Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 131916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
The one thing I knew was I had to stop it before I got her tangled in the consequences of who I was.
Shame gusted in from the sacred place where I kept it shored, and that gutting failure that had changed the course of my life throbbed from within. Reminding me of the commitment I’d made.
I needed to remember that was the one I was charged to protect at all costs.
Apparently, there was no heeding the warnings I’d given myself. Not when our texts continued through our days.
Between clients.
Before I picked up Nolan from the sitter.
Sending them quick then tucking my phone away, over-eager to get to her answers and returned questions that would be waiting for me when she got to them on her breaks.
It was the girl who was pushing us deeper right then. Wanting to know me the way I’d invited her to do. I wanted to reveal every element that made me up, even though I tried to keep things as vague as I could, toeing a line that couldn’t be crossed.
Me
What’s the one place you’ve always wanted to go but never have been?
Little Runner
Greece. Have you always lived in Moonlit Ridge?
Me
No.
Little Runner
Where did you grow up?
Me
LA.
Little Runner
Why did you leave?
Me
To give Nolan a better life.
It was at least the truth even though there were a thousand secrets wound in it.
It was the text that came through hours later that nearly dropped me to my knees, blipping through right after I’d pulled into the garage with Nolan chattering away from the backseat.
Little Runner
Where’s his mom?
I glanced in the rearview, at his precious, innocent face.
And there I went, such a fucking fool, laying it out.
Me
She’s dead.
I felt pinned to the seat as I held my phone, waiting for what would come next. Nolan was halfway through telling me about what he’d had for lunch when one finally popped up.
Little Runner
I’m really sorry.
Me
Yeah, me too.
When nothing came through after a couple minutes, I finally forced myself from the driver’s seat, and I rounded to the back and quickly unbuckled Nolan. I swung him into the air before I set him on his feet.
He cracked up like it was the most fun he’d ever had, before he went running through the door and inside the house, shouting for his auntie as he went.
We’d just finished up dinner and I’d told Nolan to head upstairs to grab a game for us to play when I finally received another text. Warily, I turned my phone over where it was face down on the table.
Little Runner
Did you love her?
Her question felt like a blade was slowly being driven through the center of my chest.
Hands shaking, I tapped out a reply.
Me
No.
Raven was casting me a speculative glance. “Who are you texting?”
“No one,” I grunted.
She laughed, though it wasn’t an agreeable sound. “Sure, sure, big brother. Do you think I haven’t noticed you sneaking around like you’ve got a dirty secret for the last week?”
She shocked the shit out of me when she plucked my phone from my hand and jumped out of her chair.
“What the hell?” I demanded as I pushed to standing, the legs of my chair screeching on the hardwood.
My baby sister danced away from me, spinning it over her head the way she used to do when she wanted to torment me when she was seven. “If you aren’t keeping secrets, then you won’t mind if I take a little peek. I mean, we don’t keep anything from each other, do we?”
I went to snatch it out of her hand, and she ducked the other direction.
“Ah-ha, just what I thought,” she said at my reaction, and from where she was halfway across the room, she turned her attention to my phone.
“Oh,” she murmured quietly as she realized who I was talking to.
I scraped an agitated hand over the top of my head. “It isn’t what it looks like.”
She lifted her dark eyes to me. “What does it look like?”
I sighed, not sure how the hell to phrase it to my sister. “Like I’m sweet on your best friend,” I settled on.
The two of them had been hanging out a ton over the last week. It was rare that Raven didn’t stay at the flower shop after closing, coming home an hour late and telling me she’d grabbed a drink with Charleigh or had gone on a walk or just roamed around doing whatever girlie shit they did.
Had to admit that I loved it. Loved that the two of them were finding companionship in each other.
Loved that my sister was spreading her wings.
Loved that Charleigh wasn’t alone.
But this? I didn’t fuckin’ love it. Didn’t love the way my sister was looking at me at all.
“Are you?”
Another sigh. “No.”
Because I didn’t get to be sweet on anything. I didn’t do love or connections or strings or any of that bullshit.