Page 84 of Recklessly You
Santiago waves the twenty-four-pack of beer at me.
“Yes, and gaze at the stars,” he says in a feminine voice.
I snort. My brothers are a bunch of idiots.
Yes, my brothers. It’s been true since we were young, but I’ve never been able to use the words until now.
“How’s it going?” Mark asks.
I shrug. “Okay, I guess. And you?”
Mark’s girlfriend, April, broke it off with him weeks ago. She’s the type who likes to play games. She took advantage of his kind heart. Once she found out what Rachel did, she treated him like shit, as if it was his fault.
“I’m doing good, man. She wasn’t the one, anyway.”
The one.
Dominic tosses a cold bottle of beer into my hands and then hands out the other three, all of which he had pulled from an old ice chest. We each settle back in our chairs, the cheap metal legs creaking under our weight as we recline. The night air is still and cool, wafting around us like a soft embrace.
Dominic peers at me, shaking his head slowly.
“What?” I bite out.
“What? What do you mean by what? Didn’t I tell you to leave her before you hurt her, bro? You got her to fall in love with you and then broke her heart. How fucked is that, huh? I’m sure she will find someone in London. Who knows, she might not even come back. She’ll find someone who will love her back.”
My heart thuds down to the pit of my stomach. London. She went to London.Fuck.
“When did she leave?” My voice comes out raw, thick with emotion.
“Three weeks ago,” Santiago answers.
She’s been gone for three weeks. What if she never comes back? I’ll never see her again.You fucking let her go, you idiot.
Santiago deftly inserts a cigarette between his lips. I give him the nonverbal cue that I, too, would like one. He nods and flicks his lighter, offering me the flame. The last time I smoked was in high school. I haven’t had any need for it until now. Dominic follows suit and rolls a cigarette of his own.
“You’re not supposed to be smoking,” I mutter to Dominic. He’s been cancer free for six years.
“Just tonight. It’s needed for this Delgado huddle we’ve got going on.”
“She left for London?” I say out loud, not intending for them to hear the strain in my voice.
“I enjoy seeing you like this, fucker,” Dominic says with a stupid grin.
Taking a gulp of beer, I give him the middle finger. “Fuck you, asshole.” He knows me so well.
“I like seeing you like this. For the past years—no, decades—of knowing you, you’ve mustered a smile and a laugh. I’ve never seen you show this type of emotion. The desperation and heartbreak you are feeling tells me you’re living and feeling it right here.” He pats his chest. “Answer me this. Is Sophie on your mind every minute of the day? Is she your priority? Do you picture her and no one else? Did you love waking up to her in your arms? Do you feel like you’re dying without her? You want her so fucking bad, and you see a future with her and only her?”
I close my eyes and exhale. “Yes, to all.”
“Now all you need to do is admit to yourself you’re in love with her. You’ve lived with a ghost so long, Liam, you’re becoming one yourself. Only you can pull yourself out of it. Do it before you lose her completely; before you lose the chance to win her back.” He sips beer.
“You gave me this advice with Mila. You said, ‘You don’t want to live with regret.’ Take your own advice and don’t live with the ‘what ifs.’”
Dominic’s words keep playing in my head,admit to yourself you’re in love with her.
I’ve never felt my lungs collapse due to a lack of oxygen, not until I lost Sophie. I tried to ignore the tugging in my heart, but I can’t deny it. The night we made love was a night that will be forever engraved in my memory. Every inch of her body was explored as I tenderly caressed her soft curves. She deserves the utmost tenderness and gentleness. She’s the most wholesome person I’ve ever met. When my name rolled off her red-stained lips, I want my name to be the only name on her lips.
I’m in love with Sophie Summers. No, I’mmadlyin love with her.
