Page 84 of Falling for Them

A squirrel darted past my feet, making me jump and reminding me that I couldn’t sit sulking in the park forever. As much as I wanted to avoid everything, I knew I couldn’t keep running from my problems, no matter how terrifying they were.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up and started walking toward the condo.

It felt like it took forever to walk home, even though it was right by Central Park. Uncertainty was still clouding my brain, but there wasn’t much I could do about it until Leo got home and explained everything fully.

When I stepped inside the condo, Ethan was on the couch, playing video games. He immediately put his controller down and came to meet me in the entryway.

“What are you doing home? Lunch isn’t for another hour.” I’d planned on texting him to meet me halfway between the condo and office to eat.

“Ryker sent me home early to check on you. I was starting to get worried.” He leaned in for a quick kiss. It still amazed me how we so easily fell into things. At least there was no uncertainty when it came to him.

I dropped my bag and kicked off my shoes, feeling the tension leave my muscles by being in Ethan’s presence. “I’m starting to think running away from my problems isn’t the best coping mechanism.”

“Hey, sometimes you need space to process.” He gestured to the couch. “Want to talk about it?”

I nodded, following him to the couch and curling up next to him. For a moment, we sat in a comfortable silence that came from years of friendship and understanding.

“Clara showed up at the office,” I finally said, picking at a loose thread on my blouse. The thought of her made me sick to my stomach. “She’s exactly what you’d expect Leo’s fiancée to be. Tall, gorgeous, and probably a model.”

“Lib.” Ethan’s voice was gentle. “You know that’s not real. The engagement thing.”

“But maybe it should be.” I looked up at him, tears threatening again. “They make sense together. I mean, do we really think this is going to be a good idea anyway? The three of us?” The question hung in the air, heavy with my insecurities and fears.

Ethan took my hand, and his thumb traced circles on my palm. “First off, I know you don’t feel that way. We had the most perfect weekend with Leo, and having this happen when we all finally agreed that this was going to work is tough. And secondly, Clara is more likely to marry you than Leo; he told me.”

I let that sink in. “Why would their families do this to them? It said they’ve been dating forelevenmonths, Ethan.”

Ethan shrugged. “Luca used to bring up Clara from time to time and how his mom wanted him to marry her. They want to further their business interests through marriage and don’t care who gets hurt in the process. Even if they end up hurting their own son.”

“It’s selfish.”

Looking at Ethan, I thought about all the times he’d been there for me. He’d never left and never made me feel like I wasn’t enough. Through every laugh and every tear, he’d become my person. Didn’t Leo deserve a love like that too?

The thought of losing what we’d so quickly built together made my heart ache. “So, what are we going to do?” I hadn’t the faintest clue how to help Leo with the predicament he was in.

“We wait for Leo to get home, and we figure things out together.”

Together.It was such a simple word, yet it held so much power.

Chapter 30

Fifty Million

Leo

Iwas absolutely fucking exhausted, and my day still wasn’t over.

Clara and I had come up with a plan that would hopefully make both of our families not look like complete assholes. Even though they deserved to look like fools, neither of us wanted to deal with that level of fallout.

Apparently, both of our parents had been planning this marriage coup for a while, and my weekend had been the trigger they’d been waiting for. If it hadn’t been me who’d set it in motion, it would have been her.

It still hurt that they had done this to me. I knew I was far from perfect, but no one deserved to have their life dictated, especially when they were making great strides in personal growth.

What hurt the most was I’d been doing everything my father had asked of me over the last year, but all he saw was that I was a fuck-up who needed hand-holding.

I really hoped Libby and Ethan didn’t see me that way.

My stomach was twisted in a knot as I made my way down the hall to the front door. Libby and Ethan were waiting for me so we could talk, and I had a sinking feeling that this was it. There was only so much they should have to put up with, and I wouldn’t have blamed them for kicking me out and carrying on without me.

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