Page 70 of Crave

“Yeah, it will. God knows what you’ll see. All I can tell you is to trust me and vice versa.”

A pause. “What if it’s still too much for us to handle?” she whispered.

My heart shattered in my chest. She was worried. Maybe she was beginning to question this whole thing before we even started the hard stuff. “Then we don’t make it.”

“Adam—”

“Wait, you need to listen. This is important. I found out the truth about Max. That night you were attacked at Red? He hired someone to do it.”

I watched her face smooth out as if she was trying to placate me. “I told you before, Max wouldn’t do that. I know you think he’d do anything, but that type of move is beyond even him. Can we let it go? I want to move on and focus on us.”

I practically growled into the phone. “Landon—I have proof. I met a guy named Gio. He’s Max’s friend and he admitted it to me!” I quickly related the entire interaction sparing no detail.

“What? Come on, you must’ve misunderstood, or he was fucking with you. He said he attacked me at Red and Max paid him to do it?”

“Exactly.”

“Why? What type of payoff would Max have gotten?”

I ground my teeth so hard my jaw hurt. “So you’d go back to him! I’m telling you Max is fucking dangerous and I don’t want you seeing him again. I intend on kicking his ass and confronting him but I haven’t had time. I just found out this morning. And?—”

As if I’d stepped into a dream—or nightmare—I heard the familiar voice echoing from the phone.

“Hey, Landon! Wanted to check on you since there was no service. Oops—sorry to interrupt.”

The world tilted and my head spun. Everything inside me got super quiet and still. “Landon? Is Max there?”

I caught the raw emotion in her eyes as she slowly nodded. She said something to him, walking away until she was framed by a background of trees. “Yeah, Max came up last night. He knows Lydia and said he was worried and wanted to check on me. I know you’re upset. I know you think Max did something horrible. I’m asking you to trust me on this.”

Where heat once burned, ice now froze. My insides morphed as I looked into Landon’s beloved face and realized she’d chosen Max.

She’d chosen to believe Max over me.

“Don’t worry, I’m telling him to go home today.”

She’d chosen to believe Max over me.

“I’m a mess, but I think we can manage if we keep strong, Adam. If we trust each other, and make sure we’re on the same page, we can do this. Because you’re everything to me.”

My heart shattered. Sharp fragments of pain jabbed in my gut but I was too devastated to even care. No matter what Landon said or felt, the bottom line was where it counted most, and she’d chosen Max. Even if I had proof. Even if I swore it wasn’t about jealousy or justice. I wanted to protect her with the truth, but she’d already chosen what side she was on.

And it wasn’t me.

“You believe Max?”

It was the final answer I needed. Landon tilted her head, obviously confused at my cold question. “No, I just believe you got wrong information. Adam—I’m not interested in Max. You know that, right? I love you.”

An animal sound escaped my throat. “You don’t even see it, do you? How easy it was to believe him even after he proved to be a liar? I’m not sure how he managed, but he did it. He kept a piece of you for himself, and you gave him permission.”

“What are you talking about! Adam?—”

“No, Landon. I see it now. I was being stupid. I’ll never…” I trailed off as I realized in real time that I’d lost her. Maybe she’d never been mine to begin with. Maybe she’d always belonged with Max and it was better I accept it now rather than later. “Doesn’t matter. I gotta go. I have a plane to catch.”

“Not like this.” Her voice whipped with ferocity and she glared into the screen. “You are not hanging up because you’re pissed Max is here. That in some fucked up way you think I chose him over you. It will always be you, Adam. Haven’t I proved it?”

Because I loved her, raw emotion bled into my tone. “Finish the show, Landon. Do what you need so you have no regret because that’s the most important thing of all.” I paused, memorizing the elegant planes of her face, her regal nose, her golden hair and bright blue eyes. “I fucking love you. I’ll die loving you.”

I hung up the phone and sent her the picture of Gio in the café. Then turned my phone off completely.

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