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I don’t know if I want to escape.
At least this way, there’s still a part of her that’s with me, even if it’s miniscule. It has to be enough.
He grunts, “Not sleeping?”
“No.”
“It’s your own fault.”
Now it’s my turn to grunt because I have nothing else to say. He’s right, it is my own fault. I got attached after I said I wouldn’t. This is why none of my previous relationships lasted beyond a shag.
“I almost forgot.” That little smirk of his is back, and I don’t think I like it. He pulls a small Ziploc bag from his back pocket, filled with what looks to be small squares of confetti. “This is for you.”
“Thank you?” I can’t decide if that was a question or a statement as I take the bag, and before I can jam the weird gift in my pocket, Rhett holds up a finger.
“You might want to look in that bag before you throw it away.”
He rocks back on his heels and whistles as I open the bag. Great, still looks like confetti, but then I get a closer look. Is that…? No way.She wouldn’t.I pull out a few pieces and with a curse, throw the damn bag in a nearby bin.
“My sister doesn’t need your pity money.” He crosses his arms and his eyes narrow on me.
“It’s not pity; it was part of our arrangement. I get some fake dates, and she gets…” I run my hands through my hair and pace the width of the hallway in front of him. “Look, I’m sorry about everything. I know I fucked up.”
“Have you told Avery that?”
“No, and I’m not going to. We’re both better off.”
His brow raises, and I swear the corner of his mouth twitches. “Says who?”
“Don’t start lecturing me, Mr. I-Finally-Found-My-Feelings. You and I both knew this was a bad idea from the start, and I… I told you I wasn’t like you. I don’t do relationships or feelings, or any of that other bullshit. I just don’t have it in me.”
He doesn’t say anything at first. He just stands there, staring at me with that damn brow in the air. “Says who?”
“Is that all you can say?” I toss my hands in the air. Dramatic? Yes. Do I care? No. “Says me, okay? Love breaks people. Is that what you want me to say? My mom was my dad’s whole world, and when she died, he was a broken man. My dad died that day, too, and our whole family was fractured. He turned his back on us—me and my brothers. I was eleven years old, and in all reality, I lost both my parents in that accident. And guess what? We never came back from that. That’s what love does, Remington. It gives someone the power to destroy you, to take everything you thought you had in life and set it on fire. I don’t want to feel that again. I can’t.”
He stops my pacing with a hand on my shoulder and steps forward, thoroughly invading my space. His eyes soften, and I don’t want it. I want him to be mad at me, just like I am.
I don’t need his pity or his concern. I did this to myself.
“I’m going to tell you something a friend told me. Your dad doesn’t define you, and your actions are your own.”
“Fuck off.” I shrug off his hand and continue pacing.
“Does that mean what you were saying wasn’t true?”
I stop and heave a breath. “No. It just doesn’t apply to me. And yes, I’m realizing how ridiculous that sounds.”
“I’m only going to ask you once, so think about it before you give me an answer. Do you love my sister?”
Again, my answer is right there, but this time I can taste the lie and it’s bitter. Do I love Avery?
Sure, she makes me happy in a way no one else ever has—and I don’t just mean sexually. She’s one of the smartest people I know, her story is brilliant, and I know it will do well once she gets it out there. She’s a little shy, innocent, but I love that about her.
Mason is the best baby in the world, and she’s a fantastic mother. He’s her first priority, and I know she loves him more than anything.
It’s exactly what I would want for my kids if I ever had them.
She fit—with me, with my life.
