Page 123 of Rebel Bride
Her eyelids fluttered. “No, it’s not.”
“Tell me you don’t care for me, Summer.”
“I can’t do that. You know I can’t. But ...” She trailed off.
Fuck, that hurt. She cared, but not enough to make this work. “I see.”
“I’m not sure you do. Of course I care about you, but I’ve already said I can’t jump into something so soon. Now you’re finding me a job and deciding how my life should be arranged. I just jilted my fiancé less than six weeks ago! This is happening way too fast.”
Not fast enough for me. Summer was right about one thing, though: I should have fought for her back when I had the chance. Now the window was closing, and my fingers were about to get slammed.
“So we keep it under the radar for a while. We’ve done a good job so far.”
“Oh sure! Conor knows, as do Addy, Rosie, and Franky. Jason, too, no doubt. Probably your parents, Aurora, and even Tilly! We’ve done such a great job. Are you seriously telling me I should be announcing a new relationship to the world and look, he got me a job, too?”
“These are just details. Try to look at the bigger picture.”
She snatched a quick breath. “I am. I turned down the internship.”
“What?”
“I had to, Hatch. The only reason Ryder gave that to me was because you asked him. And of course, the Kershaws always get what they want.”
“Not always,” I said morosely.
“I couldn’t take something I didn’t earn, but I did ask him about the internship program with the affiliate. It’s less competitive, and he said I could apply for a spot there. He’s confident that with the work I did for Scott and his recommendation, I should be able to get it.”
My heart leaped. This was more like it. “The Rockford Royals? That’s great. A long commute, but we can make that work.”
She pulled away. “The internship is two months, and I need to live close by the offices. I have enough savings if I live on ramen.”
I understood that she needed to do this, but it didn’t mean we were over. Did it?
“I could come visit. Or you could come here.”
She placed a hand on my chest. “No, Hatch. We need to call a halt to this madness.”
Not now. Not when we were so close to the finish line.
“Summer runs again, huh?”
She jerked back, like I’d slapped her. Well, Sunshine, the truth often felt like a blow.
“This time, I’m running toward something. There’s a difference. After Dash, I said I would put myself first. I meant my career—and now I have a chance to work in the field I love. To learn on the job.” She sniffed. “You were never supposed to be part of that equation. Falling for you was not part of the plan.”
Plans changed. People fell in love. Surely she was flexible enough to go with the flow.
She reached up, cupped my jaw, and kissed me, soft and perfect. I tried to hold onto that sweetness, but she pulled back before I could drag her in deep.
“Let’s part as friends, Hatch.”
Friends? My heart was fucking breaking here. I had opened a vein and she was supposed to be the suture.
“After all we’ve been through, ‘friends’ is the last thing I thought we’d be.”
She peered up at me. “Is it so bad?”
“No, Sunshine,” I lied. “It’s not so bad.”
