Page 162 of A Sky Full Of Stars

I smile to myself, picturing him messing up the words, but from a distance, I can’t tell. A giddy feeling takes over my chest, and instead of the nerves I was feeling in the car, the tension clears and I suddenly see everything clearly.

Six years ago, he set me free to save me, and now it’s my turn tostayand do the same. I’m stronger. I know I won’t fall back into the same patterns we were in, even if Thomas does. I know I can keep my head straight. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d loved Thomas since I was a teen. I never stopped and can’t imagine that’s going to change any time soon. I’d rather spend my life with him, working together to slay our demons, than staying apart, both of us miserable when we could be happy.

With that in mind, I stand tall, and a new clarity has me walking toward him with a confident grin. But when the kitchen comes into view, I pause, my smile instantly morphing into a frown, my chest filling withunease.

Thomas is hunched over the counter, a bottle of Jack in front of him, his fingers pressed into his temple. He’s still singing, but now that I can hear it clearly, it’s mumbled and all over the place.

Thomas’s words,“It’s a social thing,”run through my mind as I frown, watching in silence as he runs his hands down his face, his chest heaving every so often when he sucks in a breath.

He’s still so broken.

I can’t imagine the toll it’s taken to keep up the facade that he does. To project a happiness he thinks he should be feeling while actually being empty inside.

The more I watch, the more my heart cracks, and I’m just about to step closer when Josh coughs and his monitor picks it up, drawing Thomas’s attention, a wide smile instantly lighting up his face. Projecting again. I want to help, but the question is, will he believe me when I tell him what I think?

Chapter Fifty-Four

Thomas

“Hey you,” I say as I peer over my shoulder, subtly moving the bottle to the sink. “Summer mentioned you’d gone to the park. I thought you’d be hours.”

“We usually would be,” Lainey says, her smile soft. “But Josh met some friends and they kind of wore him out.”

“Friends?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Chloe and Addie.” Lainey laughs. “They may be young, but they both have him wrapped around their little fingers.”

I laugh along with her, but even to my ears it sounds forced, so I smile instead. The shame I feel at the possibility of Lainey seeing me like this settles in my chest, but I have to hope she just walked in.

“Is everything okay?” she asks, her brows furrowed as she eyes me curiously. I wait for her gaze to shift to the sink, but when it doesn’t, I relax. Maybe she didn’t see. But fuck, I need to try harder. For me. For her.

“Yep, everything’s good,” I say as I walk closer, grabbing her waist and pressing my lips to her temple. “I—” My phone rings, cutting off my thoughts, and I curse under my breath as I silence it. “Summer’s out until three,” I say without checking the screen. “So if Josh continues to sleep after I get this, do you think I could steal you for a bit?”

Lainey nods, her small smile back in place.

“And when she gets home,” I add, my chest tight, “I want to tell her everything.” Lainey’s eyes widen, making me chuckle as I run my thumb across her cheek. “Maybe noteverything. Just enough for her to know how I feel and that I plan for you to be around for a long time.”

Her smile widens but it doesn’t meet her eyes, making me worry. “Areyouokay?” I ask, linking our fingers.

“I’m fine,” Lainey says, squeezing my hand, “but I’m nervous about the fact that Summer will know about last night.”

“Don’t worry about that; I’ve already explained it. I told her about the rain.”

“And me?” She panics and my head suddenly spins.

“No.” I chuckle again, smoothing out her brow lines as I blink a few times. “Not yet.”

My phone rings again, and I roll my eyes before kissing her temple once more. I’d ignore the call if I wasn’t expecting one from my agent, knowing this is likely to be him. “I…I won’t be long. Can you, uh…can you work your magic to keep Josh asleep?”

I kiss her again, before walking slowly into the yard, beelining for the large oak tree, resting against it to keep myself balanced. I didn’t think I was drunk, but somewhere between my last sip and now, it seems the alcohol has entered my bloodstream, and my head is a little foggy.

My phone continues to ring, and when I finally check the screen, I panic, feeling worse.Dylan.

“Goddammit.” I know why he’s calling. He’ll have heard the full story of my conversation with Summer and wants to give me a piece of his mind. To tell me I fucked up. The thing is… I already know that. I don’t need him telling me off for it to sink in. I didn’t do it intentionally. I didn’t even ask for it. But it happened, and now, once again, I’ve hurt Summer. Just when Iwas finally starting to think I could move out from under this dark cloud.

I stare down at Dylan’s call, trying to focus on the screen as my vision blurs, letting it ring until it goes to voice message. Summer has every right to be angry with me. But shewasn’tangry and that’s part of the problem. She was disappointed. The look on her face when she told me that Mom had called her was devastating. Summer has a brother. Another brother. One she never wanted to find out about. And while I never set out to hurt her, I started that conversation. I was the one that confronted Mom and questioned her about Summer’s dad. But that was years ago, and I never thought she’d do something about it after all this time.

My conversation with Summer plays on repeat in my mind, swirling around my head as the fog settles. My palm flexes, itching for another drink, but I stay put. If I hadn’t seen Lainey, I’d be heading straight back into the kitchen, but the look on her face, the worry in her expression, has me using all my strength not to move.

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