The Broken Road by Melissa Huie Page A

you give Megan some space. You’re a grown man, you don’t need her being your nursemaid,” I heard  Alex say quietly.
    “I know I don’t need her to be my nursemaid. She does it because she’s my friend,” was Shane’s dry reply.
    “Yeah, I guess. But why doesn’t your girl come over and take care of you? Let me and Megan have some quality time,” Alex asked. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I was surprised at Shane’s tone.
    “Really? I believe my girl is taking care of me. She’s my girl, dude. I have her best interests at heart. Which is more than I can say for you,” Shane sniped back.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Alex shot back.
    “What kind of man leaves a woman like Megan alone on Valentine’s Day? What the hell was so important that you had to totally ignore her?”
    Silence.
    “I don’t have to answer to you.” Alex’s voice sounded pissed.
    “Actually, yes you do. Because if you hurt her or upset her, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you do,” Shane said. Oh shit. This isn’t good. I hurried downstairs. I found Alex and Shane standing up, facing each other.
    “Hey guys, what’s going on?”  I asked. The air was thick with testosterone. What is this? Some sort of my-dick-is-bigger-than-yours contest?
    Alex was the first to break the stare off. “You know what, it’s late, and I’m beat. I’m going to head out. Happy Valentine’s Day.” He gave me a quick peck and walked out the door.
    I stared after him. What the heck just happened? I spun around to Shane. “What the hell did you do that for?”
    Shane looked indifferent. “He’s a jerk, Megs. He’s playing you.”
    My temper, as well as the lack of good sleep, got the best of me. “What the hell do you mean, he’s playing me? How the hell do you know that? You don’t know him at all! I would have liked to spend a night with the man I’m interested in. But no! Not even on Valentine’s weekend. Seriously Shane. What the fuck is your problem?”
    I have to admit, he did look contrite, but that quickly changed when he opened his mouth. “Look. Whether you find out now or later, I can just tell that he’s a jerk. He’s a player. I know guys like him and they are only after one thing. And where the hell was he yesterday? Certainly not spending Valentines Day with you. ”
                  The tiny seed of doubt grew bigger at Shane’s words. He said out loud what the tiny voice in my head has been saying all along. But I pushed back.  Screw this. Shane has no idea what he’s talking about.
    “So what! Who cares what he’s after! Maybe I want the same thing! You don’t know that. You don’t get to decide who I see.  Next time, let me handle my own business. Stay out of it,” I retorted. I grabbed a bottle of water and headed up stairs. My temper flared, but I wasn’t sure who I was more pissed at. I mean, having him antagonize Alex like that was a purely selfish move on Shane’s part. But Shane’s accusation echoed in my head. Is Alex really a player? Shut up! It didn’t matter if he was seeing someone else. We never said we were exclusive. I climbed into bed and sent a quick message to Alex.
    “Sorry Shane ruined our night. We’ll get together soon .”             
    And with that, I shut my phone off and closed my eyes. I knew Alex wouldn’t be angry with me, so I wasn’t worried about a return text. I just wished I knew what had gotten Shane worked up.

Chapter 10
    The next morning I woke up and Shane was gone. “Apparently, the sickly is un-sick,” I said to Penny. It irked me that he could get up without apologizing. But apparently his priorities were evident. Then I remembered: It’s Sunday – Allison comes home today. Whatever. I’m banishing all negative thoughts today. Especially about Shane. They are going to have to get along if Alex and I are going to continue seeing each other.
    I made myself get dressed and sent a quick message to