Page 127 of Always Been Yours

“Think about what, Genevieve?” The crack in my voice is apparent, and it only makes her cry harder.

“Us. This. I got so fucking caught up in you I never considered the reality of what it all meant. Not outside the borders of this town, at least.”

I take a step forward now. Not touching her but standing only inches from her. Close enough to feel her warmth and get a whiff of her berry vanilla scent I need like oxygen now. “Don’t do this. I can make it right.”

She puts her hand on my chest, but instead of pushing me away she grips onto my t-shirt. “You need time to figure this out on your own. And I… I need space to work through these insecurities alone. They have nothing to do with you, not really.”

My hands press into the door next to her, my head hanging between us. “How long?” It comes out strangled.

With a weak shrug she says, “I do… don’t know. Everything for the fair is pretty much squared away. Let’s just get through that first. Please?”

I resign myself to thisrealityand nod. “Fine. A week and a half. It’s going to be the worst time of my life. So much worse than anything before.” I gently hold her chin, marveling in the way she melts into the touch. “Because now that I’ve had you,reallyhad you, Vivi, I won’t accept anything else. You’re it for me, and I know I am for you too. So, take these few days and do whatever you think you need to do to be ready to spend our lives together, baby. But just so you know what I’ll be doing over the next week… I’m going to set my boundaries with Arielle tomorrow, I’m going to talk to my daughters about what they want our life to look like in Amada Beach and I’m going to think of all the ways I’ll spend every second of my life loving you.”

She turns her head further into my palm. “I want that, Grady,”she whispers. “I want that so badly.”

I cup the other side of her face. “It’s the only reality I believe in, Viv.” I place a lingering kiss on her forehead, wanting so much more, before walking to my Jeep.

Chapter Forty-Six

Grady

I’m sitting on the couch, my hands folded between my thighs, as I wait for Arielle to tuck the girls in for the last time before she leaves for New York.

I wouldn’t say I’ve been dreading this conversation, but I haven’t been sure how to start it either. My relationship with Arielle has always been so different than the one I have with Vivi.

With Genevieve, I’vealwayswanted to give her all of me—every last piece, even the ones I hate or am embarrassed of.

But with Arielle, we’ve always held our bestanddarkest parts close to our chests. We don’t communicate directly. We tiptoe around the topic and drop passive-aggressive comments to each other. We couldn’t even admit we wanted a divorce without a therapist guiding the conversation. I have no idea how tonight is going to go.

Ready or not, I hear her make her way down the stairs. When she sees me on the couch, she pauses before tentatively walking closer.

“Grady?” she asks in her soft, melodic voice.

“We need to talk.”

“It sounds like you’re breaking up with me,” she quips in a teasing tone. I don’t say anything, I just look up at her with somber eyes. “Okay, bad joke… What’s up?” she responds casually, falling into the armchair across from me.

“Arielle… we aren’t together anymore,” I state bluntly.

Her brows furrow and she leans back like she’s avoiding a physical blow. “I know that. I asked for the divorce.”

“But you regret it, don’t you?”

We stare at each other for a long time but finally she nods. “Do you?”

I take a deep breath and run my hands down my jean covered thighs. “No,” I say honestly. “Not even for a second.”

Her eyes widen slightly and her body tenses, but she doesn’t say anything. We just sit there, staring at each other for a few seconds.

Finally, I decide to continue, “We never really… wanted to get married.” She masks her expression into cool indifference, but I know her better than that. It doesn’t matter what wewanted.It’s about what we chose to do and then failed at it. “Stella and Daisy were always the best parts of us. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have gotten back together. We would’ve graduated, you would’ve moved to New York and me… well, I woul—“

“You’d still be living in Amada Beach and datingVivi.“ The way she says her name raises my hackles.

I nod. “I can only hope that she and I would’ve reconnected even if the girls hadn’t wandered into her classroom.”

She purses her lips and crosses her arms, giving me an assessing look. “Tell me about her.”

“Excuse me?” I’m stunned by her demand. It wasn’t what I was expecting.

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