Page 102 of Crazy In Love
Snarling, I pull away and glare down into her eyes.
“I won’t have a choice. They’re twins. Those boys are two halves of one incredible soul. If he marries and brings her into our world, I’m gonna have to like her. She’ll be my kids’ aunty.”
“Why are you telling me this? Why are you hurting me?”
“Because you need to understand what you’re walking away from before it’s too late! If I have to be some bitch’s best friend and sister-in-law,I’d rather that bitch wasyou. But if you walk away without even trying, then I guess you’re not really invested, anyway. Think wisely,” she warns. “Think hard. Because no one is leaving you this time. You’re leaving them.”
“And you’re being a jerk! You sit arrogantly upon the pedestal of your amazing relationship, but you’re yet to set a wedding date so you can marry the man you’ve been in love with since you were nine years old. I’m happy for you, Lana. Truly. Butmylife is in New York. He doesn’t want to move there. He doesn’t want to leave the job he loves, or the only family he knows. Small-town living brings him comfort, and the beautiful house he always dreamed of owning would become just another sacrifice in a string of sacrifices. All for nothing.”
“For you,” she presses. “Not for nothing.”
“No.” I drop my gaze and study the baby. “We’re too new, and he’s too comfortable. What we have right now is nice, but we’ll break it if we try to force something we know won’t work.”
“You’re a pussy.” She sets her hands on the floor and pushes to her feet. “Never thought I’d see the day wheremybest friend, the bravest, smartest, most confident person I’ve ever met, would be such a coward. And because of a boy?” Taunting laughter echoes across the room as she spins back and scoops her baby out of my arms. “He would fight for you, Fox. He would tear down every single barrier and destroy every person who stood between you.”
She settles Hazel against her chest, patting her bottom to soothe her back to sleep. But she stands over me, her eyes swelling with pity. Disappointment. Sadness. “You’re not even giving him a chance. Andthat’swhy you demanded secrecy. You knew I’d kick your ass for breaking his heart, and you knew you’d break his heart because you’re too much of a coward to accept love. Your parents convinced you that you were unworthy, the fucking pricks.” She turns on her heels and snatches up my notebook and pen. “Let’s go. I’m done with this conversation, and we have a party to plan. I can’t believe I walked away from watching the guys spar, all to hear about how much of a pussy you are.”
I scramble to my feet and jump out of the way of the door, and following her into the hall, I grab her arm as panic lances through my veins. “You’re not gonna say anything, are you? Alana? You won’t tell Tommy either, right?”
“And ruin perfect small-town gossip fodder?” she scoffs. “No, I won’t tell them. Honestly, I’d be embarrassed. All this time, I’ve annoyed them with how much I talk about you.Fox is my best friend. Fox is so brave and amazing. Fox is so confident. I wish I could be more like Fox.” She glancesover her shoulder, pithy and snide. “For ten years, you’ve been this pillar of strength I aspired to. So strong and sure and pretty and perfect.” She shakes her head and continues along the hall. “All for a boy! Nowthat’scliché.”
“You’re being mean because you want me to snap back.” I scowl at the floor and follow her all the way to the doorway we started in, but when I come to a stop and bring my gaze up, I find both Watkins men still in the ring, their fight over and their chests expanded, swollen with adrenaline.
Most importantly, their eyes are on us.
The music playing through the speakers is far too loud for them to have heard a single word of our conversation. But they stare. Twin glares. Matching fat lips and a nasty knuckle-shaped bruise right over the top of Chris’ chest.
It’s ironic, really.
Alana shuffles closer, fake smiling to placate the guys. But I feel the heat of her burn, anyway. “You deserve better than what your parents did to you. You deserve better than the voice inside your head.”
“Stop it.”
“Not telling him will be the biggest mistake you ever make.”
“I said stop it,” I growl.
“You two look like you’re up to no good,” Tommy calls across the room, those marbles Alana speaks of, garbling his words and adding a country twang behind the rubber guard shielding his teeth. “Should we be worried?”
“Just going over party details,” she lies. She lifts her chin in his direction. “Start sparring again. I wasn’t done watching the show.”
He smirks, growing broader under her admiring gaze. “I can’t afford to look this good, babe. You’re still healing.”
“I’m done.” Chris turns from the ropes and drags the guard out of his mouth. And because he doesn’t know Alana knows, he thinks I’m the only one who sees his sly side glance. “I’m hitting the showers and going home.”
Which is code for: come to my bed, Fox. In secret. I wanna fuck.
ROUND TWENTY-SIX
CHRIS
I’m not panicking.
No one is panicking.
There’s nothing to panic about!
Because it’s only day thirty-four of forty-two, which means I still have a week before Fox flies back to New York.
