Page 74 of When We Meet Again

He saysbasically, yes.Basically. Yes.A laugh flies from my mouth at the utter shit he’s spewing.

Breathe. He isn’t the one for you. He never was. End this conversation. Close it up. And move the fuck on.

“I mean, you were dead…and I started something with your brother. Even though it wasn’t technically cheating because you weredead.” I emphasize that last part.

“I…do you love her?” What the actual fuck do I care? Who the hell knows, but this is quite the bomb to drop.

“I do. I love her.” He turns to me once more. “She’s pregnant…with our baby. And I’ve just stayed around…well, because I told her I had some things to wrap up.”

“Baby,” I repeat in a whisper. Forget the rain cloud. Where are the aliens? Beam me up, Scotty. Or him. Take him, not me. “Things towrap up?” I scoff.

Patrick rests his hand on my arm. “I’ll be moving there at the end of the month.”Holy hell.

“You didn’t want kids.” Instead of saying, “Gee, Patrick, I’m happy for you. Have a great life,”I choose to dive deeper into this circus.

“I didn’t…until?—”

I cut him off, “You just didn’t want them with me. Am I right?” A tear falls and I start to walk back into the party before I clock this dude in the face.I don’t even know why I’m crying. But he stops me by grabbing my elbow.

“Waverly, please…I didn’t mean for this to happen,” his voice quiets.

I whip my arm from his embrace. “Patrick, maybe someday I’ll understand why you were the way you were with me, but that is not today.” I dab under my eyes to make sure my makeup is right. “I really hope you enjoy your life. And I hope you’re happy.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “I really mean that.”

With those final words, I leave him in my wake, slamming the sliding glass door a little harder than I mean to.

“Hey.”That voice.I turn to see Roman. Damn! Has he gotten even more handsome?

“Are you okay?” he asks, looking past me to Patrick, who is doing God knows what behind me.

My greens meet his dark grays and for the first time in years, I feel like I can finally let go and justbe.I can breathe.

His hands rest on my arms and I blink away the tears threatening to fall as I take a few deep breaths under his simple touch. Our eyes lock.

“Happy birthday.” I allow my gaze to drop to his lips. The sight of him instantly washes away all thoughts about the other brother from my mind…like a tsunami.

Something about him makes me feelsafe.Seen.God, have I missed him.

“Oh,” I reel in my clandestine thoughts and hold up his gift that I left sitting on the table, which he takes with a beaming smile.

Our fingers graze momentarily, and every physical feeling I felt with him comes flooding back.“Thank you. Although, you didn’t have to.” He sets the gift bag down and pulls out the tissue paper. “I’m just glad you’re here.” He grabs the large bottle of Jameson 18 Year I gifted him.

“Damn, Kensi!” His admiration toward the bottle is like a kid getting his favorite Christmas toy. Eyes bright with excitement. “This! I haven’t tried this yet. I heard it’s some good shit!”

I laugh at his words. “Yes. You deservethe good shit, Rome.”

He gently places the bottle on the back of the table against the wall and pulls me into a perfect bear hug, nestling me into his chest like this is the only place I’m destined to be in life. Like this is the endgame.

“Waverly?”Oh jeez.I turn out of Roman’s embrace, despite feeling like I could have started hibernating in his heat, only to see Lena.

“Hi, Lena.” I look at Roman and back to her, demanding my thoughts not to spiral into a negative space. “How are you?”

She pulls me farther away from Roman and into a tight hug. Well, as tight as her thin arms can squeeze me.

“Do you mind if I steal you away for just a second?” She looks past me to the most beautiful set of dark sterling eyes for his approval, which he grants with a reluctant nod and turns away.

My sight follows him as Lena pulls me away to the sofa in the study. Somewhere I’ve never been before. This must be Harold’s little nook. It screams organized chaos with books everywhere. Papers in stacks on the desk, on the floor, in the chair. I smile to myself knowing we are one in the same.

“I want to thank you.” My attention darts back to Lena, curious as to why she feels the need to thank me. “Your words…on the boat, they helped me. I know being an influencer is great for now because the Internet is the place to be, but I decided I wanted something different for myself.”

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