Page 68 of Love Rewritten

“You haven’t. Trust me. That girl would give her life for you.” There’s a pause again before Logan continues. “She was lost last night, too. With you like that. But you haven’t ruined the relationship.”

“She didn’t check on me last night. She’s got to be mad.”

“She didn’t check on you because I told her not to. She might be upset, but she did want to see if you were okay. I could see the debate in her head. But I told her to sleep in her own room. I didn’t want you to say something you’d regret. I wanted you lucid before the two of you talked.”

There’s a long pause and I almost wonder if their conversation is over. But just as I start to slip out of bed, Dallas says, “Thank you.”

There’s some shuffling outside the door before I hear what I’m assuming is a back-clapping hug. Logan’s next words are muffled. “I’m not leaving you, man, and neither is Abby. Promise. Oh, and one more thing,” Logan says, his last word trailing off. “I may have spilled the beans on your relationship with Aubrey.” There’s a loud groan before Logan says, “I’m sorry. I assumed you’d had that conversation already.”

There’s a drawn-out pause before Dallas says, “It’s okay. I’ll talk to her about it.” And then silence takes over again.

I’ll take that as my cue that it’s safe to go out there. I crack the door and peek my head out to see them both leaning their butts against the counter in the kitchen. I push the door farther open and take a few steps out. They both turn to me and smile.

“Morning,” they say at the same time.

“Hey.” I look at Logan first to see if I can read any sort of warning sign or instruction on his face, but he doesn’t provide me with anything.

“I’ll let you two talk.” He pushes off the counter and heads to his room, giving me a reassuring smile as he passes.

I look back at Dallas, whose eyes are glued to the floor. Based on the conversation I just heard, he thinks I’m mad at him, which I am a little, maybe more than a little, but not as much as he probably thinks I am. So, I approach him slowly.

He takes a sip from his glass of water before setting it on the counter behind him and finally looks at me. We stare at each other a moment before either of us says anything. Layers of defeat create lines in his forehead and bags under his eyes. His expression has fallen into a sad frown but there’s also a hint of concern, like he wants to know what I’m thinking.

“Are you okay?” I ask, placing my palms on his chest. He doesn't pull away from me like he did last night and relief floods my system.

He braces himself on the counter with his hands at his sides and takes a deep breath. “I should be asking you that.”

“I’m serious,” I counter, almost before he finishes his sentence.

He takes a second to think before tipping his head side to side. “Yes and no.”

I wait for him to continue, but he doesn’t. “Okay … can you elaborate?”

“I think…” he starts but doesn’t continue the thought. “Can I ask a question first before I answer that?”

I cock my head. “Sure.”

“Did I mess this up? I need to know if I need to fix this.” He points between us before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

I shake my head. “No. You didn’t mess this up. You have some explaining to do. And I’m worried about you. But I’m not going anywhere.”

His shoulders sag with relief. “Okay, and I will explain.” He pulls his hands from his pockets and hesitates a moment before placing them on my cheeks. “I want you to understand something, Abby. I need you to hear this. I can stand to lose everything in this worldexceptyou.”

Those words melt my heart right where I stand. I lift on my toes and give him a sincere kiss, fisting the front of his shirt in my hands. “Me, too.”

He smiles down at me, his eyes softening slightly, and drops his hands. “I guess what I mean by the ‘yes and no’ is that I’m pissed at myself for drinking. After seeing my dad with someone else, it was eating me alive just sitting in that bar. And then he had the gall to try to talk to me about it. That conversation went about as badly as I expected it to, but it still hurt, hearing those words come from him even though I could guess how he was going to answer them. It hurt knowing I was right when I so badly wanted to be wrong.” He takes a sip of his water before setting it back down. “The drinking was a mistake, one I’m happy to pay the price for today.” He presses his fingers to his temples. “I’m sorry I let you see that. I won’t start the habit again. It was a one-time screw-up. I’m holding myself to that. For me, for Logan, for Rose. And for you.”

I wrap my arms around his shoulders. “I trust you.”

“Thank you." He smiles, then raises his brows. "You can ask me anything. I'm done hiding from you."

"Why didn't you tell me? About the drinking after Cole died, I mean."

He looks up at something behind me, a distant stare. “I didn’t want you to think of me differently. And I’m still so ashamed of that part of my life that I pushed it down as far as I could. I guess I pushed it down too far.”

I nod, hoping he knows I understand his reasoning. I’m not entirely sure what to say. I don’t want him to think he made the wrong choice by not telling me, but I want him to know that I get why he didn’t. So, I hug him again instead, because in my experience, actions speak louder than words.

“Have you talked to Rose?”

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