AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grabbed the back of my neck, trying to massage the tension away. “What do you mean?”
“You’re this billionaire who picks up trash at his office, who takes time out of his schedule to hang out with kids—who saves a girl from overdosing . . . you’re almost unreal.”
“You saved her by noticing her on the street. So many of us walk by people every day—the homeless and the young—and we’re almost blind to it now. So, you should know that. You saw her. And you saved her.”
She shook her head, still pained by her mistake.
“And, by the way, I’m no one special. Don’t go pinning your hopes on me. I’m not the saint you’re painting me out to be.”
Not even close.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ANNA
“I’m so sorry,” Jenna said softly.
I was standing outside of the hospital after having visited Abby with Jenna, Chloe, and Conor.
“We should have told you the truth about Abby as soon as you mentioned seeing her. I mean, we weren’t certain it was her, but still—”
“This is my fault,” Conor interrupted. “Abby and I were dating, and I broke up with her. She stopped coming after that.”
“You can’t blame yourself, Conor.” Chloe was so young but so smart. “Let’s just make a promise that we’ll always keep an eye out for each other.” Chloe’s eyes flashed my way. “And we’ll keep an eye on you, too, Anna.”
My heart was about to fracture at that moment. “I let you all down,” I confessed. “I’m the adult, and I should have gone directly to Adam. I got distracted—”
“Miss Drake, stop!” Jenna folded her arms and faked a scowl my way. “At least you noticed her. Most people wouldn’t.”
She sounded like Adam.
But just because I’d noticed her, that didn’t give me an excuse for having forgotten her in the first place.
I’d messed up. Big-time.
“Not true,” I answered. “And don’t call me Miss Drake. Makes me feel a lot older than twenty-four!”
“Wow. That is old,” Chloe said, allowing the first smile of the evening to slip to her lips.
“At least you’re here,” Jenna whispered, her eyes growing dark. “And that counts for more than you know.”
Chloe and Jenna flung their arms around me, and then Conor joined in on the hug.
Oh God . . . how would I ever leave Ireland?
* * *
“You guys ready to experience something totally savage?” Rick waggled his brows as he rubbed his palms together. Narisa, Kate, Craig, and I were standing out on the sidewalk. The air was much colder than it had been last night. I wasn’t sure if I’d made a colossal mistake in coming tonight. Was I crazy to trust Rick again after he brought us to that horrible bar last night?
My purse vibrated, and I slipped my hand inside. As the group started down the sidewalk, allowing Rick to lead us to the unknown, I looked down at my phone.
I miss you, baby. Why won’t you forgive me? Please, please forgive me. I love you.
How many times had Jax said those words to me? Moments after his icy fingers had detached from my neck, he’d apologized and begged for my forgiveness. But by then I had realized . . . his “I love yous” had no meaning.
And I was stronger now. The distance between us had given me even more clarity, and the way Adam treated me was a reminder that there were good guys out there. Maybe Adam wouldn’t be the one for me, but at least I knew that not all men were abusive—not all men raised their fists.
“You coming, Anna?” I looked up to see Narisa heading back to me. Everyone else had made it all the way down the block.
