Page 61 of Relentless (The Titans of Founder's Ridge 2)

“I reserved a table,” I lead her to the hostess stand.

A redheaded woman maybe a few years older than us looks up when we walk up. “Hello, Mr. Marsh. Your table is set up like you requested.”

“Thank you,” we follow her to a semi-circular booth overlooking the playground area.

Every table is full, and I can see the line is already out the door.

“This place is crazy busy for Monday night.” She picks up the menu and flips to the drinks. “Hey! There’s a gummy bear martini on here!”

“I know,” I smirk as our server sets two on the table for us. A red bear garnishing mine, and a clear one garnishing hers.

“Look at you, smooth operator.” She holds her glass up for a toast.

“What are we toasting too?” I grab mine and wait for her answer.

“Reconnecting?”

“To reconnecting.” I smile as I tap the rim of my glass to hers. We hold each other’s gaze as we both take a sip and immediately make faces at the disgustingly sweet martini. “Oh, that’s terrible.”

She winces after taking a second sip. “It really is.” She’s pulled all her hair to one side, showing the sexy curve of her neck. I shove my hand in my pocket to keep it from reaching over to her.

“So where do we start?” I clench my jaw and hold eye contact with her. “You running out on Christmas Eve and icing me out for over three years?”

“It wasn’t like that.” Her eyes dim, and she looks down at her perfectly manicured nails. “I didn’t have a choice. I went home with Dad and Isaac and straight into lockdown mode.”

“I get that, but it’s been three years. You couldn’t reach out once in all that time? You left and never looked back.”

“I had to work on myself.”

“Bullshit. What part of you needed three years of work?”

“I don’t know, Levi,” her voice drips with sarcasm, “maybe the eighteen years of emotional abuse and trauma I suffered at the hands of my mother? Maybe the weight of my father’s Olympic legacy? Oh, I know, how about always feeling like I was the ugliest person in the room? Perhaps, it was the work I had to put in to not feel worthless unless I was in a pool or holding a calculator? Take your pick.”

Everything she fires at me feels like a knife to chest. She felt like that? She felt worthless and ugly? I can’t even comprehend that because to me she’s always been the most beautiful girl, now woman, in the room. She’s brilliant. She’s worth twenty of me.

“Did I ever make you feel like that?” I ask, needing to know if any part of me ever scratched her soul.

“No,” she swipes a tear threatening to fall, “never. I always felt good about myself when you were around.”

Thank fuck.Relief floods me.

“Then I still don’t understand why you waited until you were undeniably going to have to see me.”

“I don’t have a good answer for you.” She runs a finger up the stem of her martini glass before looking back at me. “You didn’t reach out either, though, and don’t act like you were pining away for me every night. I know you’ve had a heavy rotation of women in and out of your bed the past three years.”

“I did what I had to,”in order to forget you.

“Half the population of Boston, apparently,” she snarks.

“Jealous?”

“Hardly,” she rolls her eyes. “Listen, this is getting us nowhere, and we need to get along this weekend. I don’t want to ruin this trip for Lilith and Con.”

“Agreed. Let’s just catch up. How’s Yale been?”

“It’s good. I’ve made some good friends between swimming and my finance and business classes. I like being so close to Dad and Isaac. I miss you guys, though. It’s been hard to watch you all together while I’ve been off on my own.”

I want to scoop her up and tell her I’m never letting her go again. Even if I do spend some time torturing her for leaving, I won’t be left again. Three years ago, I told her that I loved her, obsessively, and that hasn’t changed. As much as I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to shake her from heart and soul. I don’t say any of that though. I just nod my head while I watch her struggle not to cry.

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