop before and I swear, this is the first time ever—”

“Give it up, June.” There was a laugh in Joey’s voice—and it took everything in me to keep my mouth hard and flat. I watched him take a few lazy steps closer to me. “You and that maniac brother of yours are both up to no good.” Suddenly, I felt the warmth of his heavy palm on the top of my head. “When I met you, I was a little confused by all the tattoos. I get it now. Turns out you’re a fucking gang leader.” I lifted my gaze to meet Joey’s. He was smiling. Bright, warm. He shook his head. “Every day that I know you is the longest day of my life. You make twenty-four hours feel like a year and a half.”

“Whatever, Joey,” I huffed, heat snaking up my neck. I looked away. “You know, I could lie to you and say I’m not usually like this.” I swallowed roughly. “But there’s no point. I’m so fucking sick of pretending. This is who I am. This is what my life is. Just…mess. Messy family. Messy house. Messy emotions. I spent years trying to fight it. But I can’t just…fuck off on a boat.” Heavy tears gathered along my lower lashes, threatening to fall. “I told you, you do not want to date me.”

“I meant it as a compliment,” Joey said gently.

“Well, it didn’t feel like one.”

“Well, let me try again then.” Joey scrubbed a hand over his face, then winced at his fingers connecting with the sensitive, swollen tissue around his eye. “Thank god you’re handcuffed to a chair while I say this. June, I really like you—I’m down bad for you. Like, can’t stop thinking about you every second you’re not with me. Can’t remember where I put my keys because all I can think about is your mouth on mine.

“And I want to love you all the way through, Jaybuggy. I want to seep into your bones and make every single stubborn cell in your body feel that love. But you have to let me.” He shook his head, tucking a hair behind my ear, thumbing my chin. I turned my face into his touch, desperately wishing I could rip my hands free and curl into him, wrap my arms around his waist and kiss his stomach, erasing the last twelve hours completely.

“I’m not Brian. I don’t usually move fast. I don’t hop from thing to thing, person to person. I have nothing to prove. Nothing. All I have is what I feel. And what I feel for you is…is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.” Joey sunk down into a squat in front of me. “Me and you––we’re meant to try this love thing again. Together.”

“How?” I said, desperation thick in my voice. “How do we take what this is and make it real?”