Page 128 of Forgive You

“Yes, you are!”

Her eyes crinkle. “Protecting the ones I love makes me a coward?”

“No, hiding behindthatanswer makes you one. You can’t keep saying shit like that without opening up to any of us and expecting us not to ask questions. You can’t expectmeto notask questions when something is still going on between you and Jacob, and you won’t tell me what it is.” I meet her gaze, and she wipes some of her tears away. “I don’t want to play second fiddle anymore.”

“You never were!” she yelps. “Don’t you see? It’s always been you!”

I’m sure that sounds good in books, movies, and all that shit. Hell, I even think I’ve heard my best friend tell me the same about Charlotte once or twice, but it doesn’t do shit for me.

Not after all the shit we’ve been through.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore, Julie.”

“ME!” Wild eyes bore through mine, her rage palpable.

Oh,she’smad now? I’m the one who’s being lied to constantly, and she has the balls to get mad at me?

I scoff. “How can I believe you when you won’t tell me the truth?”

Come on, baby.

I’m pleading with my eyes, ignoring the urge to drag her against my chest as I connect them with her sad expression. My shoulders tense because I hate to see her like this.

But I can’t force her to trust me.

It won’t end well.

I need her towantto trust me, all on her own.Come on, baby.Open up to me.Trustme.

The moments that pass feel long, each passing beat giving me more hope until she softly wags her head.

“I wouldn’t keep anything from you if it wasn’t for the best.” Tears hang onto her jaw.

It’s taking everything I have to not swipe them from her skin, and comfort her with my arms around her body. Smelling her vanilla-scented hair.Hold her like she’s mine.

But I know better.

“Yeah, that’s not enough.”

She huffs, screaming, “It would be enough for me! I trust you with my life! And wouldn’t ask questions, because I know you will always do what’s best for me. Why can’t you give me the same trust?”

I hold her gaze, vaguely registering the sound of another car driving up the driveway.

“Because experience doesn’t play in your favor,” I say with a thick throat.

“So, that’s it? You’re just going to pretend you can’t look into my eyesright nowand know I would never hurt you.”

Challenging brown eyes search mine, but I can’t give her what she’s looking for. “I can’t. Because you hurt me already. Multiple times. And without a second thought, you’d walk away again. That’s what you do.”

She winces as if I slapped her across the face, and my chest cracks open.

“Wow,” she chuckles, no humor to be found. “If you can’t see the truth, I need you to leave.”

I swallow, taking in her beautiful face for the last time, then twist to do exactly that.Leave.

Hunter walks from his car to the porch, Charlotte following behind him, his smile dissolving when he sees the thundercloud that’s trailing behind me.

“Hey, man! You okay?”

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