Page 56 of Unraveled

“Honestly, I’m just so sick of everything now, it’s impossible not to be. This has been going on now for over ayear. I’m done with it, Lisa. I can’t put up with your shit anymore. I refuse to.”

Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now, and she hastily brushed them away to wipe her hands dry on the blanket. “Don’t say you’re done,” she whispered.

“Why not?” I practically grated it through my teeth, but I was trying to hold myself in check since we were in a hospital.

Lisa looked at me with nothing but sadness in her eyes, the helpless expression almost throwing me for a loop. “Because it wasn’t supposed to be this way.”

“How did you expect it to be? Did you expect me to ask you to be my girlfriend because we fucked more than once? It doesn’t work that way, Lisa. And I’m sorry if that makes me sound like adick, but I wasalwaysstraightforward when I hooked up with girls. Even with you. I wasn’t in it for more than a good fuck back then, and you knew it when youchoseto sleep with me.Bothtimes.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, I knew the first time was just an angry fuck for you, you were still so pissed after that fight with your cousins, but the second time? Who was more eager to drag who into that bedroom?”

I scoffed a laugh, shaking my head as I tilted it back. “You want to know about thatangryfuck, Lisa? Cuz it wasn’t about my cousins or the fight outside after that. It was because I’d almost kissedIzzydown on that beach, and I waspissedat myself for almost taking advantage of her. I fucked you to getherout of my head. The same with the second time. I was fighting my feelings for her then, too, and you just strutted over and straddled my lapwith perfect fucking timing all over again.Bothtimes we screwed it wasIzzyin my head. Not you.”

She winced, her tears flowing harder. “Way to lay it out there, Pierce. Heart officially obliterated. Not that it matters anymore.”

My eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She shook her head, taking too long to answer, but eventually she sighed. “You won Izzy back. You got her to accept your ring before I could win you over. You’re officially off the market. Congratulations.”

“Say it with a little less sarcasm, and maybe I’ll believe it.”

“Yeah, not gonna happen.” Silent tears fell down her cheeks, and her nose began to run. I reached to the bedside table and handed her a tissue.

“Look, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I’m with Izzy. That’snevergoing to change. You need to move on. Have you ever even thought about how many dates you could have been on if you’d just let the idea of us go? You could have a boyfriend. You still could if you just try to move on.”

“Doubtful now.” She closed her eyes, and her face scrunched. “Ugh… You being nice sucks, too.”

I smirked. “I can go back to being a dick if it makes you feel better.”

She scoffed and dabbed her nose. “I’ll pass, thanks. Dick version of Tucker hurts. Nice just sucks because it makes me remember why I liked you so much in the first place.” I held up the trashcan so she could throw away the tissue, and she eased her head back against the pillow, resting her hand over her middle. “I know you’re right, Tucker. It’s just so hard to admit that I’ve been completelyscrewing up for the past year. But after I overheard you and Emma talking, I just kinda freaked out. When Izzy lost the baby, I thought it was my second chance. That if I tried hard enough, I could get you back.” Her face crumpled for a moment, but she swallowed the emotion back. “I’ve just messed up so much.”

“At least, you’re seeing it now.” I wouldn’t be half as nice right now if she wasn’t.

“Tucker?”

“Yeah?”

“I know it’s not going to work with us, but I have to ask. Why Izzy? Why could things work with her but not with me?”

I held back a groan. “You really want to know?”

“Ineedto know.”

If it’ll help her fucking move on…

“Because she’s my soulmate,” I started. “Plain and simple as that. She’s everything to me. My rock, my peace. The very fucking air that I breathe. Izzy is my life.”

“Which is why you stayed with her even with the baby. Even after…”

“We lost her?” I nodded. “Losing Zoey nearly broke us. Not our relationship but inside. Having each other was the only way we made it through.”

“I didn’t know her name. It’s pretty.”

“It is… She was, too…” I paused, remembering before tucking the image away again.

“What was it like finding out about her? How did y’all know y’all wanted to keep her?”

I frowned at the question, wishing now that I had a different answer. “It was terrifying, and Ididn’tknow what I wanted at first. It was Izzy. She knew that first night shefound out she was pregnant that she was keeping her. I was just along for the ride until I fell in love with our daughter, too.”

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