Page 61 of Even if You Fall

Of course I wanted answers, but I wasn’t trying to trick her into giving them to me. I wasn’t trying to trick her into thinking anything at all, unless you calledfailing at keeping my distance from a beautiful womana new way of gaining information.

But that wasn’t the part that had been nagging at me all night.

I knew women. I also knew women who liked to pretend they weren’t pretty, when they knew they were beautiful. Women who acted like they didn’t know every single guy in the room was staring at them, but they were secretly eating it up.

After all, those were usually the women I went for.

Chloe was different. She genuinely hadn’t noticed any of the mens’ stares today, and whenever a man had been one of the people trying to gift her something, she’d innocently and incorrectly thought he was just being kind andprobably does that with everyone.

And now she thought I was trying to trick her into thinking someone mightactuallylike her.

The girl who couldn’t go anywhere without everyone falling in love with her.

I turned at the sound of my dad’s sigh and signed,Do you want us to go?

No,he signed like I was being ridiculous.She’s a sweet girl, and we all enjoy having her here.

And what happens when everyone gets too attached?I asked.

His eyebrows lifted, but he didn’t respond as he seemed to wait for me to come to a conclusion I refused to.What happens when you fail to see what’s in front of you?he finally tossed back.

Dad, I can’t, I said, emphasizing the last word. Just as he started askingWhy, I added,It’s complicated.

He nodded as if considering that, then asked,Are you seeing someone?When I shook my head, he asked,Is she?

That familiar feeling of possession and jealousy coursed through me as I thought of Owen Vance, but I just gave a hard shake of my head.

Nothing complicated about that,he said as if that was that, then leaned forward to grab my shoulder the way he did when he really wanted us to pay attention to him.I’ll say it again: I know real when I see it. Believe me or don’t, but believe that she won’t be around forever.

I dipped my head in understanding, then signed a halfheartedGood nightas he did the same.

With a sigh, I turned and headed to my room. When I got to the closed door, I hesitated for long seconds before finally knocking.

But when a minute came and went without an answer, my heart started pounding harder and harder as I realized she’d never given me the keys back, and climbing out of the windows wasn’t all that difficult.

I would know.

I barreled into the room just as she stepped into it from the attached bathroom. A short scream burst from her as she instinctively scrambled backward, clutching a small bag to her chest.

“Sorry,” I began, hand already raised to explain as she demanded, “What are you doing?”

“You didn’t answer.”

Her fingers had been lifting to her temple, but at my response, they stilled before falling like a weight. “So you nearly gave me a heart attack?” she hissed.

“I didn’t—” I gave her a look to let her know this was probably going too far, then repeated, “You didn’t answer when I knocked. I thought you’d left.”

She held out the same hand, gesturing past me as if to remind me of the conversation we’d just had in the entryway.

Just as a disbelieving breath fled from her, I informed her, “Not the only way out of this house, Bubbles.”

She seemed to contemplate that, but not in a way that had me worrying she’d go for any of them the next time. More like she was acknowledging the thoughts that’d had me running into the room.

“Well, I’m here,” she said like she knew she was a burden and needed to apologize because she didn’t know how to fix it.

Even though I knew her tone was because of my family, the words gathering on my tongue had nothing to do with them or the situation we were in because I’d brought a girl home. I wanted to know how Chloe genuinely didn’t notice the attention she got from men. I wanted to ask what she’d thought was happening every time Gray flirted with her. I wanted to ask if she really thought no one could like her andhowshe could think that. I wanted to know how Owen Vance had been her only boyfriend.

But those questions would only lead to dangerous conversations and confessions, so I just walked over to grab my bag. The keys were on top of it.

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