Page 100 of The Lake House

I’ve been sitting here with her for the past couple of hours while Lily and my mother went out for mani/pedis and food.

I push the spaghetti around on my plate, but I can’t manage a bite. I push away from the table and tilt my head back. “Ugh…”

“You can’t do this to yourself. You need to just let it go and move on.”

Cheryl’s words irritate me. I bring my head back up and glare at her. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I’m not one to curse at my sister, but she’s really getting under my skin right now.

She leans back in her chair and stares at me, not backing down. “It means you dodged a bullet. She’s damaged goods.”

Dodged a bullet?Damaged goods?

My blood boils. “I think it’s best if you didn’t say things without knowing what you’re talking about, Cher.”

“Declan, you don’t want to see what’s right in front of you. She’s been through a lot and she may not be ready for something new. I’m just looking out for you. I don’t want you getting hurt. You and Lily mean everything to me, and the last thing I want to see is you guys going through the same shit you did just a few years ago.”

I calm down, understanding why she’s saying what she is now. But because I understand where she’s coming from, it doesn’t mean that she’s any less wrong. She doesn’t understand what Giules and I have…

Had…

No, fuck it.Have.

We still do. I’m going to get her back because I can’t bear to live my life without her, and I refuse to. I’m willing to do whatever I need to do to get her back.

“You know I’m right, Dec. I don’t want you getting hurt by getting involved in her past. I know you were trying to do a good thing, but it could have been so much worse if the cops hadn’t shown up when they had.”

I stand up from my seat and begin pacing. I think for a second as her eyes follow every step I take. “Look, Cher. I understand what you’re saying, but something just doesn’t make sense to me. Everything was going great. We were fine. Then all of a sudden she comes out and says she doesn’t want to be the reason Lily and I feel pain.” I pause for a second and then stop in my tracks. I lean against the counter of her kitchen, and my eyes meet hers. “But without her, all I feel is pain.” My eyes drop to the linoleum floor in front of me.

Cheryl stands up, walks over to where I’m standing, and stops when she’s beside me, leaning against the counter, too. “Damn, I guess it’s too late then.”

I turn to face my sister. “What? What’s too late?”

She shrugs and then faces me. “You’ve already fallen. You’re already in love with her.”

I chuckle. “That’s what I’ve been saying all along. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

She chuckles, too. “Okay, well. Then I need to tell you something.”

“What?”

“You may hate me after I say it.”

I smirk at her. “I could never hate you. You’re my sister, and no matter what, I’ll always love you.”

She lets out a breath. “Good, because I may be the reason she acted the way she did.”

“What? How?”

Cheryl bites her lower lip. “I may have told her if she ever had second thoughts or if there was ever a doubt in her mind, she should let you go. I begged her not to break your heart. I guess with what happened with her ex, she felt the best thing to do was to let you go so you wouldn’t end up getting hurt with all the drama in her life. I’m sorry I messed things up. I didn’t think things would turn out this way.”

Shit. I’m shocked. But now it all makes sense. I didn’t know my sister had a talk with Giules. She had never said as much to me. I wonder when the hell they found the time to… oh, wait. I know when they talked now. It had to have been when I went with Mom to look at her sink. That was the only opportunity they had to talk without me being there. Fuck.

“Are you mad at me?” Cheryl asks; her eyes full of uncertainty.

I let out a sigh of relief. I can deal with this. If this is all coming from something that someone put in Giuliana’s ear—in this case, my sister—then this I will fix. I’ll be able to win her back. I waited years to be with her. I will do whatever it takes to get her back to me.

“Of course not, Cher.”

She lets out a deep breath. “Oh, phew! Do you know how hard it was for me to keep that from you?”

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