Page 74 of I Love a Good Challenge

“How can you be so sure?” I need to know.

Rafe gives me his signature grin. His scarred eyebrow lifts subtly. “Because you’re Lily. And that will always be enough for him.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Graham

I’m sitting at a high-top table in Aesop’s Tavern, watching Rafe chat with Lily. She’s holding what looks to be a piece of chocolate in one hand. It flails about as she wildly demonstrates whatever she’s talking to him about. All I know is that he’s laughing incredulously, and she’s got tears streaming down her face from laughing so much. The chocolate is being destroyed as they speak. I’m not jealous of Rafe, even though I wish she felt comfortable enough to be that carefree with me right now. I’m just sad that it’s not me.

We’re all at the tavern after a long day. Rafe and I worked through his upcoming tour schedule this afternoon, setting up performances at a few venues. We also scheduled some meetings we need to have the next time we are in Nashville. The warm feeling of this place pushes me to lean in to enjoy it despite the headache threatening to take me out for the past few hours.

“Penny for your thoughts.”

Sparrow’s voice pulls me from my focus on Rafe and Lily, and I force a smile. She is wearing a lovely cream dress that looks like satin and flat shoes with bows on the toes. Even though I don’t feel a bit attracted to her, she looks beautiful.

“I’ve never seen him this happy.” I gesture toward Rafe, who’s still laughing with Lily like they’ve discovered a new level of hilarity that didn’t exist before. I can feel Sparrow studying me, her eyes following my gaze, which is forever stuck on Lily.

“Thank you for being such a good friend to him,” she says sweetly. “He hasn’t had many people he can trust.”

Looking at Rafe now, it’s clear he has found his home with Sparrow and been welcomed into Birch Borough. I had hoped to find my home here too. But given Lily’s latest friend comment and her lack of protest over my potential move to Nashville, I’m curious to see how this is going to end. My eyes catch on her again because they can’t seem to do otherwise.

“She looks beautiful, doesn’t she?” Sparrow remarks quietly.

Before I can think too much about it, I hear myself respond, “Always.” I slide one thumb around the top of my glass. My other hand rests on the wooden table beneath it.

“So, are we ever going to talk about the fact that you asked me out on a train platform, of all places?”

I wince and let out a laugh. “Not my best moment, I’ll admit.” I’m surprised when Sparrow stifles a laugh too. “Although,” I continue, “to be fair, you did pretend to ignore me with earphones that weren’t even connected to your phone.”

She laughs again. At least she hasn’t held our awkward initial meeting against me. I’ve been wondering. On the contrary, Sparrow has done nothing but make me feel welcome since I arrived. I straighten in my seat, mustering the courage to tell her what I’ve been meaning to say for some time.

“Just so you know, I don’t normally ask women out like that,” I start. I turn to face her, and even though she’s taller than Lily, I still have to tilt my chin down to meet her gaze. “Actually, that was the first time I truly tried asking anyone out since . . .” I look at Lily instinctively.

As I watch her, she unwraps the chocolate in her hand and sticks it into her mouth. I love how much she loves eating sweets . . . and how they linger on her lips. I let out an unamused laugh. Chocolate may now be ruined for me for life, yet somehow, Lily finds a way to keep enjoying it. I’m not sure she could survive without it.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Sparrow says kindly.

With sadness, I grin and clear my throat. “I want to, though. I know you’re not in the dark about us anymore.”

Sparrow shrugs. “Soon after things happened between you too, I fell into a deep pit of grief as my father’s health declined. It makes sense she didn’t tell me right away. She’s an open book when it comes to her thoughts unless they’re rooted in fear or love. And it feels like whatever she had with you was deep enough that she became a vault and forgot the combination.”

I turn back toward the table, the revelation knocking me in the gut. The impact of knowing that, while I thought we were making progress, Lily didn’t own up to anything more than friendly feelings in front of her parents makes me hunch over a little, my hopes dashed on the rocks. Focusing again on Sparrow, I find the words I’ve wanted to tell her for months.

“I’m sorry that I asked you out,” I say sincerely. “Not because you aren’t a wonderful person but because of the awkwardness of it all.” I hope she hears the sincerity in my voice. If I could rewind our first meeting, I would. “I convinced myself that even if it was impossible to feel for anyone what I felt for Lily, I had to try to move on anyway. Don’t we have to try?” The question is one that has been haunting me for a long time. Shifting my weight, I take a sip of the whiskey and set it down a little too forcefully.

“Graham.” Sparrow’s hand rests gently on my shoulder. When I turn, her eyes are filled with compassion. “Do you love Lily?”

Her eyes are so sincere that I find myself willing to say the words that have been on repeat in my mind for the past two years. “I love her more than anything.”

“Hmm,” Sparrow hums, her eyes filled with heaviness.

“I’m sorry about all the awkwardness between her and me. You can trust that I’ll be completely professional during your wedding. I care about Rafe . . . and you.” I allow a playful grin back on my face.

Sparrow gives me a look that I can’t read. “The thing about being friends—and you are a friend to me now, Graham—is that you shouldn’t have to be professional. But I appreciate what you’re saying.”

“So, we’re good?” I ask after a beat of silence between us.

“We’re good,” she replies with a smile before her eyes go wide at something happening behind me.

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