Page 66 of The Wrong One

Ramsey rubbed his forehead and let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know if I can forgive you, man. It’s just too much. You know how I feel about my sister. She’s been through so much. I don’t understand why you thought it was okay to move in on her. You have to know you look totally opportunistic. What would you think if you were in my shoes? Hell, what would you think if you weren’t the guy she was hooking up with a couple of months after getting out of a horrible relationship? You know how bad Patrick messed her up. Don’t you think that’s pretty fucked up?”

“I know,” I said. “And I’m sorry. But you have to understand that Izzy and I have a connection that we can’t ignore. We didn’t plan for it to happen, it just did. We didn’t want to hurt you, but we couldn’t help the way we felt.”

Ramsey looked up at me with a pained expression. “I don’t know if I can trust you again. You broke my trust.”

“I understand that,” I replied. “But I’m willing to do whatever it takes to earn it back. I care about Izzy, and I care about you as her brother. I don’t want to lose either of you.”

“There are a million women you could have had. Why her?” he asked. “Why my little sister?”

“I genuinely care about her,” I said. “She’s a good woman with a big heart. She makes every day a little better. She makes that sterile lab bright and joyful. She makes me a better person. I love the way she challenges me. She doesn’t let me get away with anything. She sees when I’m stressed, and she jumps in to help me out. She can read me like no one else can. I can’t explain how I feel about her in words, but it’s real, Ramsey. I can’t imagine not having her in my life.”

“Are you sure you’re not confusing your friendship with her for something else?”

“No,” I answered confidently. “This is different. I know you think you know me because of the other women I’ve gone out with, but this is different. This is on another level. I wake up in the morning and she’s the first thing I think of. Thinking about her makes me smile. I can’t wait to see her. I can’t imagine my life without her. Please, do not make me let her go. I value our friendship. It’s important to me, but I’m not here for me. I’m here for Izzy. She’s miserable. She can’t stand not talking to you. You’re her family. I’d never make her choose between us. If you meant what you said earlier, that you didn’t want anything to do with either of us, then I’ll walk away. You can’t disown her. She needs you.”

Ramsey ran his hand through his hair and seemed extremely upset. “I need some time to think about this,” he finally said. “I need to figure out if I can ever be okay with you and Izzy being together. And if I can’t, I need to figure out how to move forward.”

“I understand,” I said, standing up as well. “Take all the time you need. But please know that Izzy and I care about you. We value you in our lives. I hope you can find it in your heart to accept us and support us, even if it’s not in the way you initially imagined.”

With that, I walked away. As I walked, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions. I was scared and nervous about what Ramsey’s decision would be, but at the same time, I was hopeful that he would eventually accept our relationship. I knew that Izzy and I were meant to be together, and I wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of that.

I left his house and went home. Izzy was gone. She didn’t know I was going to talk to her brother. I told her I was going to run a few errands. She was going home to get ready for a night with her friends. I had hoped I could call and tell her everything was fine, and work tomorrow would be cool. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell her that.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Izzy

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow across the patio where my friends and I sat, enjoying our little gathering. Glasses of crimson wine and plates adorned with an array of delectable cheeses dotted the table before us. Emmy had cranberry juice in a wine glass to fit in. It was nice to have a new tradition. I was looking forward to being back home and making new friends. I was starting over.

The best part about these ladies was the fact they didn’t give a shit about how many pretty pictures I had on my social media. They didn’t care. They each had their own lives and were willing to offer me real friendship. That was better than anything I had back in California. Sadly, when I thought about it, I realized not a single so-called friend had called me once since Patrick and I broke up. My life out there had been nothing more than a fraud. I was living a fake life.

This was real. At least, I hoped it would be real. Cam texted earlier and suggested I not go to work tomorrow if I didn’t want to. Basically, Ramsey was still not interested in talking to either one of us. So tonight, I was planning on imbibing just a little too much before going home and crashing face down in bed and sleeping it off. I took a sip of the velvety Merlot, savoring its rich flavor, before turning my attention to my dear friends.

“Everything okay?” Emmy asked.

“Fine.” I forced a smile.

“You do seem a little bummed,” Caroline said.

“It’s been a rough week.”

“Last Sunday you were grinning and had the look of new love in your eyes,” Julia said. “Did the love die out already?”

“I started seeing someone,” I said.

Their gasps and delighted squeals echoed through the evening air.

“Tell us everything!” exclaimed Lena, her eyes twinkling with enthusiasm.

Emmy already knew about Cam, but she didn’t know about the situation that unfolded at work. I was too ashamed to tell anyone. I was hoping Ramsey and I would have had things worked out by now. I wanted to be able to celebrate with my new friends. Now, I wasn’t sure I had anything to celebrate.

I let out a long sigh. “His name is Cam. I work with him.”

“You sound so excited about that.” Caroline laughed.

“What happened?” Emmy asked.

“Ramsey happened.” I sighed.

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