Ilean my head against the cold window the whole cab ride home. Char occasionally pats my shoulder or rubs my knee. But my mind isn’t present. I am a teenager with no fears in the world.
I never expected to see him again, never wanted to. He’d just left with no note, no good-bye. He had taken all our hopes and dreams with him and left me with nothing but dust and misery.
But I had my mom. She helped as much as she could, but we still struggled to make ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck. After all, babies are expensive. She was a hairdresser and a damn good one at that.
And I worked part-time at our local diner. Some days were better than others. I helped with the bills, but my mom insisted I put at least half into savings for school.
After taking a year off of school after graduation, Josh, Charlotte, and I moved out of our parents’ houses and into a place of our own.
Charlotte is enrolled in school with me, and Josh works remote doing data entry, so his schedule allows him to help out so much with Jack.
With my mom in the hospital, they are my only solid foundation. Well, they have been for most of my life. After Alec left, I felt like I was all alone. But I had Charlotte, and a little while later, Josh joined.
My lips twitch up as I think of how Charlotte and I met.
One day, the popular girl in school, Tessa Thriller, called me a “four-eyed-slut” because her boyfriend had asked me for my number. Which I denied, by the way. And, well, Charlotte has always been one to stand up for others.
She punched Tessa right in the nose.
Josh turned our duo into a trio shortly after. One of our classmates was hitting on Charlotte and even touched her without her consent. Josh stepped in and beat the kids ass. He has been by our side ever since.
It was the three of us against the world. They were there when I found out that I was having a boy. They were also at the hospital when I gave birth to Jack.
They aren’t just my friends; they’re my family.
Seeing Alec again was a punch to the gut. These feelings and blocked-out emotions flooded back into me at once.
His scent was the key to the lock on my heart. When I breathed him in, everything came undone. All the years of built-up heartbreak and pain came loose.
The cab pulls up to our place, and Char tips the driver.
The house is silent when we walk through the front door. Josh must have gone to bed. I glance at the big clock in our living room. Holy crap, it’s four in the morning. I have never stayed out this late in my entire life. I guess I was drunker than I previously thought.
I kick my heels off, and Charlotte follows suit. After I lock the door up behind us, my feet guide me upstairs as I ache to be in bed. Char follows me to my room, quietly closing the door behind her.
She walks to my bed and pats the spot next to her. “Okay, let me inside that brain of yours. You haven’t said a word since we left Fireflies.”
Taking one last deep breath, I open my mouth, but everything attacking my heart and soul can’t make it past my lips. “I don’t know, Char. I’m kind of still in shock.”
I drag my sore feet over to the bed and flop down on my fluffy gray comforter. She leans back, rolling her head to face me.
“I had no idea he was on the team, I swear, Lu. I never would’ve met up with them if I had known. I’m sorry.” Her hand falls over my shoulder, pulling me into a side hug. Her voice is muffled from my hair. “But you have to admit, he turned out quite nice-looking. A long-lost Hemsworth brother, if I’ve ever seen one.” She chuckles.
I roll my eyes at her. I mean, she’s not wrong. The last time I saw him, he was this scrawny teenage boy. But now, he’s a pro hockey player. When he caught me, I could feel every hard line and curve of his body. I can’t even imagine what he looks like under all those clothes now.
Not that that’s ever going to happen. I’m not going to see him again anyway. Especially if I have a say in it.
But as hard as I try to push him out of my mind, he just won’t leave. He always has been stubborn.
Not only did his body grow up, but his face did too. His hazel eyes seemed deeper than before. And his jawline?Oh my God.
I’m not blind, okay? I can agree that he’s sexy as hell. But it doesn’t change the fact that he already destroyed me once, and I can’t feel that pain again—I won’t.
This is why I don’t leave my house. Too many people, too many potential bad situations. I’d rather just watch a movie with my Jack.
Charlotte pries herself from our hug and rises off the mattress. “All right, babe, I’m heading to bed. I love you, and you’re a bad bitch—don’t forget it.”
With that, she shuts my light off and leaves me alone. I slowly sit and unzip my dress, changing into a loose T-shirt. I brush my teeth and wash my makeup off, wiping away the remnants of the night.
