Page 132 of Love Notes & Lifelines
“Me too,” I admit, then rest my head on his chest. His strong, steady heartbeat is my own metronome that calms my fears. “I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to offer anyone this kind of security.”
“I want that for you too, Stella. I want to make a home with you where the only time we leave is if we want to. A place you come back to every day for so long that you memorize the steps it takes you to get to the front porch and how many minutes it takes to get to town. Security is a good thing for all of us, sweetheart, and I’ve never felt more secure with anyone.”
I open my mouth, ready to refute his claims with facts. Facts that whisper in my ear late at night. Facts that we haven’t known each other very long and other insecurities that don’t even sound like my own.
That’s when I snap my mouth shut. Allowing Silas into my head still gives him power over me, and I won’t consciously do that. Not ever again.
The song ends, and our friends clap and cheer—because that’s what friends do. This town came together in a way I’ve only ever seen on TV, and not just because they love a good party, but because they love us—all of us.
The clapping dies down, except for one, exaggerated slow clap that eerily draws closer. It’s the sound that plays in a movie before the main character dies. And when a face appears from the shadows, it’s clear why.
“Congratulations, you twolovebirds.” Danica spits the word love as though someone poured hot sauce on her tongue.
Leo is faster than a ninja and blocks her from view a moment later, but he can’t shield us from her words.
“Back off, Leo. I’m only here to congratulate the happy couple. I even brought a gift.”
Is it me or did she just turn into Jafar fromAladdinwith that last sentence? A sense of foreboding washes over me.
“Destruction,” Beck hisses.
“What?” I whisper, not sure he even hears me.
“Wanda said destruction was in the air when she first arrived.”
Wanda the weather witch. My stomach heaves, and I place a hand over it to keep my dinner down.
The large screen lights up down the beach, and my voice rings through the sound speaker that should be playing music. All the life drains from my body, and if Beck weren’t holding me up, I’d fall to my knees. The world tunnels around me as the worst moment of my life begins anew.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
BECK
“Shut it off,”I bellow. Stella crumples in my arms.
Oliver appears at our side and takes her arm. “Go,” he orders with a nod of his head toward Danica.
“Jesus, Beck. I got it, okay. This doesn’t mean anything to you. You don’t need me even if you want me, but I want to feel something, anything to make me forget, just for a little while. I understand what this is, what it isn’t, and what it can only ever be—sex—a physical release for us both. Not a relationship. I got that message loud and clear.”
Stella’s voice is shrill through the speaker, followed by mine.
“No, I don’t think you do. I can’t need you. I can’t need you because everything I need in life becomes cursed. I can’t do that to you. I want you as my nanny, but I can never need you as more.”
My gaze snaps to the screen and all rational thought leaves my head. I freeze in place as a grainy video of Stella straddling my legs plays larger than life.
How did Danica get this?
Chaos erupts around me, but I can’t stop staring at that screen. The rage is so blinding I can’t make my limbs move.
“That’s all stuff you read in a folder, Beck. It’s not the same. You shouldn’t rush into anything you might regret—what if a year passes and you regret it all, especially me?”
Danica has fucking cameras all over my goddamn house.
“Shut it off,” Leo yells before pushing me in the back so hard I trip over air. “Snap out of it, Becker.”
My head spins to where I last saw Stella and the heartbreak, fear, and pure defeat I find on her face makes my blood boil with a hatred so real, so raw, I’m liable to kill someone—someone named Danica fucking Delacroix.
Daisie barrels through the crowd and sits growling at Leo’s side, but no one is paying attention to Danica anymore.
