Page 127 of Almost Love

“I made a mistake. I reacted instead of thinking before speaking. I was hurt by something I overheard, so I hurt him back,” she told him, wincing at how juvenile it sounded.

“He loves you. Both of you can figure this out.”

Swallowing hard, she forced a smile. “Yeah.”Maybe. “Thanks for building my stall. I can’t wait to see it.”

“Pretty proud of it, if I do say so myself.”

“And thank you for supervising all of this.”

“Anything for you, Tiny.”

Clementine blinked back tears and nodded. “Soulmates for life,” she whispered and he pulled her into a hug. Burying her face in his sweaty, paint-flecked chest, she allowed herself to let go of her worries for a moment.

CHAPTER 34

After the showdown outside the shop, Fox had taken him home where he collapsed into bed with Gracie tucked into his side. It was only when Kristof called that he realized that he had been lying awake for hours.Who cares about sleep when my heart is breaking, right?

“Got a call from an Auburn at A Fine Needle. She said you’re a mess,” Kristof said as the call connected.

“I didn’t relapse, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

He heard a sigh of relief on the other end. “That’s good. Had Mia on standby. What happened?”

“She dumped me,” he whispered, swallowing down a sob as Gracie curled up on his chest, eyes never leaving his. “I hurt her.”

“Aw, kid. How bad was it?”

“I don’t remember getting home and I’ve been lying in bed, doing nothing.”

“What are you going to do?”

He tucked Gracie against his chest so he could sit up. “Get her back.”

“How?”

“I’m working on it.”I’m not. Not yet.He was allowing himself a few more hours of being absolutely miserable before he did anything.

“Tell me what happened.”

Oakley grimaced, face twisting into frustration. At Kristof’s repeated urging, he laid it all out there. He told him about how he was talking to Lucas about Clementine, gushing about how much he loved her and couldn’t wait to see where their relationship took them. He didn’t sugarcoat the replay, making sure that he used the words that had upset her—just sex. Even now, days later, he could see the absolute betrayal on her face. The only time he’d said that it was just sex was when he told Lucas about how things started. But that’s not what she overheard.

“I proved all her fears right. Everyone she’s ever liked has not felt the same way and they’re fucking idiots. But I made her think that’s how I felt too.”

He talked about her history with crushes and feelings to his therapist, hating himself with every word that he said. Because in that moment, staring at her tear-stained face, none of that had registered. All he wanted to do then was prove to her that he loved her. Except he’d hurt her and himself in the process. He was tired, worn out, stretched so thin; it was a miracle he was able to think or converse right then.

Kristof speaking stopped his spiral. “Be patient, okay? Don’t jump into fixer mode. Take it one day at a time.”

He dragged a hand through his hair. “I can’t wait forever.”

“You need to giveyourselftime, Oak. If you go in guns blazing, it could all go tits up and that would defeat the purpose.”

Groaning, he fell back and the scent of Clementine fluttered around him. Tears welled up and he rubbed his forehead, feeling Gracie’s tiny paws on his arm.

“Are you tempted to drink?”

“No. Did I tell you that she got rid of all her alcohol?” They’d been drinking filter coffee or water at her house.

“She’s a keeper.”

---