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“This isn’t my story to tell,” he says with a pained expression.
I nod. I feel bad for putting him in this situation, coming to him for answers and making him choose between me and Chase. Then again, he did it to himself when he opened his big fat mouth two months ago, sparing the most important detail of all.
Obviously, he’s loyal to his friend, and I can’t fault him for that. It isn’t Drake’s place to give me answers. But his lack of response does nothing to ease my worry.
“Well, that’s cryptic.” I try to smile, but I know it’s shaky. I uncap my water bottle and take a small sip before pulling my phone out of my purse and checking the time. It’s only been thirty minutes since I last saw Chase, but the anxiety of our conversation to come has stretched out the minutes.
“How long do you think he’ll be?” I ask.
“Not too much longer, probably. He lives right down the street.”
I cock my head at him. “Of course he does.”
Drake smiles in response, but there isn’t much heart behind it. I don’t blame him. He doesn’t deserve to have the hot-mess express parked inside his living room for who knows how long.
“I’m sorry you’re caught up in all this,” I say quietly, gesturing in the air. The tears burn behind my eyes again. I’m sure I look insane, my raggedy hair giving life to the term messy bun, and dried mascara streaks down my cheeks.
I can’t bring myself to care, though. I’m so worn out from my trip here, the hormones, and the emotional roller coaster I’ve been riding the past few days that I have no energy to care about how I look.
Drake rises and walks the short distance between us to sit beside me before pulling me into his arms. “Listen, Addison, you’re not allowed to be sorry. Not for any of this. I know things seem difficult right now, but please hear him out. Chase is the best damn guy I know, and despite everything that’s going on right now, I know you know that too.”
Hearing his name feels like a bullet straight to the heart. I bring my hand up to rub the invisible pain in my chest, my breath coming shallow and fast.
Just then, the front door slams shut, and in two seconds flat, Chase is in front of me. He looks how I feel—scared, confused, pissed. His eyes shoot daggers at Drake, who only chuckles and removes his arm from around me.
I rise in slow motion, my cell phone falling from my lap and to the floor. Drake snatches it up and presses a few buttons. Afraid to open my mouth and say something I’ll regret, I just stand there chewing on and swallowing my words repeatedly. I watch Chase’s angry eyes throw daggers at Drake, whose movements are unaffected and unhurried.
When he’s finally done, Drake moves in front of me, his back to Chase, and hands me the phone.
“I put my number in there. Please use it if you need anything, at any time. I mean it, Addison.” His eyes are so sincere that I start to tear up again. I nod gently and watch as he shoots a warning look at Chase.
“You better fix this,” he mutters before leaving the room. Even when he’s completely out of view, I take a few more moments to gather my thoughts, tucking my phone away and righting my purse around me.
When my eyes finally land on Chase’s, I don’t let myself feel the sadness I see there. If I did, I know I’d rush into his arms and tell him that everything’s okay, even though it isn’t.
I might have some serious shit to talk to him about, but I’m not ready to let him off the hook for his omissions.
“You lied to me,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.
He nods, sending me a guilty look. “It wasn’t my intention to lie to you, but I guess I did. And you have every right to be mad at me, Addison. I just...” He shakes his head. “It’s really complicated.”
“Yeah, you could say that, Chase.” A bitter, humorless laugh bursts out of me. “So why don’t you uncomplicate it for me?”
He blinks twice, then rubs his hands over his face and groans.
“Okay,” he says slowly. “Yes, Willow is my daughter.”
I wait, but when it’s clear he has nothing else to say, I clench my jaw, my teeth jarring together painfully. I expected his confession to make me feel better, but if anything, our conversation is only fueling my anger. I don’t want to be angry. I know it won’t fix anything, and I know it won’t allow us to move forward, but getting my heart on board with my head is easier said than done.
“That’s all you have to say?”
“I’m sorry, Addison. I just don’t know what to say.” His arms are raised in defense. “I didn’t think it was important. I didn’t think I would ever see you again.”
“Yeah, I get it. We were only temporary.” I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself to continue. “But you also have to understand that it felt like a slap in the face when I saw you two together. You and Drake talked about her right in front of me and you said nothing.”
“I know. I know,” he says, nodding. “It’s not an excuse, but there was just a lot going on here. A lot that I just wanted to escape for a while. If we had talked about Willow, that would have opened the door for us to talk about everything else, and I wasn’t ready.”
“Everything else,” I mutter. I knew there’d be more. I’m just not sure I’m prepared to deal with it.
