Page 81 of Sins and Secrets

She rests her fingers on my cheeks and kisses me again, sweet and adoring. “I’ll be happy enough for both of us.”

I want to pull her back into bed, make sure she never leaves again, but Waverly would never abandon Angie on her wedding today. Besides, I'll have Wave for the rest of my life.

Moments later, she closes the front door and I’m alone.

But her imprint is still on my sheets and it’s only a few hours until we’re together again. I might be alone, but for the first time in a long time, I’m not lonely.

The morning is spent catching up on paperwork for the studio, reviewing commissions, and scheduling appointments. Uneventful. I shower, shit, and shave, pack an overnight bag with a few extra surprises for Waverly, and get in my tux moments before Darren texts me from the parking lot that he’s waiting for me.

“Whoa,” he says as I throw my overnight bag in the back of his car.

“What?”

I plan on smacking the smirk off his face as he sings, “What did you last night?”

“Sleep?”

“Alone?”

“None of your damn business.” I pull out my phone and put in earbuds so I don’t need to talk to him, but I can tell something is on his mind. “What did you mean by ‘whoa’?”

He puts the car in drive and keeps his eyes ahead. “Well, on a good day, you’re about an eight, but today you’re going to outshine the groom, which is rude. You’ve got a general good vibe thing going on.” When he gets to the stop sign, he takes a picture of me and sends it to someone.

Darren continues to drive when his phone rings through the car speaker. I recognize the voice instantly. “Sooo, how’s Waverly?” Grae asks.

“You’re allowed to have phones in rehab?”

“I am if I’m supervised. Plus I get out in a few days, so they’re getting lax with the rules. But I’m not important. How’s Waverly?”

“None of your business,” I say and look out the window.

Darren shrugs. “I guess you aren’t worried about her breaking your heart anymore?”

Grae says, “Dick wins again.”

I don’t like them thinking I’m a sex crazed lunatic or any negative implications for Waverly. “It’s more than just sex,” I mumble under my breath. “It always was.”

Darren slams on the brakes at a yellow light. “What?”

“Say that again, louder,” Grae orders.

People walk through the intersection, eyes focused on the path ahead, unaware of my life and my turmoil over the last few hours. “We were destined for each other and last night we realized how much we lost.”

“Did you ever figure out what happened to your journal?” There’s an edge of panic in Grae’s voice. “That’s your journal, your portfolio, all your work.”

Even if Waverly said it didn’t matter where it was or why she didn’t get it, it’s still an itch I can’t scratch. “I don’t know, but I believe her when she says it wasn’t there.”

Grae says, “Shit. How are you doing?”

Damn. If he isn’t the nicest guy in the whole world. “I’m… a lot of different things.” And it’s true. Sifting through all the conflicting emotions to find one dominating feeling is using up most of my brain power today. I’m happy she’s back in my life, angry I lost so much time with her, terrified we’ll hurt each other again, and antsy because I can’t wait to see her again.

But Darren and Waverly are right, today is about the bride and groom. Angie’s always been there for me. To the best of her ability, anyway. She deserves her day. “Don’t say anything to Angie or Kyle. We're waiting until the wedding is over.”

Grae laughs. “Who the hell am I going to tell? Hey, Nurse Jorge, my tattoo artist is hooking up with his sister’s best friend.” There’s a long stretch of silence. “He gave the thumbs up.”

Darren rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I think he was talking about me. My lips are sealed. Don’t lose your shit when you see Adam today.”

I won. He lost. A warm glow of petty vengeance builds in my stomach. She picked me over him.

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