“Grey is apparently spending the weekend here now. Are you ready to head back?”
“Just us?” I ask even though it’s clear that’s exactly what he meant.
“Yep.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and then presses the softest of kisses to my lips.
“Seriously?” Calla groans and walks out.
I should tell him that she knows, and he doesn’t have to fake it in front of her, but I don’t. At this point, I’m taking anything I can get from Simon.
Eventually, I’ll find the man who will want to make a life with me.
And no matter how much my heart is falling for him, it won’t be Simon.
I just need a little longer to come to terms with it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SIMON
I needed an excuse to kiss Greer. Which is exactly why I’d kissed her in front of my sister, even knowing my sister knew the truth. I’ll handle my sister later when she will no doubt question me about it, but I’d been watching Greer all night with my family, and just like Monday when I woke up to her next to me in my bed, it felt right.
Everything about her being here with me is right.
But like all the times before, this part of me, the dark part, says I can’t have it.
I steal a glance her way as we drive down the road. She hasn’t spoken much since we left, but I just chalked it up to the fact that my mom asked her every single question known to man in just under four hours. I’m not exaggerating either. I officially know that Greer was vaccinated as a kid. Yep. My mom asked that. I told Greer she didn’t need to answer, but she seemed to love everything about the inquisition.
“Are you okay?” I ask after a few more minutes of silence.
She nods.
“Okay.”
“Actually, no. What’s the real reason you wanted me there tonight? And don’t say it’s so your mom will stop asking you about a girlfriend. You’re a grown man, Simon. You can just tell her you don’t have one.”
I suck in a breath, my eyes on the road. She’s not wrong, but how much do I tell her?
“I want the truth this time.”
And she deserves it. After all, she’s been helping me all summer, and outside of a paycheck, what have I ever done for her?
“I…” is all I get out before the words get stuck.
I clear my throat, ready to try again, but Greer speaks first.
“You don’t have to tell me. I just?—”
“I do want to tell you. I’m just not used to sharing this with a lot of people.”
“Please don’t feel like you have to share it with me.”
“I want to.”
She waits for me to find my words again.
“When Grey’s mom died, I…”
It’s like my body knows that telling Greer will change things. There won’t be anything left to tell her after I do this.
