Page 120 of Promise Me

“Ladies,” I say, greeting Mrs. Whittaker, Brooke, and Sadie. Sadie has her back to me, so I walk up ready to scoop her into my arms and share my good news, but Brooke’s gaze catches mine. I slow my steps just as Sadie turns around.

Her eyes are red, and her cheeks are wet from tears.

The caramel eyes I’ve grown to love and wake up to look back at me with an emotion I can’t place.

But her gaze is detached.

My heart drops and my stomach turns as we stare at each other.

She doesn’t need to say the words. I know she remembers it all.

“I’m sorry, Hudson,” Mrs. Whittaker says quietly. She squeezes my arms. “I thought she knew.” Then, she quietly walks away and gets in her car.

I heard her, and I can hear my brother mumbling behind me, but I ignore them all, never letting my gaze leave Sadie’s.

I swallow, licking my lips and glancing at the building for a split second before returning to her.

I’m not sure where to start, so I wait for her to speak first.

But it seems she has the same idea, because after another minute of silence passes, she turns with a huff.

“Sadie, wait,” I call out and reach for her.

“For what, Hudson? So you can trick me into getting what you want again?”

“What?” I ask, my head rearing back like she slapped me. “Trick you? I didn’t trick you.”

“Oh, yeah, so you just conveniently forgot that Mrs. Whittaker told us we had to become friends and choose who gets to buy this space. Or did you forget to tell me how much I want it? Or did you intentionally not tell me so you could get what you wanted? Shit.” She looks at the sky. Her hands are on her hips. “I should not be crying right now.”

I reach for her again, but Luca grabs my arm.

My gaze slices to him in fury, but he isn’t fazed.

“I thought,” Sadie starts, “I thought you …” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“It does matter,” I rush to say. “Tell me what you're thinking. I want to hear it. I want to know every thought that’s passing through your head right now. It matters to me. You matter to me, and I want to be here for you.”

“I can’t,” she whispers. “I don’t know what to think right now. It’s a lot.”

“Yeah, it is, but please don’t shut me out. I’m here, Sadie. For all of it. To fight for it. You. Us.”

She cries harder, and I know deep in my soul that no matter what I say right now, it’s not going to help her. I want to screampick me, this me. Pick us.

But I don't.

Instead, I nod. “What do you want me to do? Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

She stares at me as if this version of me is unfamiliar, and I hate every second of it.

“I want space. I need time to think about all this.” Then she erupts into more tears.

I can’t even pretend to know what she’s feeling right now.

Fuck.

I want to hold her, hug her, kiss her until her pain goes away.

She starts to walk away, her arms looped with Brooke’s, and I finally say what I should have said earlier.

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