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“You think he’s going to take care of you? I guarantee he can’t afford your tastes.”
“He’s shown me what love is! Not the fake façade you’ve given me!”
“The way I see it, he’s done enough damage to this family. The only way to fix it is to stop seeing him.”
“Is that why you showed up at his shop today and attempted to bribe him to stay away? Why don’t you want me to be happy? Because I don’t want to live my life as miserable as you two.” I snap my gaze between my parents.
“If he knew what was good for him, he would have taken the money. Instead, he left me no other choice. Either you break up with him and never see him again, or be with him and no longer be a part of this family.”
“You can’t be serious? An ultimatum?” My gaze shifts to my mom. “Mom? This can’t be real.”
She looks away, unable to look me in the eye. I knew my mom had no backbone, but this takes it to an all-new level.
“If you’re forcing me to choose, I will always pick Ledger. You know why? He would never do this to me!”
“I hope he can afford your expensive tastes because you’re cut off. Your credit card? Done. Your bills? Everything is now your responsibility. You have one week to remove all your belongings from the house before I change the locks.”
My face flames red hot. I can’t believe he’s doing this to his own daughter, and for what? Dating a guy he doesn’t approve of? Being happy? If that’s the case, I don’t want to be here. Yanking out my wallet, I chuck my black card his way, hitting him in the arm. “I don’t need it. I don’t need any of it. Most of all, I don’t need you.” I turn to my mom, who still can’t look at me. “You want to live this life, fine. But not me. I know what I want, and I won’t let you, either of you, take that away from me.”
I storm down the hallway and slam the front door behind me. Somehow, I’ve held it together, but once I’m a quarter mile down the road, everything hits me at once. Like a semi-truck barreling down the road at sixty miles per hour. My vision blurs from the tears pooling in my eyes. I slam on the brakes and pull off onto the dirt shoulder. A cloud of dust floats behind me.
I can’t believe that happened. All of it. I know Ledger doesn’t exactly fit into my world, but why does it matter? I love him. I. Love. Him. Pulling down the visor, I use the mirror and wipe away the moisture. Once I’m situated, I shove the shifter into drive and stomp on the gas with only one destination in mind.
THIRTY-FOUR
PERMANENT SLEEPOVERS
Ledger
I’m standing at my counter, squirting mustard onto a slice of bread, and then another. Grabbing the slice without the salami, I plop it on top of the other and smash it down. With both hands I lift the sandwich to my mouth when a light knock sounds on my door. I freeze.
The rapping starts again.
I drop my sandwich to the counter, stroll to the door, and pull it open. Her eyes are puffy and bloodshot. Something happened. The urge to kill someone is strong.
“Can I come in?” Her voice is soft and quiet, the opposite of her normal, cheerful self.
Pulling the door open farther, I step to the side, and she slides past me before turning around.
“My life is a mess.” Her gaze falls to the floor.
I’ve never seen her this defeated. Normally, she’s the one doing everything to make me smile and right now my heart hurts that she can’t smile herself. I hate seeing her like this. My jaw clenches, and I want to burn down the entire city just to get to whoever hurt her.
Stepping backward, I take a seat on a barstool at the counter. I reach for her wrists and pull her in between my spread legs. “Who do I have to kill?”
Her lips twist into a weak smile. “How do you feel about having a homeless girlfriend?”
“What are you talking about?” I run my hands up and down her arms.
Her fingers twist into knots between us. “Where do I start?” She exhales a deep breath.
I give her all the time she needs to collect her thoughts.
“After you told me about the check, I got a message from my parents wanting me to meet them at their house. As soon as I got there, I knew something was wrong. Then he showed me pictures from our day at the lake. Apparently, somehow, they ended up on the internet—”
“What the fuck? I never did that.”
“I know. I know you would never do something like that. But I don’t know how they got there. Anyway, after I confronted him about the check, he said if you were smart you would have taken the money. Then he gave me an ultimatum. My family or you. I chose the only thing that makes me happy.” Her gaze meets mine. “You.”
