Page 68 of Terms + Conditions
Georgie’s bottom lip wavers.
“I’m sorry, Gi, but I can’t do this.” Without looking back, Noah storms out of the house, Georgie hot on his trail. Selena follows a few steps behind, trying to pull Georgie back inside—because we wouldn’t want to cause a scene with the neighbors.
Is this my fault? Did Elizabeth tell Georgie? There can’t be any other explanation. How else would she find out the morning after I told Liz? Noah had held out the entire weekend, why drop the bomb now? That doesn’t make sense.
Lola returns to the dining room with a solemn face, she rubs her eyes and leans into Jeremy’s side.
“Where’s Elizabeth?” I ask.
“I think she’s still upstairs,” Lola says.
I don’t waste any more time, taking the steps two at a time. Elizabeth is stepping out of the room just as I’m about to open the door. Her brown eyes widen seeing me standing there. She opens her mouth to ask me what’s wrong, but I beat her to it. “Did you tell her?”
“Tell who?”
“Georgie. Did you tell her about Noah wanting a divorce?”
“No!” She looks genuinely offended. “Why would I tell her? You asked me not to.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Josh, I didn’t tell her.”
“Then how did she find out?”
“I don’t know.” Elizabeth scoffs. “Maybe Noah went ahead and told her.”
“Noah was waiting until after this weekend!”
“Well, obviously not.” She tries to keep her voice down since we’re still in the hallway, and I guarantee the others are waiting downstairs to see where this goes. “I didn’t tell her.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. This is why I never told you about Nick and Brina. You would’ve told Nina.”
Elizabeth scoffs. “So, youdidknow.”
“Of course I knew! That’s why he called me in Denver.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Josh! Do you know how much heartache and pain you could’ve saved if you had just told me?”
A lot.
I could have saved everyone a lot of heartache, stress, and pain, but it wasn’t my place.
Elizabeth shakes her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you, Josh. Nick is your best friend. He was hurting and—”
“He asked me not to say anything!”
“I trusted you with so many things, Josh. My parents, my scars, my love, my virginity…And you? You kept a secret that was tearing my family apart. The only family I had left. Nick andNina could’ve been together that whole time without all of the Brina bullshit getting in the way. You knew that and you still chose not to say anything. You could’ve prevented all of that if you had just told me!”
“Shoulda, coulda, woulda, Sugar. That’s not what this is about.”
“You’re right.” Elizabeth takes a step back, arms crossed tightly over her chest. She chews on the inside of her cheek. “This is about you not trusting me.”
“You don’t trust me, either.”
“How can I?” She all but yells, and it reopens the hole in my chest that had started to mend. “You continue to prove over and over and over again that you’re not trustworthy.”
“Five months,” I hiss. “And then youneverhave to worry about it again.”
