Page 93 of Fall Apart

My heart breaks wide open for both of them. “Why are you telling me then?”

She turns and looks at me, her face hardening. “Because you’re right, I do love him - like a brother. I care about him so much and he’s helplessly in love with you. He’s never been willing to open himself up to being hurt, until now, untilyou.”

Those two words,until you,hit me like a punch to the gut.

“I never thought I would see this day. And somehow that boy, that man, trusts you.” Her throat bobs. “And if he trusts you, I trust you with this.”

I’m at a loss for words. I stare back at her in disbelief at everything she’s just opened up to me about. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Just… please do not ever doubt Clay. There is no one in the world I would trust more than him. I see the way you look at him. He needs that, someone who will make him look out for his own happiness for once. Shit, he was willing to break his own heart and ignore his own happiness to protect me. I wasn’t going to let him do that.”

I watch as more tears stream down her face. I pat the bed next to me. “Come here.”

She gets up and sits next to me and I wrap her in a hug. She sniffles into my shoulder. “Please don’t hold this against him. Do not doubt him. He doesn’t think he’s allowed to be happy. He doesn’t think he deserves to want things just for him in his life. He’s been more of a friend and ally than I could ever ask for, but it’s his turn to be happy.”

“Thank you, Kayleigh.” I squeeze her tight, overwhelmed with everything she just told me. “Thank you for telling me. All of it.”

Suddenly, I feel a flood of relief. I know that my heart and my mind were both right. I knew deep in my heart I could trust Clay. It just felt right. But my mind was right too. There was something there. But more than anything, I’m so relieved that I feel like I can trust myself.

I wipe the tears from my eyes, the happy tears for once. “Where is he now?”

“He’s out with Grace.” She laughs and looks at me. “You really must be rubbing off on him because they’re out shopping. He’ll be at the banquet tonight though.” She looks down and frowns for a second. "After yesterday, I told him to take Grace as his plus one.”

“Oh.” I say, thinking that makes sense, but I just want to see him.

“You know, I still need a plus one though. Will you be mine?” She looks back up at me smiling brightly with a wink. “Strictly as friends, of course.”

“Of course.” I pull her back into a hug, before letting her go. “I can’t wait to see him.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “I’m going to need to find a new date to these things in the future. We always let people think we might be more than friends. We never really did anything to stop those rumors.”

I shrug and smirk at her. “I might be able to loan him out to his best friend from time to time.”

She lets out another soft laugh, wiping away another tear. “It’s funny. That first night at dinner at your condo? Clay brought me because of you. He had no clue how to act around you. He was obsessed and terrified. So naturally I wanted to meet the girl he wouldn’t shut up about.”

My heart warms at the thought. “Thank you for telling me that. I’m glad he has had you.”

She smiles softly and nods. “I’m glad he has you now too.”

And now all I want is to be close to him, to feel his warmth. But another thought creeps into my mind, something that’s been nagging me.

“Speaking of tonight, I need to talk to you about something.”

CHAPTER 40

CLAY

HER

“I don’t knowwhy you’re complaining. You look great.” My sister stands in front of me in the valet circle of the Grand Lodge, straightening my tie.

I jab a finger at her in the air. “You better be right about this. You talked to Kayleigh, right?”

She throws her head back in exasperation. “For the hundredth time, yes. I texted her this morning. They’ll be here. And for the one hundred and first time, loosen up already. I swear, I don’t know what Lizzy sees in you.” She gives me a playful smirk.

I grin at her and laugh, feeling my shoulders relax. “I can think of a few things.”

She glares at me. “Ew, stop.”

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