Page 29
March. She sat at my kitchen table with her mascara halfway down her face and told me she’d been out to a bar on her own, and then she stopped in the middle of the sentence. I let it go. I let her keep her secrets, because I was keeping mine.
“It’s the principle,” I mutter.
“It’s life,” she corrects me. “And it’s beautiful. They’re going to have a baby, Lexa. Isn’t that wonderful?”
I look at her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes. She’s right, of course she’s right. But it’s hard to see past my own anger and confusion.
“Does this change things? Between us?”
“No. Nothing changes. I love you, and I’m with you. Whatever happens with my brother and your sister, it doesn’t affect us.”
I sigh, feeling a little better. “Okay. I guess I’m overreacting.”
“Probably,” she says. “But it’s understandable. This is a lot to take in. Let’s go home and you can talk to Alycia once you’ve processed things a bit. I’ll go grab our things and tell them that it’s all good. Wait for me by the car.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Okay.”
She kisses me, then goes back to the apartment. I go outside, leaning against the wall. I try to calm down, to sort out my feelings.
I’m happy for Alycia, I really am. I know how much she wanted a baby. But I’m also scared. Scared of how this will affect her career, her life. Scared of how this will affect me and Valentina, and our relationship with our families.
I don’t want to lose her. I don’t want to lose any of them. But I don’t know how to deal with this. It’s a lot.
I hear footsteps behind me, Valentina coming out of the building. She has a bag in her hand and a smile on her face.
“Ready?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say, pushing myself off the wall. “Let’s go home.”
She nods, taking my hand. We walk to the car in silence. I appreciate her presence, her support. I don’t know what I’d do without her.
We get in the car and she starts the engine.
“You know what I realized just now?” she asks, turning to look at me.
“What?”
“There’s no part of me left that isn’t tangled in you, Lexa Delvaux,” she says. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Warmth spreads through my chest. “This is probably the best way to describe the situation that anyone could come up with.”
“Good. Because it’s the truth,” she says. “I love you, and I love your family, even if they are a mess sometimes. And I’m going to be there for them, for you. No matter what.”
I lean over, kissing her softly. “I love you too. And I’m going to try to be better, to accept things as they are. But it might take some time.”
“That’s okay. We have all the time in the world.”
I nod. “Yeah. We do.”
Our hands stay intertwined for the whole drive home. I’m still processing, still adjusting. But I’m not alone. I have her. And that’s all I need.
CHAPTER 10 – Ewan
Friday, August 15
The renovated stadium of the Apex Predators is a sight to behold.
The sleek, modern design reflects the ambition of the new owners, and I feel a pang of nostalgia for the old Tide colors. I wonder what the fans think of it, how they feel about the change. Will they embrace it or resist it?
