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“Tripp?”
Harley’s voice pulled me from the memory.
“Sorry, I was thinking about a case.”
A slight smile formed on her mouth. She knew what I was thinking about, and I knew she knew. “Here are some pancakes. Do you want more?”
I shook my head. “No. This is good.”
A lump formed in my throat as I thought about how many amazing memories Harley and I shared. I still had the panties from that day tucked in the back of one of my drawers. That probably made me seem like a fucking creeper, but it was one of the few things I had from Harley that I had kept. Most were tucked away in a box in my parents’ attic. But those panties and a handwritten note she had written and given to me at our high school graduation were the two things I had always kept close at hand.
“How are your ribs feeling?”
“They hurt.”
“Well, be sure to take your pain pills and rest today.”
She nodded. “Hopefully they’ll feel better by this evening for your mom’s dinner.”
Our eyes met and there were unspoken words between us.
My phone beeped, and I pulled it out. It was a text from Mallory asking if we could meet early…a late breakfast because she had to get her hair done for tonight.
I stood. “I need to leave.”
Her eyes watered and she turned quickly. “Just leave your plate. I’ll get it.”
“Harley, about earlier.”
Holding up her hand, she shook her head. “It’s okay, Tripp. Don’t worry about it.”
“You don’t understand.”
She faced me, her face in a hard, neutral expression. “Just don’t. Please don’t. Not when you just got a text from your girlfriend. I can’t do this…not right now.”
Her voice cracked, and it about killed me. My stomach twisted in knots. I walked over to her and placed my hands on her arms. She pulled away, wrapping her arms around her body. I knew it had to hurt because she winced.
“Promise me one thing, Harley.”
She swallowed hard. “What?” she whispered. Her voice barely audible.
“Promise me we’ll talk. Soon. I need you to understand about what happened earlier.”
Her eyes dropped to the floor. “I think it’s pretty clear where we stand on things, Tripp.” Jerking her eyes back up to me, anger turned them almost black. “You can show yourself out.”
And like that, she walked down the hallway to her bedroom. When I heard the door shut, I scrubbed my hands down my face. I wanted to fix things with Harley, but I needed to get things straightened out with Mallory first.
Time to face the music.
“Fuck,” I groaned as I picked up my truck keys and wallet. My feet felt like lead as I made my way to her front door. Turning the handle, I glanced over my shoulder.
“I love you. I’ll always love you,” I whispered before walking out her door and closing it behind me.
“You did what?” my mother asked as she gently placed my shoes next to my bed.
“I told Toby I couldn’t go with him tonight. It wasn’t fair to continue to date him when I had feelings for another man.”
She was attempting to hide her smile and failing. Big time.
“Don’t act like you’re not happy, Momma. I see it in your eyes.”
With a simple shrug, she motioned for me to sit in the chair in front of my vanity.
“You don’t see a thing in my eyes, Harley. Now, if you were in my head, you’d be hearing a heck of a lot things.”
I chuckled.
Sitting in the chair—carefully because of my ribs—I stared at my reflection. My grin faded as I looked at myself. I looked tired. Stressed to the max, and more confused than I had ever been in my entire life. The once-determined woman looking back at me who’d had it in her mind she would move back to Oak Springs and get the life she wanted, was nearly an empty shell. Ready to give up and pack her bags.
My mother brushing my hair instantly relaxed me, even more than the hot bath I had taken after Tripp left to go meet with his…girlfriend.
“Do you want to talk about it?” my mother softly asked.
My chin trembled and I pulled my lip between my teeth, gently biting down to keep my emotions in check. My mother knew Tripp had stayed here last night because he had told my parents he was going to. The moment she walked into my house, she was chomping at the bit to get me to tell her what happened.
I closed my eyes, feeling a single tear slip down my cheek.
“Oh Momma, I think I’m more in love with him now than I was the day I left him with that stupid lie.”
She paused what she was doing. When I opened my eyes, she was smiling at me. There was no pity, just plain ol’ happiness.
