That was fair.
“I missed you so freaking much,” she quickly added.
“I missed you too.”
“After I went to college, it was hard to visit my mom because everything here reminds me of you. Heck, we even shared this bed for a bit.”
“I’m really sorry, Kennedy.”
“Trust me, I’m not looking for an apology. Yeah, maybe there’s a small piece of me that’s furious with you. But a much bigger partis relieved. I’m so happy you’re here. I wouldn’t change that for the world. And I’m the one that needs to apologize to you.”
I frowned. “What on earth do you have to apologize for? I’m the one that disappeared.”
“Got kidnapped and then disappeared,” Kennedy said. “That kidnapping thing is a very important detail.”
Whatever she needed to tell me seemed bad. Or else she would have spilled it already. “Just rip the Band-Aid off,” I said.
“I never meant for it to happen. And I’m trying hard to undo it, but I’m having a really hard time because I…” her voice trailed off. She took a deep breath. “I think I may have accidentally fallen in love with Matt.”
“My Matt?”
She winced when I said it.
And I wasn’t even sure why I said it. I just meant…the Matt I knew. Matthew Caldwell. I swallowed hard. “Sorry, just…Matt. You’re in love with Matt?” I shook my head. It was stupid, that my heart was racing. Even stupider that the knife I’d felt in my chest so many years ago was back, twisting slowly. Matt wasn’t mine. He could date whoever he wanted. And Kennedy could date whoever she wanted. “Okay,” I said.
“Okay? That’s all you have to say?”
What the hell did she want me to say? That I was fine with it? Because I wasn’t sure I was fine. It felt like the knife in my chesttwisted deeper. I exhaled slowly. I’d asked for this, hadn’t I? By praying he found happiness too? “How long have you two been dating?”
“Not long at all. Like I said, it was hard for me to come back to the city. But I got this job opportunity I couldn’t pass up and…I ran into Matt. Literally. When I was shooting some photos. And I swear we were just friends. And then it somehow kind of tumbled into more. And I…I don’t know what happened.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Stop saying okay. It’s not okay! I feel awful. And I told him to stop calling me. I told him we were done. But it’s like he’s crawled into my veins.”
Yeah, I knew that feeling. Like you couldn’t shake him. And I was embarrassed to admit that he still had a hold on me after all these years. Or else hearing all this wouldn’t be making me feel like I’d just run five miles.
“As soon as you came back, I pushed him away. But when I saw that stupid tabloid this morning I got so mad and I stormed over to his office and I somehow kissed him and I’m sorry. It’s still done. I just slipped once and it won’t happen again.” Tears were running down her cheeks now. “God, I’m such a monster.”
And I wanted to hug her and tell her it was going to be okay. But my mind had just stopped.The tabloid.Matt wasn’t dating Kennedy. Or if he was… “Kennedy. He’sengagedto Poppy.”
“He’s not engaged to Poppy. They’re dating publicly because Matt got into a little situation he’s trying to get out of, but…”
“You’re dating him in secret?”Oh, Kennedy. I wanted to cry for her. She’d gotten tangled up in him. Just like I had. And he’d break her too.
“I know that sounds bad…”
“Yeah, it does sound bad. You know how much it hurt me when he kept me a secret in high school.” I shook my head. “Has he really learned nothing from his past?” God, that boy was such an idiot.
“He has. He…”
“No he hasn’t, Kennedy. You’re his dirty little secret just like I was. And you deserve better than an asshole like him.”
“Whoa. He’s not an asshole.”
I just stared at her. I knew I was breathing hard. I knew my palms were sweaty. I didn’t even know why I was so upset. Matt wasn’t mine. I didn’t love him anymore. I’d let him go.
“He’s going to break up with her.” Kennedy shook her head. “This is coming out wrong. They’re not even really dating. It’s just for the press.”
