Page 120 of Love Unspoken

I pulled my hand away.

I pushed my chair back and got up. I walked to the wall-to-ceiling windows and looked out at the charming city that I called home.

"You need to talk to your father. I told you I needed time, and you keep pushing me, trying to force feelings that aren't there."

Kath ran up to me and yanked my arm so I'd face her. Her eyes widened, and for the first time, I saw a crack in her calm and confident, I have you exactly where I want you, Lucas façade. "Sweetie, I'm not trying to force anything⁠—"

"Yes, you are," I cut her off, my voice harder than I intended. "You know damn well what you're doing. You're playing on our history, on our families, to push me into a relationship I'm not ready for. And I'm not fuckin' having it."

She looked at me, really saw me, and panic rose in her eyes. "But Lucas, we belong together. You know that. We've always been meant to be."

I shook my head, the anger simmering just below the surface. "I won't be coerced, Kath, so ask your father to back the fuck off, and do not ask my mother to talk to me either. She's done plenty of that, and it hasn't moved me closer to you; in fact, it's done the opposite."

Her bottom lip quivered. "You're just confused. I know you're still hurting because of Mercer. I think that's why you're not thinking clearly. Once you have had some time⁠—"

"Stop," I said, my voice like ice. "I'm not confused, Kath. I'm not jumping back into somethin' just because it's easy or because it's what everyone expects."

Her face crumpled, tears spilling over. "Lucas, I love you."

"I know, but this pressure campaign needs to stop."

She stared at me, and I saw the realization sink in. "It will. I promise."

I exhaled a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. "Thanks, Kath. Let's try to be friends first, yeah?"

"We've always been⁠—"

"For the past five years, we've been colleagues," I cut in.

She sighed and then gave me a small smile. She cupped my cheek. "I love you so much, Lucas. Please give us a chance."

"I am giving us a chance but that means we take it slow."

Is that really what I wanted? Or did I just want to end this? When had I become such an indecisive prick?

She went on tiptoe and brushed her lips against mine. "Whatever you want," she promised, her eyes warm and loving now. But they didn't match the love and warmth I got from Amara, I thought unfairly.

And that's when the epiphany struck me. Maybe all of this indecision was actually a choice, a clear sign that I didn't love Kath anymore. What I'd been feeling was the aftermath of a long and volatile childhood love, the one I'd lost, who I'd wanted back then. My confusion came not from Kath but from leaving Amara.

Grandma was right. I needed to understand myself first—to look within and figure out who I was—before I could discover whom I loved.

ELEVEN

AMARA

Jax had been invited to participate in a celebrity golf tournament, and when he'd asked me to come along as his plus one, I hadn't hesitated. It wasn't just about escaping Charleston, though that was part of it but it was also about seeing Jax in his element, surrounded by people who knew him, who understood his world. And, honestly, it was about having fun, which I'd been sorely missing since my relationship with Lucas ended.

As we drove to Myrtle Beach, the ocean sparkled in the distance, waves gently lapping the shore, and the air was rich with the scent of salt, sunscreen, and beachside grills.

"This is just the kind of break I needed." I leaned back in the comfortable leather seat of Jax's car.

"I don't know how you're surviving without taking any vacation off," Jax muttered.

I had not taken a holiday this summer, and during my time off between summer and Fall semester, I'd been nursing a broken heart and didn't feel like going anywhere. But now, months had passed. There was distance. I couldn't say I had gotten over Lucas, but I could admit that I was more than ready to work at it.

"I'm having one now, thanks to you," I pointed out.

"This is just a long weekend, sugar," Jax grumbled, "Not a vacation."