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“There’s nothing to stand by.”
“I disagree.”
I laughed a little because the way she said that reminded me of Leo and how his tone took on the same sharp sting whenever he spoke of something he cared about.
“Why?” I said.
She frowned at me. “Because I love my brother, and if you’re important to him, you’re important to me. Families stand by each other, no matter what.” When Regan hugged me, a fresh stream of tears trailed down my cheeks. She wasn’t even my real family and she was here.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
She stepped back and rifled through her purse. “Now, I want you to know I understand needing space, but if I was able to find you, Leo will be able to as well.”
I wanted to argue that I didn’t think Leo was necessarily wanting to see me, but it didn’t really make a difference.
“But I did tell one person I was coming to see you . . .” Regan pulled a well-used origami fortune-teller from her purse. It was the same one I’d made Lyssa on her birthday. “She wanted me to bring this to you. Said maybe you could use its magic.”
She handed me the paper and I took it, trying not to blubber all over it.
“Thank you,” I said, and Regan nodded.
“Well, I’ll let you rest, but here.” She handed me another piece of paper, only this one had a phone number on it. “Whatever happens, you can call me, okay?”
I nodded and between the two pieces of paper, I felt a little less alone. When Regan left, I sat on the bed, put my fingers into the origami, and asked it the one question that had been on my mind.
“Does Leo love me?”
I counted through the steps and arrived at the answer. Problem was, I couldn’t bring myself to read it.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I woke up to a loud, booming knock on the front door. After Regan l
eft the night before, I binged on junk food and reality TV and asked the fortune-teller several questions about my future. All of which didn’t look promising. In the end, I still felt like shit.
I got up and smoothed my shirt down, which was pointless, and tried to tame my hair. But between the lack of a hair tie and pulling a Cheeto out of one of the tangles, I didn’t think anything could subdue the red swamp I was currently rocking.
And in that moment, I didn’t really care.
I opened the door, ready to tell housekeeping I had plenty of towels when my face drained of all blood.
Leo.
He looked me over with a wild, relieved look. One I only saw for a moment because then his brows sliced down and he said, “What the fuck, Paige?”
He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into his arms for a hug, then jerked me back again only to look at me once more. It was like he’d been . . . worried. About me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I couldn’t find you, didn’t know where you went. I called Roman and he said you were coming back to the states, but no one would tell me where you were.” Something tortured crossed his face and I felt a ping of guilt. Leo had been scared? For me? “I finally got it out of Hazel where you were staying.” He shook his head. “Why did you leave, Paige?”
“Ah, you told me to.”
“Bullshit!” He squeezed me harder and something that looked like tears lined his lower lashes. “I never told you to leave. I was mad. Confused . . .”
“You didn’t believe me,” I whispered, those same stupid tears creeping up. Seeing Leo was too much. Too hard. From the way his eyes seared me to his smell, I couldn’t handle him being this close. Because all it made me want was more. More of him. Forever. And that wasn’t happening.
“I fucked up, Paige. I didn’t know what to believe. I’m sorry.”
