Page 94 of Villainous Summer

“I know it’s irrational. To have some trust in me and to see that trust shattered. I didn’t want you to see him. To see what he does to me.”

Her eyes took on a softer look, and she reached forward, squeezing my hand. “You don’t need to explain. To be honest, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have the same reaction if my mother showed up on my doorstep one day. Being abandoned by a parent makes you second-guess who you are as a person.”

A coil of nerves released inside me. Until she said those words, I hadn’t known how much I needed to be seen by another.

I brushed the wild hair out of her face, cupping her cheek. “When I didn’t hear from you, I thought I blew it.”

“You didn’t. I knew I overreacted pretty soon after you dropped me off. I was going to tell you at trivia but then I got sick and could barely move for a few days.”

Her admission was enough for me. “The idea of losing you because I wasn’t honest with you about how I was feeling? These three days have been hell.”

“What are you saying?”

Her voice was tentative, and there was a nervous flicker about her eyes.

“I’m falling for you, Summer. I think I have been since I found you dripping rain on my rug.”

She blinked at me, shock clouding her features, then disbelief. “That’s not true. Don’t lie to me, Van.”

“I’m not. I spent three days away from you. Going half crazy over the idea of losing what we had. Loving you the way I do and losing out on you because I was too scared to take that chance? That would be the end of me.”

She shook her head. Her tangled hair swayed around her face. “You told me, ‘Don’t fall in love with me.’ You said that, and I believed it.”

Surprise colored my tone as I stared back at her. “Are you saying you don’t feel the same? Do you really think that what’s been happening between us is normal? That another man could make you feel the way I do.”

She bit her lower lips, grimacing. “It doesn’t matter, Van. You told me not to fall for you. You said this was casual. Don’t make me want more. So, don’t make a fool out of me,” she warned. “Don’t tell me you’re serious when you aren’t. I mean it. All I have is my pride, and if you take that away—”

“If anyone is going to be a fool, it’s me. I think about you night and day. At work, I can barely concentrate because I remember the way you smiled at me. At stop lights, I forget to drive forward because a song you like comes on. I bought a rose bush for my house because they remind me of you.”

“You did?” her voice soft and unbelieving.

A smile forming, I nodded. “The guy at the nursery called them pomponella roses. They’ll bloom pale pink, the same shade as your cheeks when you blush.” Cupping her face in my hand, I ran my thumb over her cheekbone. “I’m the fool, Summer. Can’t you see that?”

“No, no, no,” she mumbled, her voice rising.

“Tell me you don’t love me back. Say it.” My gaze brokered no arguments. There were only two ways out of this. One of us would be left broken.

“You can’t love me,” she whispered. “You don’t know me enough to. If you knew—if you—”

“I know exactly who you are.”

Panic was rising in her voice. “This was supposed to be sex. Sex and sunshine and fun over a single summer. I’m sorry I was the person around when you changed your man-whore ways. I’m not a girl you can love, Van. We both know that. You’ll find some other nice girl, and you can fall in love with her.”

“Don’t tell me what I want. And for the record, you are nice. You’re loyal to your friends. You defend people in need.”

“You don’t know a thing about me. If you knew what I’ve done just in the past three months, you’d go running to the hills.”

“What? The stupid pranks on your ex? The butterflies and the keys and the fake doctor’s office notices? You think I don’t know about those?”

She blinked at me, stammering, “How—what . . .”

“I saw the keys in your car that day you came over to apologize. You left your list out. Quite detailed, too. I’ve been adding it up. This whole time, I knew there was more to your story.”

“There’s more. It’s not just that.”

“And you think I would care? Look, I know about the pictures. Autumn let it slip a few hours ago. If all this man got was a few sleepless nights, it was less than he deserved.”

“Shouldn’t I be ashamed I sent them?”

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