Page 64 of Trust Me With Forever

And I’d chickened out.

So why did getting exactly what I wanted make me feel so sad?

Chapter Twenty-Five

Rafe

West:Does Abby like the surprise?

Me:So far, so good.

Emmy:Offer to take her to Lyme Park and she’ll love you forever.

Me:Wait, is this a group chat now?

Emmy:Of course. West hates texting. So I’m here to help.

Me:More like you’re just nosey.

Emmy: See if I offer any more advice.

Me:Sorry, sorry. I could use all the help I can get.

Emmy:Just update us later, okay?

West:Only if it’s good news. If it’s not, then I may have to meet you at the airport and have a little talk.

Emmy:West! Be nice. He’s trying.

West:Hmph.

Me:I’ll let you two know how she reacts later. For now, I’m turning off my phone for a bit.

Ever since I’d run away from Abby to take a shower, an apology had burned on my tongue.

I’d rushed things and offered myself to her, and she’d hesitated. Long enough to make me feel like a dick for even suggesting it.

Did she think I expected it in order to keep helping her?

Because no, I wasn’t that asshole.

For the moment, though, I couldn’t even attempt to say I was sorry. We were in the second store I’d booked a private session with—to try and avoid the paparazzi—and I currently sat waiting while Abby tried on some clothes.

The fact she’d stated explicitly that she wanted to do it alone had squeezed my heart. But I hadn’t fought her, and so I’d resorted to answering emails and texts. I was just composing a message to one of my former teammates to see if they’d come to the stadium during Abby’s tour when my sister’s name flashed on the screen.

Since Emmy would only call if it were an emergency, I picked up. “Emmy? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Rafe. Has Abby seen it?”

“Seen what?”

She paused, the two seconds of silence pure agony before she whispered, “The interview her ex gave to Celeb Gossip and News.”

CGN was famous for scandal and borderline unethical practices. They were also effective at blasting their videos all over social media and streaming sites to get the word out quickly.

And yet, despite some of their illegal practices, they always managed to avoid being shut down.

“What the fuck did they say?”

---