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Tristan’s face is flush with anger. “You can’t just give up. Lorenzo is an idiot. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
I shrug. “Maybe, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Daniel is a good fit.”
“He doesn’t know how to handle a big city,” Tristan protests a little too loudly. “He has no idea how to handle the big leagues.”
I pour myself a drink, mind still reeling with the events of the day. “Does this mean you’ve reconsidered?”
Ernesto shoots Tristan a sharp look before swerving, causing some of my liquid to slosh over the rim of the glass.
Tristan clears his throat. “No, I haven’t reconsidered.”
I tip my glass in Tristan’s direction. “I don’t think you need to worry about your position. Daniel already knows how valuable you are. You’ll be taken care of.”
Tristan frowns. “Why are you acting like they’ve already voted? There’s still time.”
I eye Tristan over the rim. “Do you remember what my dad used to say about quitters?”
Tristan blinks. “Quitters aren’t losers. Uncle Nico used to say it was important to know when it’s time to quit and walk away and when it’s time to fight harder.”
I nod and take a long sip of my drink. “Exactly.”
Tristan stares at me for a long time, the protest still on the tip of his tongue.
Eventually, he twists to face the front, and I take a few more sips of my drink. The pounding in the back of my skull has spread to include the rest of my head. I get out of the car before we pull to a complete stop outside of Anita’s house. It isn’t until I’m at the foot of the stairs that I realize there’s a lone figure hunched on the stairs.
And when she throws the hood back, and I realize it’s Isabella, I make a low noise in the back of my throat. I catch her on the last step as she stumbles and collides with my chest. Exhaling, I crush her to me and inhale the sweet scent of her.
Suddenly, the shitty day I’ve had doesn’t seem to matter. Not with Isabella clinging to me like her life depends on it, like nothing in the world matters.
“I’m not leaving you again, Carter,” Isabella says into my ear. “I won’t, and I need you to know that. I made that mistake once because I was scared and confused, and I thought I didn’t have a choice.”
I pull back to look at her, and my stomach clenches. “What are you talking about?”
Isabella’s expression is solemn, and she unlinks her fingers from around my neck. “When I first found out I was pregnant, I thought that I had to leave. Because I told myself that you were never going to change.”
I press my lips into a thin white line.
“But I know better now,” Isabella adds quickly. “Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen a different side of you, something I didn’t think was possible. When you called me earlier, I thought something happened.”
“Something did happen. Something always happens.” I lace my fingers through Isabella’s and pull her inside. Quietly, she allows me to lead her into the backyard. There, I pause to flick on the lights, and we sit on the bottom of the steps, a smattering of stars sprinkled above us.
A cool breeze wafts past, and I exhale. Everything feels different, more concrete.
And I have so much more to lose than I’ve ever had before.
“I know you don’t like to talk about your past or the kind of life you had before the Blackthornes adopted you,” Isabella murmurs, pausing to bring her head to rest against my arm. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I want you to know that you can.”
I squeeze her hand. “I know.”
With a sigh, Isabella draws back to look at me, and I twist to hold her gaze. “I’m not just saying that, Carter. I know you and I didn’t meet under normal circumstances, and it feels like we’ve been on the run pretty much since we’ve known each other, but it doesn’t have to be like that.”
I stare at her for so long that it feels like something in me unfurls and snaps.
“We don’t have to be like that,” Isabella continues in a clearer voice. “We’ve both got issues. Who doesn’t? But as long as we show up and keep choosing each other, everything else will work itself out.”
“You’re nothing at all like Brooke.”
Isabella reels back as if she’s been slapped. “What?”
