Page 730 of Not Over You

After chatting for a little while longer, I finished my tea and hugged my mother goodbye. Then I headed to the airport.

My chest tightened as I passed the sign indicating I’d left Beaufort. Memories from the last time I left flashed in my mind, and tears stung my eyes. I couldn’t believe that I’d ended up back in the same situation I’d left all those years before, broken and alone again.

I took a deep breath and forced back my tears. I got through the heartbreak once, so I could do it again. And I would. Even if Lincoln had been the one who’d put my heart back together just to break it.

LINCOLN

My blood was boiling as I escorted Amber out of the bar. She was drunk as shit and acting like a child, and I hated that she’d made a scene in front of Liv and our friends. I tried to keep my personal life as personal as possible, which was hard in a small town like ours. No one needed to know my dirty laundry.

Once I got her outside, I gripped her by the upper arm and searched for her car.

She tried to wrench free of my grasp. “Let me go, Lincoln.”

I finally spotted her Jeep around the side of the bar. I led her over there as she continued to struggle and spew cuss words at me.

I let her go when we reached her car. She stumbled, and I had to grab her to keep her from falling.

Shit.

She wasn’t in any condition to drive, and even though we weren’t together and I was mad as all hell at her, I couldn’t let her drive. If anything happened to her, I’d never forgive myself.

She was fumbling through her purse when she finally pulled out her keys. “I’m outta here,” she slurred, holding up her keys like they were a trophy she’d just won.

I easily snatched them from her. “No, you’re not. I’m getting you an Uber.”

She tried to get her keys from me, but I was able to hold them up out of her grasp. I used my other hand to open my Uber app and request a ride.

Amber stopped trying to get her keys back and blew out a breath of frustration. “C’mon, Lincoln, just give me my keys back. I can drive.”

My brows furrowed. “No, you can’t. You can barely stand, let alone drive.”

She made one last attempt to get her keys back, then groaned in irritation. “I fucking hate you.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. She could hate me all she wanted; I wasn’t letting her drive.

A few minutes of tense silence passed before Amber stepped closer to me, placing a hand on my arm. “Why don’t you just take me home?” She bit down on her bottom lip and batted her eyelashes at me. “We can have fun for old times’ sake.”

Shaking my head, I took a step back. “You’re drunk. Quit making a fool of yourself.”

She stuck her lip out in a pout. “I miss you, Linc. Don’t you miss me? Miss us?”

I inhaled deeply, trying to remain calm. Before I could respond, she threw her arms around my neck, plastering her body against mine as she kissed me.

It took a few seconds for me to get past the shock of Amber literally throwing herself at me. She was practically shoving her tongue down my throat when I gripped her by her shoulders and pushed her back. “What the hell are you doing, Amber?” I questioned angrily.

She shrank back, obviously embarrassed, then steeled her expression. “Fuck you, Lincoln. I hate you.”

Then she slumped to the ground and started crying.

Fuck my life.

A car pulled up, and I hoped to God it was the Uber driver. He rolled his window down, his forehead creasing in confusion as his eyes darted between Amber and me. “Lincoln Bennett?”

I raised my hand. “That’s me. Just give me a sec.”

I went and picked Amber off the ground, then carried her to the car. I opened the rear driver’s side door and set her inside, and she turned away from me and sobbed.

Fuck, I felt like an asshole. And I was for all I’d put her through.

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