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Dad sat on the couch. “You need Everly.”
“Shouldn’t I be able to handle things on my own?”
“There’s no shame in having a woman by your side,” Dad said reasonably.
“There’s no rule that says you must do things a certain way. And you two have always leaned on each other,” Mom’s voice softened.
Dad rested a hand on my shoulder. “Start with an apology. You have this thing with Wren to resolve first. Then you can think about the rest.”
“I need to talk to her. I need to see her.”
“Go,” Mom said. “We’ll clean up and let ourselves out. Remember to eat tonight. You’ll need your energy for tomorrow.”
I kissed Mom’s cheek and squeezed Dad’s shoulder. It was a weak plan, but it was a start. I couldn’t let Everly think that her father didn’t want her. It might have been true, but that was his fault. He was the asshole. Not her. She shouldn’t be wasting any more time on someone who didn’t see her value.
Did she see me as someone who didn’t know what she was worth? Panicked now, I grabbed my keys and headed across town to Everly’s apartment. She lived in a nondescript apartment complex with square brick buildings. I didn’t know how she’d lived here for so long. But I could only imagine she’d let her father’s absence and her mother’s vitriol get to her. She didn’t think she was worth more. But she was. She deserved everything. And I needed to figure out a way to tell her.
I lifted my fist to knock on her door. The curtains were drawn, which was odd for Everly’s place. It wasn’t much, but she kept it decorated nicely with fresh flowers and cheerful curtains that were always open during the day.
Worried, I knocked again harder.
Finally, the door slowly opened. Everly answered, her clothes rumpled, her cheeks puffy like she’d been crying. “What are you doing here?”
Something eased inside my chest. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. I need to talk to you.”
Suddenly more alert, Everly asked, “Is Wren okay?”
“I haven’t heard anything. Jackson’s filing an emergency motion for custody first thing tomorrow, but that’s not why I’m here.”
“It’s not?” Everly bit her lower lip.
“I needed to see you. To make sure you were okay. I need to apolo—” Suddenly feeling self-conscious, I looked around to see if anyone was listening. “Can I come in?” I felt stripped down, and I didn’t want to have this conversation outside where anyone could hear us.
She hesitated, and for a second, I was scared she wouldn’t let me inside. Finally, she pushed open the door. Inside, I took in the messy kitchen with dishes in the sink and food on the counter, the curtains drawn.
“Are you okay? I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
Everly stood by the door, her arms crossed over her chest. “You sure did.”
“I didn’t mean what I said. I was lashing out. Pushing you away.”
“Why?” Her eyes filled with pain.
I wanted to ease it, but I couldn’t. She was rigid, her arms crossed over her body in a protective gesture. She wasn’t open to me touching her. “I said the one thing that would ensure you walked away. I felt like I needed to handle the thing with Wren on my own.”
“Why? I wanted to be there for you. That’s what a relationship is, unless you don’t think of us as being in one. Unless this entire thing has been fake from the beginning.” Everly’s shoulders were slightly rounded as if she felt the need to protect herself from my response.
“It was real for me. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I knew it for sure, but I love you. That’s real. Our friendship is real. The future I want to build with you is real. I shouldn’t have said it. I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I’d say I didn’t want to hurt you, but that would be a lie. Hurting you was the intended effect.”
Everly shook her head and laughed. “At least you’re honest.”
“I’m being real with you. Open and honest.” I wasn’t sure if it would make a difference.
She fell silent, her lips in a stubborn line.
“Can we sit?” I hadn’t slept or eaten much. I felt like I was going to collapse. “I need to.” I moved into her living room, hoping she’d follow.
She did, but she remained standing in the doorway.
