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“I feel like a silly fool for running off like that.”
“Don’t. You have every right to be upset, Chloe. Patches was your best friend.”
“One of my best friends,” she whispered.
My heart stalled. I couldn’t let her marry that asshole, not without telling her how I felt.
Placing her hands over her face, she let out a frustrated growl. “Everything is changing. Why can’t it just be like it was before?”
I had no idea if she was talking about us or not. This was my chance. I had to tell her how I really felt, or I might never get it out.
Walking over to her, I lifted her chin and our eyes locked.
Kiss her.
Tell her.
Do something, Rip! Now!
Her blue eyes were bloodshot, and she looked exhausted. “We should probably head back up to the house. I’m sure my mother is worried.”
“Don’t marry him, Chloe.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “What did you say?”
I shook my head. There was no going back now. “I said, don’t marry him. Don’t marry Easton.”
Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away rapidly as she took a step back. “And why shouldn’t I marry him?”
“He won’t ever be able to love you like I love you. No one will ever love you like that.”
A single tear slipped free and trailed down her face. I watched it until it traveled the length of her cheek and dropped to the floor. Then I met her stare.
“You’re telling me this now?” Her voice cracked.
I rubbed the back of my neck. Afraid to even look her in the eyes.
“Now. You decide to tell me now?”
The lump in my throat was making it hard for me to speak. I cleared my throat. “I…I wanted to tell you that day.”
My voice cracked, and I stopped talking. She stared at me, disbelief all over her face. “I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, Chloe. You mean the world to me, and I was scared. I was shocked you had admitted it. If you had just given me a few minutes to process it… I tried to talk to you after that. To tell you I felt the same way and explain why taking the next step scared the hell out of me. But you wouldn’t let me.”
“Is that why you left Texas A&M? You left because I was dating Easton?”
I narrowed my brows. “Does it matter?”
“Yes!” she screamed. “Right now, it matters. Tell me the truth!”
Her anger nearly filled the entire small cabin.
“Yes. I left because I couldn’t stand the sight of you with him. Every time I saw him touch you, I wanted to punch him.”
Chloe turned away and grabbed onto the back of a chair. Her other hand was over her stomach.
“The thought of losing you forever has always scared me. There were so many times in high school I wanted to kiss you, but I was afraid you would tell me you just wanted to be friends. I didn’t dare believe you felt the same.”
Her shoulders shook, and I knew she was crying.
“Chloe, I’m sorry I…”
She spun around and cleared her face of tears. “You were afraid? You don’t think I was afraid when I told you how I felt? You didn’t think we could love each other enough to make it work?”
“I…I tried to talk to you, Chloe, and you pushed me away.”
“You asshole! Now you tell me!”
I jumped when she yelled.
“I’m sorry.”
Her hands came up and covered her mouth as she cried again. When I walked toward her, she held out her hand.
“Stop! You don’t get to console me, Rip. Not when it’s you who is ripping out my heart right now!”
“What?” I asked, instantly feeling like someone had reached into my chest and done the same to me. I took a step toward her, and she took one away.
“It was supposed to be you! It was always supposed to be you.”
My eyes burned with the threat of tears. “What was supposed to be me?”
She shook her head frantically and put her hand out again when I tried to walk to her.
“Don’t, Rip. Don’t you dare try to make this better now. It will never be better!”
“Chloe, I wanted to tell you that day. I tried for weeks to get you to talk to me and you wouldn’t. You kept telling me to forget it, that it had never happened. What did you want me to do?”
“Fight for me!” she said, tears streaming down her face. “For us. I poured my heart out to you that day, and you stomped on it. What was I supposed to do?”
I shook my head. “You mean everything to me, Chloe, and what if we didn’t work out?”
“Goddamn it, Rip! How could we not have worked out? I loved you, and you’re telling me you felt the same.”
A feeling so hard hit me in the chest, I took a few steps away from her. “Loved?”
