Page 147 of Never Let You Go

Or could I? What would it take for me to turn my life on a dime? Could I try and have it all—run Red Barn from here?

As I fish my phone out of my pocket and text Christopher—Do you need a ride?—I spot him coming out, his dark curls framing his handsome features, his muscular legs and broad shoulders on full display under his tight T-shirt, a mass of muscles I’m intimately familiar with.

My heart flutters. His charisma is just as strong here as it is in the bakehouse, and even from inside the car where I can’t hear a thing, I can tell he’s had a good game. The guys surround him, clapping his back. He gives them a small smile back.

What I wouldn’t give to have been at the game with him.

To be walking out the arena with him.

He needs a woman on that handsome arm.

As I hit send on my phone, wondering if he’ll see the text, I freeze.

Emma snakes herself under his arm, wrapping it possessively over her shoulders, keeping it in place with her hand over his.

Twining their fingers together.

Wrapping her other arm around his waist so she’s flush against his hard body.

My heart stutters, then bangs against my ribcage.

I peel off from the parking lot, angry tears blinding me, spurts of mud in my wake.

This is exactly what Rita had drilled into me all those years; You don’t let a man into your life. Men only bring misery.

My chest hardens at the thought of our date tonight. He apologized for hurting me when he went to dinner with her, and now this?

My phone rings.

And rings.

And rings.

I take deep breaths. The dinging of voice mails and text messages roll in as I take refuge in my room, not knowing where else to go.

Where to hide.

Minutes later, the front door slams, and the whole house shakes as he storms up the stairs.

“Care to tell me what that was about?” he growls as he throws the door open and stands in front of me, muddy shoes, crazy hair, sweaty jersey.

forty-two

Christopher

“What do you want from me?” she says, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Fucking Emma. I’m going to kill her. It was all of two seconds. I didn’t even know she was there, and then she was snaking her way against me. I pushed her away immediately and grabbed my phone dinging with Alexandra’s ringtone.

All of two fucking seconds and she had to see that.

“Why did you take off like that?”

Her mouth gapes. “The nerve,” she says and folds her arms against her chest.

“Is this about Emma?”

She huffs, cocks her eyebrow, and shakes her head. “Just—forget it,” she says, dropping her arms to her sides. Like this conversation is pointless.

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