Page 88 of Love Me

“Yeah . . .”

“You love him, Hannah. Just tell him. Everything else be damned. You never know when you won’t wake up tomorrow, so go love on your loved ones for me, yeah?”

“You’re a good one, Reid Knight. You’re gonna get your happily ever after someday, too.”

Not knowing what to say to that, knowing that’s not in the cards for me, I rub the back of my neck uncomfortably. She gives me one last hug before slipping out the back door of Rogue to figure her shit out. Glad I could give her a tiny reprieve, I fall back into my office chair and open my desk drawer, pulling out a small Polaroid photo and running my thumb over the young brunette smiling back at me, wishing like hell I could hug her one last time.

CHAPTER 29

liam

The next daygoes by in a blur and not being able to spend yesterday evening with my girls at home and my night inside Hannah, has made me a huge asshole today. The bomb that was dropped last night at dinner didn’t rattle me. I don’t give a fuck if Hannah kept that news to herself, it means that she wanted to stay married to me when she could have bailed now that there wasn’t a reason for us to stay married for Bean Haven. For however long she’s known, she has been choosing me every day and not doing it because of the arrangement or her situation.

But not knowing how she feels about me for sure has slowly started to eat me alive, not knowing where we stand is killing me. I need to hear the words from her lips. The last twenty hours have ripped me open. When I couldn’t find her at home, at Bean Haven, or the apartment, I knew there would be only one other place she could be. Reid Knight. He’s been known to go above and beyond to help women—his redemption, he calls it.

He sent me a text letting me know that shewas picking up Charlie and heading back to her apartment above Bean Haven, which I appreciated. I didn’t mean to offend him by insinuating that he would ever cross a line. The man just belongs on the cover of a fucking magazine and women seem to flock to him as their best buddy. Hard not to be slightly insecure. Even Sawyer was nervous he’d be able to steal Ivy away from him.

My phone vibrating in my pocket pulls my attention from the massive to-do list I’m staring at.

Sawyer: You ready to finally talk?

The sibling group chat has been annoyingly incessant since I bolted after Hannah at dinner the night before. I’ve talked to my mom and explained, and thank fuck she’s the most understanding, accepting human on Earth because all she did was call me an “idiot, just like the rest of the men in our family.” But I’ve been ignoring everyone else, the only person I want to hear from is Hannah.

Me: I’m fine

Dallas: We can smell the lies from here

Sawyer: We don’t hold it against you

Dallas: I mean, I told you this would backfire

Carter: Wait, dickhead knew?

Sawyer: ???

Dallas: Butwe don’t hold it against you. Any of us would have done the same thing

Me: That’s what Mom said

Sawyer: So this is what you’ve been working through all this time?

Dallas: Yep

Me: I can answer for myself dickhead

Me: Yeah. But, I’m in love with her and I’m going to fix it. Hannah is mine.

Carter: For fuck’s sake you sound just like shithead and dickhead

Kins: I agree with you, Li. You two were made for each other. Who cares how things started? Get your girl.

Carter: This will never be me. You all have fun

Kins: Just because you haven’t felt love yet doesn’t mean it won’t wreck you once it hits you in the face. Never say never.

Me: *eyeroll emoji* I’ve got it handled

Pocketing my phone with a frustrated sigh, I stand and head for the door.

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