Page 34 of Fool Me Once

“I do not trust you, Smith,” I growl through my gritted teeth. “You’re delusional for even having a thought in your brain that I do.”

He doesn’t seem convinced, and his minty breath fans my face as he inhales and exhales sharply.

“Then, let me prove to you that you can,” he whispers, still keeping his palms on my cheeks. “Please.”

“I have no interest in rekindling anything romantic with you,” I lie through my teeth. I’ve missed this man since he left my ass behind, but he doesn’t need to know that. Especially since I’ll never admit it out loud. “So, if that’s what your goal is, find a different charity case. I’m not the one to fuck with.”

“I will never get over you, Gemma Jones,” he says bluntly. “But if all you want from me is a friend, I promise to be the best fucking friend you’ve ever had.”

His words send my heart into a fluttering mess. All these years, I assumed he was over me, even though I still very much loved him.

But I’m not showing my cards, so I roll my eyes like it’s nothing and say, “Wrong. Your sister is the best friend I’ve ever had.”

He seems amused, his lips turning up in a crooked grin as his gray eyes glimmer. “We will see about that. She might be taking second, Firefly.”

He leans down, pressing his lips to my forehead, but I quickly pull back.

“No,” I snarl. “None of that shit. Your sister and I are best friends, and she doesn’t kiss my forehead. That’s … weird. So, don’t do it.”

He holds his hands up in defense. “Fine. Fine.” He sighs. “Will you please come back home with me?”

I stare him down for a second, silently weighing my options and realizing I really don’t have any. I also remember I’m not ready to leave Storm yet.

“Fine,” I huff out. “Not like I have anywhere else to go. Besides, I like my new bed buddy.”

“I can be your bed—” he says, and I slap a hand across his mouth.

“Don’t finish that,” I mutter, keeping my hand on his lips until he rolls his eyes but nods.

When I pull my hand back, he cringes. “It’s okay to be mad at your old man, Gem. But can you just tell him you forgive him and give him a hug?”

Right away, I’m annoyed. I don’t know how anyone could just forgive their dad after they did what mine did to me. And the person who should be equally pissed is practically telling me to get over it. I also know that he’s right. My father is sick. How sick? It’s hard to say because he and my mother have kept things so vague.

“But I don’t forgive him,” I say defensively.

“Then, lie. Just this once, lie to him.” He looks pained, his browsfurrowing. “Your dad isn’t doing well, Firefly. This one time, can you just let it go?”

“Lying seems to be your specialty, huh?” I coo. “Also, the fact that you did forgive him tells me everything I’ve ever needed to know when it comes to us.”

Grabbing my hand, he gently holds it. “I have never and will never forgive your father for ruining my life.” His words are cold and harsh, and his eyes grow darker. “But he’s not my dad. He’s yours. So, I won’t have to deal with the guilt if he dies. But you will.”

A pain shoots through my heart at the exact same moment butterflies erupt in my stomach.

Ruining my life,repeats in my mind over and over again because that’s exactly what it felt like Smith did on the day he took off.

“Fine,” I finally whisper, narrowing my eyes and poking a finger into his chest. “But I’m still mad.”

“Me too, Gem,” he utters sorely. “Me too.”

With her legs curled up and her head resting against the seat, Gemma fights the sleep that so badly wants to overtake her. Her eyes flutter shut for a few seconds, only for them to pop back open not long after.

Obviously, everything with her parents took time. Add on the whole thing where Will outed himself unknowingly, and it was a shitstorm for a while there. It’s going to take some time for her to fully trust her dad and me again—if she ever will, that is. But before we left, she hugged him and told him she loved him, and for the first time in my life, I saw that man fall apart a bit.

Then, Gemma insisted we go see my parents across the road before driving home. They were excited to see both of us, though I think they were confused about why I was in town. But I’m pretty sure they were so thrilled Gemma was beside me when I walked in that they didn’t askmany questions. That added another hour of visiting time to our day, so now, here we are, on the road at midnight.

“Rest, Gem,” I mumble into the dark cab of the truck, thankful that practice isn’t too early tomorrow. “We’ve still got almost an hour left of the drive. When we get home, I can wake you up or carry you in. But you’re exhausted. You should sleep.”

“I can’t.” A yawn rips through her body. “The only way I ever fall asleep is with a sleeping pill, and I didn’t bring any with me, so I’m shit out of luck until we get home.” She pauses, looking over at me thoughtfully. “Unless you want to stop at Walgreens?”

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