Page 103 of Be Your Anything
Not when my actions have hurt someone we both care about so deeply.
But it’s exactly what I need in this moment—affection from a friend who truly knows me, who has seen my at my best and at my absolute most disgustingly heinous worst.
We sit there for long, quiet minutes.
Just the two of us.
And I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking. So, instead of wondering, I ask.
“If you were in my shoes, what would you do?” I ask.
Paige is silent for so long, I turn my head to look at her.
And what I see stabs me in the chest.
She doesn’t have to tell me what she’d do.
I can see it written all over her face.
“You don’t want to ask me, Lucas,” she whispers, tucking herself back against me.
I sigh deeply, scrubbing my face with my hands.
I have to let these emotions go.
Have to give myself a moment to process the information Paige told me today about Lennon and my new understanding of what was truly happening between us.
Then, as much as it pains me, I think I have to let it all go.
Because Remmy moves hometomorrow.
Our relationship needs to start freshtomorrow.
I owe it to her to give us that chance.
If we’re going to have any chance of making it work, I have to really want it to succeed.
But the longer Paige and I sit in silence, the more I wonder if that will be the case.
CHAPTER22
LUCAS
“I’m so glad to be back!” Remmy enthuses, her smile wide as we sit out on the balcony overlooking the pool a few days later.
The sun is warming us both as we enjoy a late lunch prepared by her family’s chef. Well,I’menjoying the lunch. Remmy’s been poking at her meal, not really eating anything.
“I’m glad you’re excited to be here,” I reply after taking a sip of my drink and placing it back on the table. “You haven’t always liked the idea of moving back to Hermosa, so…”
I trail off, hoping she’ll take the initiative to tell me what changed her mind, what prompted her to make this decision.
And without us discussing it first.
If I’d known earlier, I could have prepared better, could have made sure… I don’t know. It just felt like it came without any warning.
I’ve tried to broach the subject a few times since Remmy moved home on Monday evening, but she hasn’t taken the bait. I don’t know how to ask her why she came home without it sounding like I don’t want her here.
Since the moment she got home, she’s been busy, her time filled with appointments and family time. At least that’s what she’s been telling me.
