Regan stops shoving clothes into her bag like a madwoman when I say, “If you want to yell at me, Rae, yell at me. If you want to slam a door in my face, slam it in my face. But if you want me to help you with whatever is eating you alive, you need to talk to me. I am many things, but I am not a mind reader.”
“That’s half the problem, Alex. I don’t know who the fuck you are.” She points to her bedroom door as if it is a paradox to the universe. “Only two nights ago, you told me the only thing I’d ever do in your bed was sleep. Then we. . .”
“Fucked?” I fill in, hating the word, but not as much as I loathe her inability to describe what we have as something more than just a physical connection.
“Yes!” She throws her hands into the air, firmly holding her ground. “Then you were all alpha possessive with my dad like no one would ever come between us, before you went and. . .”
“And. . .?” I prompt, lost on the direction of her conversation this time around.
The anger on her face morphs to dislike. “You took Ayden’s side by excusing his lies the same way you do yours.”
“I didn’t excuse his lies. I accepted them. That’s different.”
She lets out of frustrated squeal before she starts packing again. “A lie is a lie; you’re not supposed to use them on the people you love.”
One word, and I’m feeling more emotional than angry. Her “L” reference could be directed at Ayden, but after the day we’ve had, it seems more aimed at me.
Testing a theory, I ask, “So you’ve never hidden a truth to save a loved one heartache? Or kept someone’s secret just because they asked you to?”
I know I’ve hit the nail on the head when the resentment in her eyes fades with each question fired from my mouth.
“Ayden was deceitful, Rae, but he didn’t intentionally set out to hurt you. I’ve only just met him, but I know protecting you and your family comes before anything else.”
“You don’t know that,” Regan barely whispers, her words forced through a sob sitting in the back of her throat. “You don’t know him. You barely know me.”
That hurts to hear, but it doesn’t stop me from saying, “I know you, and although I’ve only just met your family, nothing will stop me from keeping them safe, because I know how important they are to you. Furthermore, Ayden has your blood in his veins, Regan. That automatically makes you his number one priority.”
She remains quiet for several moments while my thoughts run wild. I’m skating on thin ice here. One wrong move and I’m either history or heading for greatness. I rake my fingers through my hair while contemplating what to do next. I could dismiss Regan’s frustration as a family issue, but deep down inside, I know Ayden’s confession isn’t the sole reason the little vein in her neck is working overtime. Some of the blame rests on my shoulders.
I exhale a deep breath.Fuck it. I’m already sitting in a very deep hole, so what’s a few more inches between friends?
After removing the designer garment from Regan’s hand, I dump it on the ground before pulling her into my chest. The annoyed grunt she releases when her beloved dress lands at our feet gives me an excuse for the extra thump of my heart when I say, “Don’t ever doubt someone’s love because they’re required to keep minor details from you. Let actions speak on behalf of the words they can’t express.”
I was originally referring to Ayden and his disclosure, but the heavy sentiment bouncing between Regan and me shifted my focus. I’m not surprised. I can’t have her this close to me and think rationally. It is impossible.
I silently will for Regan to open up to me. When she doesn’t, I plead, “Talk to me, Rae. Let me help you.”
The hope in my tone compels her head to pop off my chest. If I had any doubt about how profoundly this woman has crawled under my skin, I am certain now. I thought love was supposed to be blind, not smack you upside the head?
After a quick swallow, Regan faintly whispers, “My parents are good people; they don’t deserve to have all their children lying to them.”
As the truth smacks into me, I nod. This isn’t about Ayden, Danielle, or me. This is about Regan, and the secret she’s been carrying the past eight years.
“Did you lie to hurt them?”
Regan angrily swipes at a tear careening down her cheek before shaking her head.
“Then it’s okay. They’ll forgive you—”
“They can’t forgive me if I have no intention of telling them I lied.”
I smirk, hearing the deceit in her tone a mile out. She is so close to cracking, she just needs a little more confidence. This weekend has been as good for her as it’s been for me. Peering down at her now, I barely see the hurt, tormented woman I witnessed staring at the sky every night at precisely 10:03 the past six months. That woman is nearly gone, almost vanished.
This may make me sound conceited, but I feel partly responsible for the drastic upshift in her personality. Not because I’m a giver and she’s a taker, but because for every boost she gives me, I return it. Despite social status or amounts in our bank accounts, we are even.
“If you don’t ever tell your parents what happened the night of Luca’s accident, that’s your choice, Rae.” She attempts to interrupt me, but I keep talking, “But if one day you want to get it off your shoulders, I’ll be right at your side, supporting you.”
She tugs her blouse sleeve over her hand before using it to clear a few tears stranded on her cheeks. Once she is confident her face is moisture-free, she cautions, “You shouldn’t say stuff like that to me.”
