AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t know. Thought I did, until today.” I raise the mangled plastic over my head and aim for the can behind the bar to Trigg’s right. It misses. Perfect.
“Sure you do, or you wouldn’t have ended up at her house at the first hit of tragedy since she came back into your life.”
I might as well be honest with him. He knows the complicated history of all our lives. “Everything and nothing has changed between us. She’s still my Lacey. Marriage, kids, years of our lives spent apart, and I still want her as bad as I ever did. I can’t shake her. The way she makes me feel when I think about her? It’s always been here, and I can’t help wanting her as more than a friend. It’s not what I thought it would be, or how I thought I would feel about seeing her again, not to mention Jacob.”
“What did you think you would feel?”
“Not what I feel for both of them. He’s a great kid. He’s funny, and he’s smart. Most of all, he has Lacey’s heart. He’s a lovable kid; no one who meets him can deny that. I want to get to know them better. I want more than the friendship I’m pretending I want. What if she doesn’t want more? I think she does. When we’re together, I feel it between us—who we are when it’s me and her, even when we’re not alone.”
He rests his forearms against the counter behind the bar and looks me straight in the eyes. This is the “no bullshit” Trigg—the serious side of him most people don’t know he has. But when it comes out, you should probably listen. “Don’t overthink things. Go with your gut feelings. It’s served you well. You’re getting a second chance with the woman I know you have never stopped loving. She doesn’t seem like the frail shattered girl you left —”
He stops me with a raised hand before I get a chance to protest that harsh truth. It is the truth. Doesn’t mean I like hearing it out loud .
“Hear me out. I was there by your side; I know the real deal. I get it. Tell her how you feel. Where you’re both concerned, your instincts haven’t failed you yet. Unlike mine, which let me down on the regular.” He smiles big and wide. “I’m done playing Dr. Phil; I’m going to get the fuck back to work, make my pick of the chick or two escorting me back home at the end of the night.” He points a finger at me, walking away. “You get the fuck outta here. Have that too-serious-for-me talk with Lacey.”
