Page 75 of All My Broken Pieces

“Yeah, great to see you too, princess.” He mutters, gesturing us inside.

We step into the house and the surprises continue.

His home is filled with the usual high tech gadgetry, things I’d never even consider needing. A fancy TV hangs above an electric fireplace, dimmable lights are dotted along the ceiling. The entire floor is fancy hardwood that has its own adjustable heating settings, speakers placed strategically throughout the space.

It’s everything I’ve come to expect when entering his home.

What I don’t expect is all the additional touches peppered throughout. Throw pillows now rest on the large sectional, candles and flower vases placed on various end tables. The coffee table has a beautiful copper centerpiece, a ballerina perched on one pointed foot, her other leg raised high above her head.

My eyes land on a photo hung on the wall, and then another one beside it. Several lining the once bare walls.

Taking a step closer, I inspect the first photograph, my mind a confusing mess of excitement and hurt. “Andrew?” I glance over my shoulder, finding him with his hands shoved in his pockets, his gaze averted. “Who the fuck is this?” I demand, gesturing toward the photo before me.

“That, um,” Andrew looks up, a blush forming on his face and neck. “That’s my girlfriend.” My lungs stop working.

Girlfriend? Why didn’t he tell me?

“Well,” He mutters, his expression filling with sadness. “Wasmy girlfriend.”

I turn toward the photo once more, inspecting it closely with this newfound information.

A gorgeous woman stands beside Andrew, her arms wrapped around his neck as she stretches her neck to place a kiss on his cheek. Her black hair cascades down her back, curled in perfect waves. Andrew has a goofy smile on his face, a twinkle in his blue eyes. His arm is wrapped around her waist as he holds her close.

“She’s beautiful.” I murmur, tracing the image with my finger. Turning back toward Andrew, my heart breaks at the look on his face, one I’m all too familiar with. “What happened? You look so happy in the photo.”

Andrew sighs, running a hand down the back of his neck. “I was, we were, I just…I fucked it all up, what can I say.” Shrugging, he crosses the room and takes the picture from the wall, peering down at the woman.

I move to rest a hand on his arm. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Offering him a small smile, I wait for him to meet my gaze. “You’re pretty great, any girl would be lucky to have you.” I wink at him, earning a soft chuckle.

“Yeah, well, I don’t know about that.” He mutters, glancing over me and stiffening, as if he remembered something. “But that’s not important right now. We need to talk about you.”

Sighing heavily, I move to flop down on one of his couches. “Right.” I startle when Killian moves to sit on the opposite sofa. “Fuck, I forgot you were here, grandpa.” I chuckle, earning myself a sharp glare.

“Wish I didn’t have to be.” He grumbles.

Andrew sits down beside me, picking up a small stack of papers I hadn’t noticed resting on the coffee table. Handing them over, he indicates for me to look.

Perusing through the documents, my eyebrows raise. “Wait, how is this possible?” I glance up, swallowing as I realize how badly I fucked up.

Andrew beams at me, looking proud of himself, and rightfully so. “Because I’m fucking awesome.”

Snorting, I look back down, rereading the words. “You got all the charges dropped?” I whisper.

“Yup. You are a free bird now. I was planning to come surprise you, but then you called and here we are.” I swallow again around the lump in my throat, looking up to meet Andrew’s excited expression and Killian’s suspicious one. When he meets my gaze, the excitement on Andrew’s face fades. “What? What’s wrong?” Snatching the papers from my hands, he scans over them.

“I, um, I’ve got some bad news.”

Chapter 34

Fallon

“Oh my god, it’s perfect!” Ava exclaims, grinning from ear to ear. “Hudson, you are agenius.”

Shuffling on his feet, Hudson ducks his head to hide the smile spreading across his face. “It’s okay, I guess.” He mumbles, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“It’s okay.” Ava mocks, shaking her head. “Here I thoughtIwas crazy.” Turning her attention to me, she gestures at the cake. “You can’t tell me this isn’t the most beautiful form of edible art you’ve ever seen?” She enthuses.

I giggle, hiccupping and nodding my head. “It’s gorgeous. Sorry, bro, no humble pie for you, this shit is amazing.”

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