Page 116 of Lies Like Love

“Why?”

I shrug. “I just had a feeling after a while. Your grandparents wanted me out of your life the second everything went down. They had their reasons, but I don’t think it was as simple as what they said.”

“Like them trying to marry me off to a rich stranger?”

“I wasn’t aware of that at the time.” My jaw clenches with the thought someone else could have had her. “But if it was really over, why would your grandparents still talk to my father? Something wasn’t right.”

“Wait.” Her spine stiffens. “What do you mean, my grandparents still talk to your father?”

In the spiral of confessions last night, I must have skipped over that one.

“They still visit him on occasion.”

Her expression sours with the realization.

“I asked Sage to do some digging, and it turns out he’s still financially supporting them.”

“Hence them trying to marry me off to someone with plenty of money.”

I brush her hair from her face and wish I could make this all hurt less. “Exactly. Except, that would cut ties for good, and instead, you ended up walking into my tattoo parlor. So either it’s a massive coincidence, or someone had other plans. How did you hear about us anyway?”

Her eyebrows pinch. “Maren told me about it. Why? You think there’s really more to it?”

“I don’t know what I think anymore.” There’s never been a truer statement.

“And you don’t know who sent you the pictures?”

“No, fucker blocked his number. I’ve got some people looking into it.”

Fel spins in my lap until she’s straddling me. A tiny thing in my arms compared to the endless ocean behind her. So fucking small and temporary in a world of big teeth.

“Is that why you went to see Blaze?” Her arms tighten around my shoulders. “Because of hisconnections.”

She’s too smart for her own good, as always. One step inside the Twisted Kings bar and I’m sure she saw through all the shit that goes down there.

“Blaze has a guy in the city helping me figure out where the pictures came from, but that’s not why I was there. They came in while we were at the bar.”

“Hmm.” A devious little smile climbs her cheeks.

“What?”

“Just, if we weren’t at the bar because of the pictures, then why did we go there? And why did you suddenly go from telling me nothing to spilling your guts? Something else is up, and you promised no more secrets.”

Damn ocean eyes seeing through everything.

“Why does it matter?” I bite at my cheek.

“Oh my god, Jude.” Her eyes widen. “You just hid a smile. You never smile.”

“I smile.”

“No. You smirk. Or grimace. Sometimes you laugh. But a genuinehappy about somethingsmile—never. I can’t even believe it. Do it again.”

She bounces in my lap, and under any other circumstances I’d bury us in the sand and fuck her, but it’s so sweet and innocent. I’m lost in her smile, bright as the California sun.

“I’m not smiling.” I stick to my original statement because even if I might have felt it, there’s no way I’ll admit it to her.

She shakes her head before tipping her face back with a groan. “Always so big and tough. Can’t even admit it.”

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