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“If we help the girl, that’s all that matters.”
She gave him this smile, like he just got it, whatever it was. And I didn’t.
I polished off the rest of Patrick’s meal and cleared the dirty dishes from the table.
“Did you have enough to eat, sweetheart?”
“I did.” I focused on Patrick. “Want something else?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
“When I said take care of her, that’s not what I meant.”
Take care of me?
“Whatdidyou mean?” I asked expectantly.
His cheeks turned bright red. “You were hardly talking to any of us. I was worried about you.”
“So you what? Asked Patrick to check in on me?” I wheeled around to him. “Is that why you’ve been around? Because my dad asked you to?” If I thought that contract hurt, this was way worse.
“Would it make a difference?”
“Yes.”
“If the answer is no, then what?”
“I—” I gaped at him. I had no idea, only that it made me feel twitchy and better at once. “It’s not no,” I whispered as pain lanced through me.
I grabbed Blake and our things. “Nothing’s going to change, is it?”
“We’ve all got to try.” Dad handed me Blake’s elephant. “I love you. Please don’t shut me out again.”
“Stop giving me reasons to.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Patrick
I caughther at the bottom of the stairs.
“Don’t do this to him.”
“You made me think you were my friend. That you cared,” she choked out.
“Then you think the right thing.” I cupped her face and tugged. “Stop this nonsense. Hell, let’s go back to the beach. Reset. Because this can’t go on. You don’t want Blake or Gummy to live like this. In constant turmoil. Say the word, Wicked. Say it and I’ll forget all the shit you’ve said and done.” It was crazy stupid on my part, but it was the truth.
“You think I owe you an apology?”
“You want one from me first? Will that fix it?”
Her eyes welled. “Nothing will. I can’t change. That’s what you want.”
“Do you ever listen to anything I say?”
“Stay out of it.”
I gripped her shoulders and shook. “Go up there and make it right with your Dad. Then do whatever you have to do to get Andrew and Holt back.”
