Page 161 of I Shouldn't Feel This Way

I had never seen a pair of brown eyes that looked so attractive before. It must have been the flecks of gold swirling within them. It added to his appeal and made him look strikingly captivating.

“I feel like …” I struggled to find the words. “I have a right to decide whether I want to get to know you or not.”

“That’s very bold of you,” he said with a smirk. “I like that.”

I looked down at my leafy greens and took another bite.

“So, let me guess,” he said. “You lied and told Noah that you were going shopping with the girls for the afternoon, right?”

“Are you trying to make me feel guilty?” I laughed.

He leaned in closer, and I watched the corner of his mouth curve up into a smile.

“Is that what you feel?”

“No.” I paused and thought about it some more. “Well, maybe a little.”

Evan drank his soda and stared at me, seemingly amused by my indecisiveness.

“All right, yes—” I said. “But I have my reasons.”

“I’m sure you do.” He chuckled lightly. “We all do.”

“I’m eighteen now. I can make my own choices.”

“It doesn’t matter how old you get, you’re always going to be his baby girl, and he’s always going to be protective of you.”

Hmm. Fair enough.

“Noah’s a control freak,” he said. “He loves to control people. I kind of feel sorry for you.”

“He’s not so bad.” I felt compelled to defend him, despite how betrayed I felt inside. “How old are you again?” I asked.

“I’ll be turning twenty-six in November, so let’s do the math. That makes me …”

“Twenty-five.” I giggled.

“And you recently had your birthday. April sixth, to be exact.”

“Yeah—wait, how did you know that?”

“Noah used to talk about you a lot.”

“He did?”

“Yes.” Evan nodded. “Why does that surprise you?”

“I don’t know.” I wasn’t sure if now was a good time to explain my daddy issues.

“You felt abandoned,” he said. “I don’t blame you. Grandma Hunter’s a bitch.”

That was certainly very forward of him.

“Your dad and I used to be close at one point,” he added.

“What happened between you two?”

“Everything went downhill after the hunting accident.” There was an intense sadness in his eyes, and I instinctively reached out to hold his hand.

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