Page 120 of Say You'll Stay

But... I also thought he was going to propose. Guess that was just stupid on my part.

Lucas grumbles something to himself all the way back to his car.

“Asshole.” He shakes his head. “Ruined a fucking perfect night.”

I hope he doesn’t mean me. Truly, I thought this was perfect. Where did it go wrong?

Chapter47

Lucas

Never in my lifehas something not gone according to plan. Unexpected things have come up, sure, but they always turn out for the best. For example, Jadon. He was never part of the grand plan, but he happened. And while things haven’t been entirely smooth sailing all the time, they’re working out. He and I are developing a relationship that comes as easy as breathing.

Also, I don’t always go traditional routes with things, but Allie is traditional and has never had things go the way they should. She didn’t get to go to the college of her dreams and gave it up for Jadon. If she had felt comfortable enough to tell me about him, she probably would have felt more secure going to college and being able to afford a kid all at once.

She didn’t get to have all those experiences people our age have while I embraced all of it. Allie has had to be the grownup since she and I first met.

If there was something I could make happen the way she would have always wanted, it was the damn on-the-knee pose with the shiny engagement ring picked out especially for her. Perfect setting. Under the damn moon, both of us dressed to kill. It’s one of those things I know she’s always imagined as being some perfect event she will always remember.

Imagine the rainbow of emotions that cycled through me when I realized the crucial piece of the entire setup was no longer in my pocket.

That fucking psychopath with a death wish. He stole her ring. Ted stooped so low as to steal her ring from my pants as though it would make a damn difference. Well, it did. I didn’t end up asking since I wanted something to be perfect for her for once in her life.

It had to be when he bumped into me. I just didn’t feel it.

I have been trying to remain calm and drive safely, but my hands are tingling with the urge to beat him fucking bloody—and I’m not a violent person. Yet, all I see is red and part of me wants to drop Allie off at her dad’s and go find Ted. That simmering rage burns through me until she clears her throat.

She sits clear on the other end of the front seat, as far from me as possible, while avoiding eye contact.

Shit. She’s afraid of me.

I need to calm down. “Allie, look—“

“Did I do something wrong back there?” Her quiet voice rips me apart inside and I’m the dipshit now.

“No, Allie.” I reach for her hand, and she doesn’t fight or pull away, thankfully. I need to be human right now. “You didn’t do anything. You’re the only right thing right now.”

I need to find out his angle. What’s he trying to pull? How bad does Mark really want Allie and Tom to leave town that Ted would actually pick my damn pocket and take her goddamn engagement ring? As if it’s going to stop this in the long run.

Tom obviously has something on Mark, and Mark fears him enough to go to this kind of extreme. The humble coach—who stuttered his way through asking out a woman years after his wife passed—has something on the damn rich asshole in town.

That’s why I got my job. Mark put me here to get rid of Tom somehow. I just know it. It had nothing to do with Tom’s excitement over some washed-up local football star fresh out of college.

“Lucas, you seem angry like something happened and I’m confused.”

I need to let it go for the night.Soon-to-be-deadTed ruined this, and he’s still ruining the night for us.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “Allie, can we just forget the last hour and enjoy this?” I’ll charge the warpath tomorrow and get her ring back. It’s a small town. I’ll find out where he sleeps and get the damn thing back, with or without bloody knuckles. I might smother him with his pillow while I’m at it.

She smiles and nods with a nervous edge in her tone. “I’d like that a lot.”

Allie takes her seatbelt off and scoots to my side while I drive the rest of the way home. She leans against me while I try to relax, but I know I’m still a stiff ball of hate at the moment, just trying to remember he’s not here and she is.

“I don’t know what’s bothering you, but if you wanted to tell me, you can. It’s not like I’ll go around telling people whatever it is. You can trust me, Lucas.”

“It’s fine, Allie, just something I’ll fix tomorrow.” I’ll tell her after I send her ex off in an ambulance to be securely wrapped in a body cast. “I had something planned, but it wasn’t perfectly right for you.”

And now I need a new plan to propose. Not the damn lake under the stars where I got to kiss her for the first time.

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