Page 165 of Delicate Storm

“Why don’t you go and see him? I can wait. You said he lives in the building.”

“He’s not here,” I cry out.And he needs me.

My chest aches as I grab my phone and bring up his number, a pit of dread forming deep in my stomach. I’m just about to call him when Mom appears beside me.

“I’m going to give you some privacy, but I won’t be far away. Call me when you’re done. I’m here for you, Paige.”

“Where will you go?”

“I might pay a visit to your father. I need to make sure he’s treating you right.” Mom’s lips thin into a wicked smile and I actually laugh.

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll call you soon.”

After squeezing my arm, she lets herself out, and I call Easton as soon as the door clicks shut, needing to hear his voice just like he needed to hear mine.

“God, Paige,” he answers, dejected, and I hate that I’m about to break him.

“I’m so sorry, Easton.” I choke on his name, trying to swallow the emotion clogging my throat.

“Paige? What’s going on? Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

Sucking in a breath, I stand tall and own my mistake. I did this. I need to make it right. “I messed up, Easton,” I say calmly, my voice clear. “I said I’d never bring you into my chaos and I did.”

“Where are you? I’m at Mom’s. Why don’t you come here and we can talk about it? We’re in this together, remember?”

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Itdoesmatter. It matters more than anything ever mattered in my life.”

“Paige—”

“I pushed them too far. I should have gone to the police sooner.”

“Paige—”

“They’ve got photos of me and Isaac, Easton. They’ve got photos of me andyou.”

“Then we go public. We tell the world we’re together. No big deal.”

My heart shatters at the absolute certainty in his voice. He loves me. Truly loves me. But he doesn’t get it.

“They’re intimate photos, East. Photos no one would ever want leaked. Photos from our moment together at the Storm charity event. And I don’t think they’re going away.”

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Easton

Fuck.Mother-fucking-fuck.

My eyes close as I fall silent. Paige didn’t mess up. I did. That was all me. And it’s broken her. She’s working hard to keep her cool, but she’s falling apart. I can hear it in her voice. The way it cracks. The little waver.

“Paige, you didn’t—”

“You deserve better, Easton. So much better. Maybe we weren’t meant to fall in love. We set those boundaries for a reason. And we—”

“To hell with the boundaries. We’re well past that now. We’re together, Paige. It happened and it’s not something you can take back.”

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