Page 59 of In Too Deep

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An hour and several more tequila shots later, I’m leaning on Cat’s car as she walks outside to leave. She pauses when she sees me then drops her head, shaking it before continuing in my direction. When she reaches me, she sighs and wraps her cardigan tightly around herself, crossing her arms.

“I’m tired, Lawrence. And this really isn’t the time or place. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay?”

Her body stiffens as I push myself off the car and take a step toward her. “You called me your old friend.”

“What did you want me to say, this is the guy I cheated on you with? Seems completely appropriate.”

“We both know I’m so much more to you than an old friend or some guy you slept with. When are you going to admit that to yourself? Why do you keep fighting this thing between us?”

I reach out and attempt to close the gap between us, but she shifts to the right, stepping up to her driver side door.

“Spencer is planning to ask me to marry him,” she blurts as I turn.

Shaking my head, I scratch at my jaw. “Wow, okay…how did you find out?”

“My sister gave it away, and Lori confirmed it yesterday afternoon.”

Her calm disposition only makes me feel more unease, my alcohol-soaked brain working overtime to piece everything together.

“So…that’s the real reason you showed up at my house upset yesterday?” The beat of my heart becomes sluggish as she nods, but my mind still won’t accept what I know to be true. “That definitely makes things a little more complicated, but—”

“I’m going to say yes,” she declares.

Her words hit me like a blow, and I stagger away from her as my hand lands on my chest. “What?”

Tears fill her eyes, but I don’t feel the desire to comfort her this time. “Spencer’s been good to me, and we’ve had a—”

“No,” I roar, causing her to flinch. “You can’t. You don’t love him. If you do this, you’ll regret it.” She presses her back against the car as I close the space between us, molding my body to hers. “Every time he kisses you, you’ll be thinking of my lips. Every time you sleep with him, you’ll be haunted by the memory of how perfectly we fit together.”

“Lawrence…” she breathes, her eyes fluttering closed. I lean in closer, my lips just barely touching hers, and she puts a hand on my chest to push me away. “Don’t. We can’t do this.”

“Damn it.” I take a step back and cradle my throbbing head in my hands, looking up at the starry sky. “This can’t be happening. You can’t marry him.”

When my gaze falls to her again, she’s breathing heavily as she wipes at her face. “I need to go. You’re drunk and making a scene.”

Her eyes flicker back toward the house, and I turn to follow them. Robbie is standing on the front porch, watching our exchange. By the time I whip around in Cat’s direction again, she’s in her car and pulling away.

36

Lawrence

It takes me a minute to realize where I am once my heavy eyelids open, my dry mouth and aching head reminding me of the events from the night before. There was tequila. So much tequila. But everything goes black after Cat told me she’s going to marry Spencer. That must be how I ended up on Robbie’s couch.

My stomach churns as I slowly sit up and bring my feet to the floor. Oh god, Robbie. He’d seen my heated exchange with Cat. He’s not going to be happy with me.

“Hey, man.”

My dehydrated body throbs in protest as I jerk my head in Robbie’s direction. I groan, rubbing my temples. “Hey.”

Robbie laughs, offering me a bottle of water. “Feeling a little rough this morning?”

I take the water and remove the cap, gulping down half the bottle before responding. “Nah, I feel like utter shit. Which is still better than I deserve.” My head tilts as I regard him. He looks freshly showered and not at all hungover. “Why do you look so perky? I’m pretty sure you drank more than I did.”

He shrugs. “Well…I’m also twice your size.”

I cut my eyes at him, finishing my bottle of water. “So…apparently I got so wasted you had to take care of me. Sorry about that.”

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