Page 86 of Rival Hearts

“You don’t need to be worrying about that.” Trent waved me off.

“What should I worry about? My dead father? My boyfriend who kept his impending move across the country from me?”

“Maggie.”

“What? It’s a legitimate question. Maybe I should think about the election for mayor and how I could be beaten by someone who doesn’t even want the job. How’s that for something to worry about?”

“I didn’t come here to talk about Grady. I told you that.”

“Well, maybeIwant to talk about him. You told me this would happen. That he’d leave. Would never stay.”

Trent grimaced. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why not? Looks like it’s coming true. He had a job offer on the other side of the country, and he didn’t even mention it.”

“Maybe he had a good reason.”

“Are you really defending him? Really?”

Trent flushed and ran a hand across the top of his hair. The arms of his T-shirt bulged when he crossed them. “He’s my brother. I’m not going tonotdefend him.”

Resentment flared before I pushed it aside. I’d be the same way with my siblings. Whatever flaws they had, I could point them out, tease them, be annoyed by them, but God forbid anyone else say a word against them. “Are you two getting along better?”

Trent shrugged. “We got a ways to go. You’re not seriously worried you won’t win the election?”

I brushed my tangled hair out of my face and sighed. “A little worried—super low on my list of concerns. But I—I originally ran for mayor as a way to, I don’t know, make amends to everyone for what you and I did.”

Trent shook his head, his jaw tight. “Not what you and I did. WhatIdid.”

“I never got in trouble, but I was part of the process. I gave you advice that let the business grow, gave you more confidence, lured in more people’s sons and daughters.”

“We all made our choices. Those kids, every single one, knew exactly what they were getting into.Youdidn’t know.”

“Maybe. Didn’t make it any easier to see all those people hurting.”

He huffed out a breath. “That’s what Saturday’s about. Trying to make amends or start to, I guess. I want this town toremember me for something other than a drug ring and a long jail sentence.”

“They will. Just takes time.”

Ginger wound herself around Trent’s legs, begging for attention. He stroked her long tail, and she banged her head into his leg in approval, pressing her face against his jeans. She’d loved Grady too. Something about the Castillo men made anything of the female persuasion want to rub themselves all over them.

“He didn’t mean to hurt you,” Trent said, his tone gentle.

“Didn’t he?” I pressed my fingers into my forehead. Ginger wandered past my dangling hand, arching her back, eager to be touched. “Historically, Grady has been very good at hurting me.” And the possibility that might be true this time has haunted me. Deep down, I’m not sure if I really believe he’d hurt me on purpose again, but picking apart my feelings was more emotional labor than I was capable of.

“I know. Trust me, I know. But I also believe he’s trying to be better.”

“Why not tell me? If I was a factor in any decision, why not tell me?”

“I don’t know.” He took a deep breath. “He’s crazy about you.”

For the last few days, I’d let myself live in the numbness. It felt like the only way to survive. Block out what happened to my dad. Block out any feelings for Grady. All I could manage to do was exist.

“My heart feels really broken right now, Trent.” I could barely keep the tears in check. “Like… Unmendable. I don’t know what to do about Grady because I am terrified, absolutely terrified that he’ll discard me, treat me like I don’t matter, just like he did last time. Maybe not on purpose—like taking a job and not considering my feelings—but his behavior last time wrecked mein ways I’m only starting to understand. And I can’t fall apart more than I already am. I can’t. I won’t survive.”

“He’s not gonna do that, Mags.”

“You don’t get it. Can’t possibly understand. We slept together and he ghosted me. Cut me off completely. Looked past me, around me,throughme whenever we shared the same space. And I think I’ve spent the last however many years avoiding any relationship that might do that to me again. It seems particularly foolish to walk back into one with the person who did the damage in the first place.”

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