Page 98 of Fall for Me

“Without me there to help, he said he’d have to give her up.”

“What?”

My heart cracked then. I could almost hear it splintering, like glass. On stage, Jamie was at the podium, Seamus standing next to him.

Seamus was looking right at me.

“He told me he surrendered her to the shelter in Greenville,” Mia said, though I could barely hear her anymore.

“I’m sorry, Chelsea, I know how much you cared about her.”

Jamie began to speak, but I missed the beginning; my heart beat too loudly in my ears. I’d lost them both.

They were never yours to begin with.

“… and while this company will always be Reilly and Sons to me,” Jamie said, his words hitting me as if on a delay, “Seamus and I signed the paperwork this week for our official rechristening, as the Reilly Contracting Group, with Seamus as our new CEO.

Jamie looked over at Seamus like he was supposed to do something. He had something shiny in his hands. But his eyes were still on me. How could he see me back here? How did he know?

I took a step backward. This was Seamus’s moment. This was all about him and his family and I was making this all about me. I couldn’t. I couldn’t be here with my stupid pain; so insignificant next to theirs.

I took another step back, my whole body shaking as my back pressed up against the back of the bar. My eyes went to the exit, at the side of the roof. I could get there in thirty seconds, if no one saw me. I began to move, striding fast to the side of the bar.

“Chels!” Eli whispered.

My heel caught on a cord and I stumbled, nearly falling. “Careful!” Eli said, too loud. Heads turned—lots of them.

Somewhere, I heard a thud of something falling, then footsteps, but I was already running; stumbling, knocking against people in their chairs as I ran past.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, even though no one could hear me. Everyone was staring, talking behind hands, their eyes on me.

Look at that crazy girl with the scar, making this all about her.

It was only when I reached the door that I realized Seamus was standing in front of it. He’d cut over here, knowing what I was doing.

I came to a stop, chest heaving. Vaguely, I heard the crowd murmuring behind me.

Jamie said something on stage that drew a scattering laugh, but mostly they were murmuring, staring at me.

“Let me go, Seamus,” I said.

Nora or someone else turned on the music.

Seamus looked over at the people staring at us, his face steely. “Please, give us a minute.”

“I don’t need a minute,” I said.

Seamus tipped his face back down to me. “Chelsea, you don’t need to leave.” Rolling gravel.

“No, that’s what you’re doing.” God, I hated myself now. Hated how childish I was being. This was horrific, what I was doing.

“Chelsea, please. I want you to stay.”

“I can’t,” I whispered, my heart in pieces now. “I can’t stay, Seamus.” I’m a mess. I’m not what you need. You saw that and you selflessly cut it off before I could make it go sideways myself. “Goddammit, please move out of the fucking way!”

I didn’t say any of those words in between, but I knew he could see them on my face. In my wild eyes and hair, in my knocking knees.

Seamus looked down. “I fucked it up.”

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