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“What did you do to him?” I already know, but I need to know if he’s going to be truthful with me. I figure he will be, since he had no qualms about telling me he killed his father.
“I killed him. I had to—I thought he’d hurt you. After that, Lya confronted me and I panicked completely. So I kidnapped her. I thought she was going to leave me—thatyouwere going to leave me again. I told her everything; I was still convinced she was you at that point.
“Then her three goons showed up, knocked me out, and beat me. Lya was able to convince me that she wasn’t you, and eventually Zep shot me in the leg. They left me for dead in that room and never looked back.”
He leans back in his seat, keeping his eyes trained on me, waiting for a reaction. I remain silent, taking it all in. Everything he’s said aligns with what Lya told me—he’s been honest with me, and I can tell he’s ashamed of his actions. But can I get past them?
Clearly I’m attracted to him. Physically, I want him, but is my heart ready to accept him? To accept all of his wrongdoings? It’s not like I haven’t done horrific things too. I have my own issues, so I can’t judge him too harshly. Every part of my body screams to give him a chance, but my head is getting in the way.
“Say something, please.” He runs his hands through his hair, his leg bouncing up and down nervously, waiting for my reply.
“I don’t know what to say. It’s a lot... You’ve done so many bad things, but I can understand some of the reasons behind your actions—not all, but some.” I don’t want to lie to him. There are so many things wrong with this whole situation.
“I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life making it up to you, if you give me this chance. A chance to show that I’ve changed, that I’m trying to be a better man for you. I made so many mistakes and I’m not trying to make excuses. Just let me prove that I can be better. That deep down, I’m not that man.”
“You need to understand that I’ve spent nine years ripped in half at the thought of you giving up on me. Now I find you again, just to learn you have a past with my sister. None of that is normal, Greyson.”
His brows pinch together, his lips purse, and guilt swirls in his bright ocean blues. “I know I fucked up so badly. I can’t change the past, but please, all I’m asking for right now is a chance.”
Shit.I’m probably about to make the biggest mistake of my life. All of this could turn bad in a heartbeat, but the history, pain, anger, and fear we share might turn into something beautiful. He’s right—he does have a lot to make up for. A lot to atone for, but he’s already trying.
Now that I’m sure he didn’t betray me, it makes it easier to want to give him a chance, but there’s still all of this history with Lya to deal with. He may have thought she was me, but the thought of them together still stings. I also have to think about how Lya will feel when she eventually finds out.
“Okay. We can try this, but if you hurt me? I’m done. I won’t even think twice about ending this. Understand?” I’m being stern, but it’s what he needs. He might be stubborn like me, but he seems pretty receptive to my demands. Every part of me realizes this is a dangerous game to be playing, but there’s something about this devil in front of me that I can’t seem to stay away from. I’m addicted.
“Of course. Anything. I’ll show you the man I want to be for you.” He gives me a soft, hopeful smile.
Silence surrounds us for a few more minutes, until our waitress arrives with our food. After that, we fall into an easy conversation about anything other than Lya, the guys, and our shared past. This is going to be a long road of healing and growing, but maybe we can both turn into the people we were always meant to be.
After a while, I catch a glimpse of the shabby clock on the wall beside us. “Oh my god, Greyson. How is it almost four? Lya’s going to be at the library to pick me up any minute. We have to go!” My voice is laced with panic. My heart starts beating erratically, like it’s going to jump out of my chest.
“Okay, let me pay and we’ll go.” His tone is calm, like this isn’t a big deal. All I can do is glare at him.
“This is serious, Greyson. Do you want this to end? Do you want us to be over before we even get to begin?” My voice is cold and detached. I know I’m being dramatic, but I’d only just accepted the idea of us being together. It can’t end already.
“Thisisserious. I know that better than anyone else. I’ve spent the last nine years going to bed thinking about you, only to wake up with you on my mind, again and again. Lainey, you’re my world. But panicking is not going to help. We’ll figure it out.”
He slides his hand across the table to squeeze mine before he gets up to go pay. He’s right, panicking won’t help, but I can’t stop myself. One thing I know for sure is that Greyson Nash has gripped my heart so hard that it’d take everything in the world to get his hooks out of me. That’s terrifying.
Heading back to the library, I can feel the tension swirling in the car. Most of it is radiating off of me, but I can also feel how tense Greyson is. He’s gripping the wheel so tightly, his knuckles are turning white. His jaw is set, and his eyes are firmly planted on the road.
I place my hand on his thigh, mimicking his action from the car ride to the restaurant. His leg tenses, before he relaxes, realizing it’s just me.He must be really checked out right now.He drops his right hand from the wheel and squeezes mine, but doesn’t say a word.
As we get closer to the library, I don’t see Lya’s car, so I’m guessing we beat her back.Thank god.
“Uh, just in case, can you park a couple of blocks down and I’ll walk back?”
Greyson nods, pulling over further down the road.
“Angel, I had a great time with you today. Not exactly how I thought it would go, but it was nice to spend time with you.” His voice is soft as he looks at me, eyes searching mine.
A smile tugs at my lips. “Me too, Greyson. It was nice to do something that wasn’t at the library or at home, even if it did make me cry.”
“Sneak out tonight. Come stay with me.” Greyson’s voice is no longer soft, but demanding.
“What? Are you serious? I can’t sneak out. Lya will find out.”
That seriously came out of nowhere. We only just went on our first real date, if you could even call it that. Sneaking out to spend time with him is risky. Even though I sneak out on my own all the time, if I got caught I’d never have to come up with a story about where I was.
