Page 147 of Sincerely, Your Enemy

I give Finn an appreciative smile. “Then that’s where we’ll be.”

“Maybe you should’ve toldthem I was coming. What if I’m intruding?”

Dia casts a glance in my direction from the passenger seat. “Would you stop that? You’re not intruding.”

I shift in the back seat of Finn’s car, teetering on the edge of panic. “Still, they didn’t invite me. Feels wrong to just show up.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. The way I see it, the guys invited Finn knowing he would bring me, and anyone with half a brain knows wherever I go,you go, so technically, they invited you, too.”

I scoff. “Not sure that’s how it works, but thanks for trying to make me feel better.”

She laughs. “I’m just saying, if TJ didn’t want you crashing his boys’ night, he should’ve taken five seconds out of his day to text you back.”

“Poor bastard just found out his entire life was a lie. Don’t you think you should cut him some slack?” Finn interjects.

“He’s haddaysto process. It’s about time he gave Lacey an explanation,” Dia argues.

I wish I shared her perspective. I wish I could just waltz into that diner, demanding answers, but the truth is, whatever anger I felt toward TJ after Aaron exposed his lies has been contaminated by compassion and guilt.

Seeing that look on his face when Daniel told him he wasn’t his father… The absolute betrayal looming in his eyes. It made me rethink whether or not I was the true victim in this situation.

I may have found out the guy I love has been lying to me, but TJ found out the woman who raised him has been lying to him his entire life.

How is it possible to hate someone for hurting you while alsonotbeing able to stomach them being in pain?

Finn pulls into the parking lot of Munchie’s a moment later, and I suck in a breath, anticipating TJ’s reaction to my presence.

“Just because he’s hurting right now doesn’t justify him hurting you, okay? He needs to take accountability for his mistakes, and that starts with him telling you the whole story,” Dia reminds me before we all get out of the car.

She’s right. I know she is.

Dia links her arm with mine as we make our way to the entrance. The diner is buzzing with life and chatter when we walk in. As hard as I try to seem relaxed and unaffected, I can’t stop my eyes from combing through the area, looking for his face.

Sure enough, TJ, Theo, and Chance are sitting in their usual booth by the bay window. I notice Bethany is cuddling up to Chance as we approach their table. I remember Chance telling us Heather was full of shit back at the lake house. Apparently, Chance never slept with her, and she made it up, in true miserable bitch fashion.

Glad to see these two worked it out.

“Hey, guys,” Finn says when we reach them.

They all notice us at the same time, their faces lighting up one by one, and it takes every bit of willpower in my body not to look at TJ to soak up his expression.

“Look who changed his mind. Missed us too much, did you?” Theo teases Finn.

“Blame the girls. They were in the mood for greasy food.” Finn makes up an excuse.

Theo smirks, his gaze shifting between TJ and me for a moment. “Right. Food.That’sthe reason.”

In case it wasn’t clear, Theodore Cox is a total sucker for a good awkward moment.

Only then do I glance down at TJ. I thought he’d be poking at his food with his fork, desperate to avoid looking at me, so you can imagine my surprise when we immediately lock eyes.

Not only was he already staring, waiting for me to look at him, but he’s also smiling. It’s a small smile, on the timid side, but it’s a smile nonetheless. He doesn’t seem too mad about me being here, so that’s a start.

“Move your asses,” Finn commands, and everyone obliges, scooting over in the booth to make room for us.

I end up sitting right across the table from TJ, which makes avoiding eye contact impossible. He’s right there, looking at me with that hopeful glimmer in his gaze every time I look up.

His eyes are still rimmed with dark circles, and he looks a bit pale, but overall, he appears to be doing better than the last time I saw him.

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