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Tears burned behind my eyelids. “I know. I know I should have never let Margo talk me into that. Into writing the letters for her.”
“That’s not even it!” he roared. Harsh breaths sawed in and out of him as he was struggling to remain in control of his emotions.
Tears streamed down my face. “I should have told you—”
“You’re goddamn right you should have told me.” Emotion was strong in his voice, and it nearly broke me. “You, of all people, know how much guilt I carried about the night Margo died. Knowing that I was the last person to talk with her. That I was the reason she stormed out of that wedding and was walking down that dark country road. But I never told you what we argued about. What the last thing I said to her was.”
Confusion was evident on my face as I stood there, stunned, and shook my head. “What did you say?”
“I said she wasn’tyou! She was jealous that you and I were always cutting up and having a good time. She wanted to know why it couldn’t be like that between us. So, yeah, I’m pissed you didn’t tell me you wrote the letters.” He tugged at his hair. “How many fucking years did we waste?”
Stunned, I could only blink up at him.
“Yeah, Annie, I’m fucking pissed at you. You don’t even get it. Youdon’t. You think this is about some fucking Matchmakers' Gala or winning some pathetic prize money or catching a break from desperate women at bars. You think I fell for you because we were put in romantic situations and I couldn’t help myself? You’re so goddamn wrong. What you don’t realize is that I have been in love with you for the better part of my entire life. It wasalwaysyou, Annette. We were cheated out of years of this.” His arm gestured between us. “Of feeling known and seen and being fuckingloved.You did that.”
His hand scrubbed at the back of his neck.
“I know.” When I could no longer hold back my sob, it consumed me. “I know. I made that choice, and it was all my fault. I thought I was doing the right thing. But then the auction happened and then our dates and I couldn’t hide it anymore. I know we said it was fake when we started. I thought I could keep my emotions buried and hold on to that secret for your sake. But you never said anything! Not once in all of our time being friends.”
Hurt and embarrassment mixed with anger and sadness.
Lee scoffed. “What if I had told you, and we couldn’t be best friends anymore? You don’t think that scared the shit out of me? Because typical Lee couldn’t help himself but want to see you naked and hold you and be with you. I took you however I could have you.”
Tears streamed down my face. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know how you felt. Then it all started to feel soreal. I wasn’t sure what to think. By the time the dates were happening, I was in so deep I couldn’t figure out how to get myself out anymore.”
Lee surged forward, his hands diving into my hair and his fingers pressed into the base of my skull. “You want to know how I feel? I love you. Do you need me to say it again? I fucking love you. I loved you every time I watched you date some asshole who didn’t deserve you. I loved you every time I took a woman home and wished it was you. I loved you. I convinced myself you could never love me in the same way, so I loved you the only way I could. But watching Charles string you around and toy with your emotions, I couldn’t stand it. Once I gave in, there was no holding back. So, yeah, I’m fucking pissed at you.” Lee pointed over my shoulder at the bar. “So I’m gonna go back in there and finish my beer and go home.Alone.I need time to figure out how the hell we are going to get over this.”
Lee moved past me without another word, and I jumped as the heavy metal door slammed behind him.
I sank to my knees, hugging them close as I let my sobs echo into the dark, lonely parking lot.
THIRTY-TWO
LEE
Avoidingthe woman you love in a small town proved to be damn near impossible. Annie Crane had left her mark on the town in more ways than I’d ever imagined. I couldn’t walk down the street without seeing bits and pieces of her, the beach she loved so much, knowing how Huck’s pastry of the week would make her smile and hum as she took her first bite, listening to Big Barb tell me how she had always known we were meant to be together.
TheClosedsign on the door to Sand Dune Studio only deepened the pit in my stomach. I had, quite literally, screamed in her face that I loved her and then walked away.
Again.
Thankfully, a shift at the fire station would be the distraction I needed to not think about howscaredAnnie looked to admit the truth. How shocked she was at the depth of my love for her. I lost myself in the routine of cleaning and checking my equipment and a punishing workout.
When the ache in my chest never let up, I went for another round, slamming my fists into the bag with punishing blows.
“Who pissed in your Cheerios?” Whip’s smug face was the last thing I needed.
I punched the bag again, this time imagining his stupid smile on the end of it.
He pulled free weights from the rack and started his own workout. “Little Orphan Annie finally get tired of being the flavor of the month? Maybe send her my way and I’ll—”
I didn’t let him finish his sentence before I was in his face. “What did I tell you? Don’t fucking call her that. In fact, you can keep her name out of your fucking mouth.”
Whip’s strong chest swelled. He wasn’t about to back down, and a fistfight at the station would have some serious repercussions for the both of us.
My entire world is already on fire. Fuck it.
I stepped forward. “You or any other King so much aslooksat her? Your family’s money won’t be able to protect you from me. I can guaran-fucking-tee that.”
