Page 128 of Waiting for Acceptance
“Scouts honor.” He holds up his fingers and I chuckle.
“Then we have to fix this. Now.”
CHAPTER 64
LAUREN
I barely made it into a taxi before completely breaking down after leaving Fitz standing in the hallway at his mom’s birthday party. I know him far too well and he would have thrown everything he’s been working so hard for away if he’d known what his parents were up to. I know he’ll find out eventually, and when he does I want his decision, whether it be to take on his new company with Jessica, or to leave it all behind, to be made with a clear mind. I don’t want him to lose what he’s meant to inherit because he feels like he has to choose me or his career. I’ve never been that girl, and I won’t start now just because I’ve fallen in love. Becoming CEO has been his plan all along, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I knew I was what stood in his way. Gran even said it herself, he’s great at what he does. He deserves this.
I grab my phone out of my clutch and call the only person I can think of right now.
“Chattahoochies, what’s your poison?” A sob breaks out of me at the sound of her voice and she immediately knows it’s me. “Max. I’m taking this in the office.” I hear her tell him, then a few minutes later she’s back.
“What’s the matter? What happened?” I can’t even speak. I just cry my eyes out on the phone with her for at least five minutes, and she just listens. Reminding me to breathe when I get close to hyperventilating.
“I don’t even know where to start,” I admit.
“Okay, well…if he hurt you, just know he won’t live to see the end of the year.”
“He didn’t hurt me. I—I broke up with him.” The words burn my throat when I say them.
“What?!” I take a deep breath, almost losing it all over again when we pull up to his apartment building and I look down at the key he got made for me this weekend.
“I have to pack and get on a plane. I just…needed to cry.”
“Come straight to my house when you land. I’ll have everything we need. I love you, Lu, and I am so sorry you’re hurting right now when I can’t squeeze you. Please text me updates as you can.” I nod my head even though she can’t see me.
“I will. I love you too.”
I haven’t stopped crying since I got into the taxi in New York. I cried the entire time I packed my bags, leaving behind everything that wasn’t a necessity, including the key I used for the first time when I got there to leave. Then I cried through the entire wait at the airport while I changed my wallpaper and hid all the photos of Fitz and me in my phone, only stopping when I fell asleep on the plane. I’ve been a zombie ever since I landed, barely remembering ordering my Uber from the airport to Ruby’s house. I text her that I’m here since it’s currently threein the morning and I didn’t want Maverick to wake anyone. Two minutes later the door swings open and the tears start falling again.
“I miss him already.” My voice is hoarse from crying so much and she holds onto me so tight it’s like she’s trying to keep me from physically falling apart, the way my heart already has.
“I know, sweetie. I know.” She runs her hand through my hair, and we stand in the doorway while I cry a little more. “Come on. I have wine and snacks. You can tell me what happened at your own pace.”
We curl up on the couch, bundled in blankets, whileNew Girlplays in the background. Our wine glasses are full, there’s a new box of Kleenex on the coffee table, and her attention is solely on me.
“So I guess I should start by telling you the truth.” She frowns at me and I feel the nerves spark to life in my stomach. “When Fitz and I started dating, it was all…fake.”
“Fake?!” Her eyes pop in surprise.
“Yeah. You remember when he was my date to Taylor’s wedding? He did that as a favor because I didn’t want to go alone.”
“Lauren.” She tilts her head sympathetically.
“I know. It’s so embarrassing thinking about it now, but he offered, and I said yes. When he said I would owe him, I thought he meant something work-related but he came back the next day and asked me to be his girlfriend for a year to get his parents off his back.”
“Off his back about what? Being single?”
“I wondered the same thing, but apparently they wanted him to end up with some hotel heiress so the companies could collaborate or merge or something. I don’t know, but I met the girl and I could see why he didn’t want to be with her. So we played the part and we played it well,” I say sadly.
“So then what happened?”
I shrug, feeling the emotion creep back up my throat. “It stopped feeling fake.” She stays silent as I try to regain my composure. “I fell for him, Ruby. I fellsohard. I thought he was just some rich dick that would keep my parents from trying to set me up with random guys whosetextsgave me the ick, but he wasn’t. He was everything I’ve ever wanted and never had. He made me feel…” Hot tears stream down my face. “He accepted me for who I was. Helovedme, exactly as I was. The bratty attitude, thrift shopping, horrible parents, workaholic that has a cat and friends who are a dealbreaker, and he never made me feel anything but wanted.”
“Shit,” she whispers, making me laugh ironically. “So then… Why did you leave?” I meet her eyes and anger and sadness overwhelm me.
“His parents won’t sign the company over to him unless he’s with someone fromtheir world. Basically, someone who can offer him more.”
