AllFreeNovel
Share Us
44
KATE
Ileft my medicine at his house. The realization feels like the cherry on top of a thoroughly craptastic day, but I don’t have the energy to call him. Not after walking away at the rink.
Besides, what good will it do? It’s not like I can ask someone to swing by his place and grab it for me, especially when no one’s available anyway. And the idea of Macklin making a special trip down the mountain to drop it off feels like salt in my wounds with everything happening between us.
After our fight at the rink, I’m not ready to see him again. Not yet. Not until he’s had time to make a decision.
I hate how a small part of me already knows what he’s going to say. Who he’s going to choose. I hate how I can’t blame him for picking his daughters over me. I hate how I’d almost be disappointed if he surprised me by choosing me instead of them. Because I know him. I know how much he loves his daughters. And I know it would bite us both in the butt down the road. Maybe not tomorrow or even a month or a year from now. But in the long run? He’d resent me. Hell,I’dresent myself.
What I hate the most is how much I miss him. It’s only been a few hours, but I can’t help it. I do. I miss the way he knew how to get me out of my own head. I miss the way he’d hold me and kiss my forehead. I miss how he made me feel sexy and desirable yet never made me feel like I was an object or a thing to be used.
I miss the way he knew how to push me without pissing me off. Okay, scratch that. He pissed me off on multiple occasions, but he did it in a way that almost made me like him more for it. Which is insane. I also miss the way he made me feel important. Special. The way he managed to put all of the broken pieces back together that had fallen apart after my diagnosis. The way he slipped past my defenses and made me feel accepted.
I puff out my cheeks and shove aside the thought, bottling up my emotions likebefore. Before we met. Before I fell for him. Before I thought I was worthy of feelinganything, afraid it would inconvenience someone.
Then again, I guess it has, so…
Mack was supposed to pick me up from work tomorrow. Since that most likely isn’t happening after today’s events, I need a ride. Sometimes, I hate being responsible. Sometimes, I hate caring. If I was smart, I’d call in sick, having already learned my lesson from earlier today. But nope. Instead, I have to care about Anna and the other waitresses who would have to step up if I was a no-show. I can’t do it. It isn’t fair to them.
However, finding a ride for tomorrow’s shift when it’s two in the morning isn’t exactly an easy feat. Ash is sleeping at Colt’s place, and Blake and Theo are tucked inside her bedroom. Mia’s door is half open, the glow from her bedroom light seeping into the hallway.
I tiptoe closer and tap my knuckles against the hard wooden surface. “Hey.”
Mia’s head snaps up, and she tucks her phone under her thigh as if she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t. “Oh.” Her expression fills with relief. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I repeat.
With an awkward smile, she asks, “What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you’re busy tomorrow afternoon?”
“Um…” Her phone dings with a message, and she flinches but doesn’t answer it. “What time?”
“Four or so?”
“My shift doesn’t start until seven, so nope. Not busy.” She shifts slightly on the mattress, almost uncomfortable, though I can’t figure out why. Seriously, the girl’s acting weird. Shifty. On edge.
Suspicion flares in my gut. “Everything okay?”
“Yup. Why are you asking about my schedule?”
“Blake’s taking me, but I kind of need a ride home from work.”
“Oh. Sure thing.” She waves me off. “I can pick you up before my shift.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Perfect. Thanks. Also…”
“Yes?”
“Any chance you’d be willing to swing by Mack’s place afterward with me? It’s about a thirty-minute drive.”
“Yeah, no problem,” she replies, glancing down at her lap, distracted.
“Perfect. Thanks. And Mia?”
She looks up at me again. “Yeah?”
