Page 35

I didn’t want that.

I needed to be over him.

The pep talk I attempted to give myself crumbled.

Dropping my head into my hands, I sniffled as the first bout of tears began. Jamie moved just long enough to close the bedroom door. When he sat down this time, it was next to me. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he pulled me closer to him.

“You know, I should have known you were a big ass crybaby. My mama always told me that the meanest people were the most sensitive.”

“Shut up,” I muttered through my tears, smacking his hand. “I’m not sensitive.”

“The waterworks say otherwise, Love. No pun intended,” he grinned, making me smile.

“Why do I have a feeling you’re about to run discovering Love is my last name into the ground?”

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. We have more important things to focus on right now. Such as what has you so bothered.”

“Ugh,” I exclaimed. “I don’t know what the hell is going on with me. I’ve never been a crier. It’s embarrassing.”

“It’s human.”

“That’s funny, coming from you.”

Raising an eyebrow, he looked down at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“No offense,” I began, “But you’re one of the most stoic people I’ve ever met. The only time I’ve seen you even slightly bothered was the day you snapped at me, and you’re completely at ease and goofy when your brother is involved. But other than that, nothing.”

Circling his fingertips against my arm, Jamie chuckled. “That didn’t sound half as bad coming out of your mouth as it did when my ex said it. Then again, there were two different deliveries.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to dredge up any painful memories.”

“You’re good, Nyx. I won’t lie, that shit stung when she said it. I’ve been sitting on it for a while, trying to work out why it affected me so badly. I’m usually the type to let shit roll off my back.”

“Surprise, surprise,” I quipped, poking his cheek.

“Shut up.”

Pushing the envelope, and dropping my head onto his chest, I asked, “Did you ever figure out why her words bothered you?”

“Nah. I’m still in the middle of it. But I’m stuck between being mad that she would come at me so crazily when we were supposed to be better than that, or if there was some truth to her words that I haven’t wanted to face.”

“Do I get a vote?”

“No.” He shot me down quickly, causing me to giggle.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“I’ve been around you enough to have an idea. But, getting back to you, don’t let whatever’s trying to tear you down or whatever you’re going through strip anything from you that it didn’t give you.”

He fingered the notebook, and my breath quickened. I couldn’t believe what I was about to say.

“Go ahead,” I encouraged him to open it.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” My voice was barely above a whisper as I nodded toward it.

Flipping it open, Jamie stopped at the first page. The same one that almost took me out.