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“Can’t I call to just call?”

He laughs again. “You said you’re having a midlife crisis. So spill—who are we gossiping about? Sebastian or Eric?” Chris feigns a gasp. “Oh god, is it both of them? Honestly, good for you if it is.”

“If I wanted to talk to a teenage girl, I’d call Blake’s little sister. I called you for that great advice you like to hand out occasionally. But first, I wanted to ask how things have been with Allie?”

In the mess of everything going on, I have thought about Chris’s marriage. It makes me wonder if getting married is even worth it someday. I was lucky to grow up with parents who stayed together.

It takes Chris a few moments to respond, and my stomach sinks. I had hoped it would be a better update. “We’ll figure it out.” Its the resign and exhaustion in his voice that tells me things aren’t going the way he wants it to.

“I’m sorry,” I say softly. I mean it.

“It’s okay, Thalia. You’ve got enough of your own problems that you don’t need to be worrying about my marriage.”

I rub my temples. I want to be there for my friends when they need me, regardless of whatever bullshit I have going on in my own life. “It’s what friends do. Just know if you ever need a place to go, we have a spare bedroom here. Plus, Owen has that huge house if you’re willing to put up with the stupidity that comes out of his mouth. You have places you can go if you can’t stay, Chris.” I feel awful saying it, but I want him to know explicitly that he can come here.

He clears his throat, his voice thicker. “Thanks. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, though.”

“I know, buddy.”

“Just have to have a little faith.” Chris laughs bitterly, and it makes me want to jump a flight to Florida, but with Penelope in France, I have to stay for Zeus and the gallery. “So what’s the root cause of your not-so-midlife crisis?” he asks, circling back around.

“I quit the wedding, and kept my dog,” I blurt out quickly. I still don’t feel guilty for quitting. I don’t think I should feel guilty. I’m not really sure, but he called me earlier today after a week of only asking for updates about Zeus, but I’m avoiding it.

“Congratulations on finally growing a pair, Lewis. I’m proud of you.”

I instantly smile because I’m proud of myself too. “I feel like a real badass. He called me earlier, but I avoided it, and now I’m overthinking about whether I should ignore it or not. Sebastian is probably just calling to ask me to reconsider quitting the wedding.” Chris falls silent, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me nervous. “You still there?”

“Yeah. I was just thinking about the conversation I had with him when I was there. Are you sure that he’s calling about the wedding?” Chris asks carefully, and now I’m confused. Chris never said anything about having a conversation with Sebastian.

“What other reason would he have for calling me?”

“I thought maybe I got through his thick skull,” he answers vaguely, and my brain spirals further at the possibility of what that could mean. “But regardless of what Bash is doing, I really am proud of you for standing up for yourself. Do you want to call him back?”

“I don’t know. It’s so complicated, Chris.”

“Is it really, or are you making things harder than they need to be?” he asks annoyingly, but I can’t blame him for it.I do have a history of making things with Sebastian harder on myself.

Unfortunately, it is that complicated this time.

“For once, I’m not making things harder than they need to be. I’m going to break up with Eric.”

It feels like the right thing to do. Regardless of how things play out with Sebastian, I want to give myself the chance to find that kind of all-consuming love, even if it takes the rest of my life. Unfortunately, that’s not Eric.

“God, who are you and where is my Lia?” he teases, and my laughter comes easily.

“She’s growing up.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Sebastian

MY BIRTHDAY PASSED uneventfully. Kiera got me tickets to an upcoming concert I’ve been wanting to go to, and I refused the blow job I was offered.

I miss my dog, but I can’t poke the bear by going to Thalia’s to see him. I did make a trip to drop off some of his things on her doorstep, but I can tell from her updates that he’s happy to be there with her.

Kiera and I are in a weird spot. It’s like we’re walking on eggshells around each other. When I got home from Greensboro that night, we talked everything out. I don’t know if it helped reassure her or not, but since then, Thalia hasn’t been mentioned a single time between us. It’s an unspoken agreement that we don’t bring her up, which has done wonders for our relationship. Without Thalia around, it’s easier to put the thought of her out of my mind.

We put an offer in on a house in a neighborhood near Owen and Blake’s. If everything pans out in the inspection, we’re planning to move in after we get back from our honeymoon. It feels bittersweet, but I think a fresh start is the best hope for our future. I don’t know how we can moveforward with the ghost of my past relationship haunting every room I enter.

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