Page 65 of In this Moment

She was just about to sink down into her couch and recreate her cave, this time with a tub of ice cream, when the phonerang.

She shouldn’t have answered it. In fact, it would have been so much better if she just unplugged the phones and ignored the world altogether, but the responsible mother in her caved. She answered on the secondring.

“What is going on over there?” Jade’s voice came over the line. “I just heard about you and Declan.”

Good news travels fast. Evie grimaced, but before she could answer, Jade added, “What happened? You guys are so perfect for each other.”

So Declan hadn’t told his family the truth. That it was all pretend. Evie didn’t know whether that made it better or worse. Not that it could feel any worse, no matter what he’d toldthem.

“It just wasn’t right, I guess.” She could barely get the words out without choking onthem.

“But you lovehim.”

It wasn’t a question, and Jade’s words hung in the air. Evie nodded and after a moment, she finally answered. “I do.” She swallowed back a sob. “Verymuch.”

“Then why? I don’t understand,” Jade wailed. “I mean…I know we don’t know each other all that well yet, Evie. But I do consider you one of my best friends in Cedar Springs. You know that, right?”

“Thank you, Jade.”

“I just want what’s best for you guys and if you say you love him, then this doesn’t make any sense.”

Part of her didn’t want to know any more details than she had to, but she couldn’t help herself from asking. “What did hesay?”

“Pardon?”

“What did Declan say? About us, I mean.” She took a breath and continued. “Did he say…well, did he say anything?”

As soon as the question left her lips, she realized that she did want to know. She needed to know. She held her breath, hoping for thebest.

“He said it wasn’t right and that you wanted to make things work with Tony, for Jonah’ssake.”

“He said that?” It was true she’d kind of led him to believe that might be happening, but hearing Jade say it out loud hurt more than she thought it would.

“Yes,” Jade affirmed. “He said that it just must not have been right between the two of you and that you must not love him as much as he lovesyou.”

Evie’s heart squished and she thought it might have physically broken in that moment. “He…he saidthat?”

“He did, Evie. When he left here, he looked completely destroyed. Mitch said he’s never seen his brother look so…so heartbroken before.”

“He said he lovedme?”

“Of course he did.” Evie could just imagine Jade on the other end of the phone, with her hands on her hips, looking incredulous. “You were engaged, Evie. Of course he lovedyou.”

“It wasn’t real,” she whispered.

“What?”

“It wasn’t real,” she said, louder this time. “None of it wasreal.”

“Of course it was real.” Jade dismissed her. “I’ve never seen someone so completely in love the way Declan is. With the exception of Mitch, of course.” She giggled a little, but then was right back to being serious. “You do understand that the McCormick boys are not capable of pretending to be in love,” she said. “When they love, they love hard and true, and it’s obvious to everyone around them. I don’t know what was going on with you guys, but whatever else was happening, there was love. A lot of it. Declan is completely head over heels for you and if you say you love him, too, then I have no idea why the two of you aren’t together right now. I’ll tell you what, Evie. I’ve seen a lot of stupid things in my life, but letting love go like this, I think it might be on the top of mylist.”

A sob escaped Evie’s throat, and then another. Until she could no longer hold them in. Jade waited while she cried for what was lost. Everything was such a mess. She didn’t know what was real, or what she could believe anymore.

After a few minutes, Jade’s voice came over the line again. Gentle this time. “Evie, I’m sorry if that was too blunt.”

“No,” Evie said through a sniff. She grabbed a box of tissue and blew her nose. “It wasn’t too blunt. I just…Jade, I just don’t understand. You say that Declan lovesme.”

“Hedoes.”

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