Page 37 of Truths

“He's not a liar, but he's still scum.”

Her gaze doesn't let up on him. “Do you define lying as simply not telling the truth when asked, or do you consider lying to be keeping something from someone?”

“So not telling you what I got you for your birthday is a lie?” Colt asks.

“Yes, it is. But it’s an acceptable lie. Like telling a woman her pants don’t make her look fat, even if you think they do. Only girls can tell girls they look fat, for the record. Not telling someone something simply because you don’t want to deal with the consequences is not acceptable. It’s a coward’s way out.”

Bodie weighs what she says and says, “Fuck, it's the same thing Justin did.”

“Jolie thinks you love her because you have Justin's heart, but the truth is, she challenges you. The best old ladies don't make lives super easy for their men. It's how you keep them from straying,” Lex says. “She's good for you. Evie's a twat. A twat Iwon't hesitate to punch in her stupid face if she ever shows up again.”

“I think you make things pretty easy for me, babe,” Colt says.

Lifting an eyebrow, she shakes her head. “Not tonight, I'm not. Not after this. And it's true, you know. When it gets too easy for you, you create problems.”

“No, I don't.”

“Diane?”

His mouth slams shut, and Bodie knows there's something he doesn't know. “Can we get back tomyrelationship? Please? I can't find Jolie. I've looked everywhere I can think of.”

“Did you try the ice cream parlor?”

“On Main?”

Nodding, Lex says, “She takes the kids there when she watches them for me.”

“I can check there.” He turns to leave but stops. “Do you think it's possible she's right? That I love her simply because Justin did?”

“Let's test it,” she says, and he turns around. “The heart is an organ, so I could see changes like your taste buds or something because everything is all interconnected. Now, remember, I'm no doctor. But, did you feel any connection to the people who wrote you the letter? Do you have a longing for parents you didn't know?”

Shaking his head, Bodie says, “No, I don't feel anything towards them.”

“Personally, and this is just my belief, but I feel like Justin helped guide you to Jolie because he felt guilty. But this was always the plan. The universe knows what it's doing, so stop trying to interfere with it. Trust me, it's pointless and exhausting to try.”

“Thanks, Lex.”

“No problem,” she sighs. “I should start charging. Make a little side money.”

Bodie runs out of the backyard and races to the ice cream parlor before he gets sucked into another conversation and potentially misses his girl. Sure enough, he sees her sitting in a booth in the window and hurries inside, startling her.

“How'd you know I was here?” Jolie asks.

“The real reason I didn't want to tell you is because I was scared this would happen. That you would run,” he says, ignoring her question and sitting down across from her. “I feel like I'm always holding on for dear life while you look for reasons to run, and this would have been the perfect reason for you. It scares the shit out of me how often I've had to fight to keep you. Mostly on this planet, but also with me.”

Her eyes look at her ice cream. “That's how you really feel?”

He lets out a breath. “I feel like I'm fighting for you while I'm fighting off a ghost. I have to battle Justin every single day, first because he died and then because he lied and cheated. I have his heart, but I'm not him, Jolie. When I say I love someone, I love them. And that person is the one and only in my life. I love you, Jolie, and I want you to be the only one, but I can't keep fighting to keep you.”

“You say that-”

“Lex was right,” he cuts her off. “The universe is going to do what it's going to, regardless of how I try and interfere. It put us together for a reason, but I can't make you stay and love me if you don't want to. I can't force you to stay with me no matter how much I love you, and I have to trust that things will work out for the best. That we'll end up together like I want.”

Her eyes look up and study him. “I have trust issues.”

“No shit,” he says and laughs, leaning back in the booth. “You can go through my personal phone any time you need to. Not my work phone, but that's not personal. If you have a problem withthat one, I'm gonna direct you to Lex. But, fuck, if you want a tracker on my bike so you can always see where I'm at, I'll do it. Go for it. Whatever you need me to do to prove I'm in this with you and for you, I will do it. But I need you to stop looking for reasons to walk away from me unless you really don't want to be with me. It's not fair to either of us.”

“You're right.”

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