Page 168 of Pretty Poisoned

I don't answer, pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before clearing out the bathroom. I'm not sure if he's right or not, but Iwasjust trying to save the person I love. Even if the person I love isn't the good guy.

"River still loves you, Teagan. Just give her space; our family will be okay."

I force a smile in his direction. "I love you, Luca."

"I love you, too."

St. Louis and Chicago.

That's it. Two more stops, and then we get to go home. Maybe Declan will even change his mind and let us take a vacation—maybe we can all go. River and Hazel, Brady and Rhett, too.

A private island or a city we could get lost in. Maybe River would smile again, and Luca and I could sneak off and get married like he said. We'd get to have our secret—a secret that doesn't feel like a rock in the pit of my stomach.

One that's only for us.

River isn't smiling now, though. She leans against Hazel's shoulder with her eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. We still have nine hours left of this drive—I can't just sit here, staring at her, waiting for her to look at me.

I'm tired. We're all tired. Luca and Rhett have tried to start some sort of conversation a couple of times each, but it didn't take. And Declan has been on the phone since we left the hotel.

"I'm tired. I'm going to lie down in the back," I tell them.

After I slip off my shoes and pull the covers over my body, I hear the door creak open.

Luca moves into the space beside me. "I'm tired, too," he says. "Can you open this for me, Teag?"

He removes a bottle of pills from the front pocket of his hoodie and hands them to me.

"Sure."

I open the bottle and hand it back to him, and he washes two white pills down with water. "Do you want one?" he asks. "It'll help you sleep."

"No, thanks," I tell him. "I'll pass on the drugs this time."

The door opens and closes again, and River crawls into bed on the other side of Luca.

"I'm tired, too," River says. "I'm not mad at you, Teagan. It's not your fault; this is just how I process things. I need to be quiet and alone. Okay?"

"See?" Luca says. "I told you so."

"It kind ofisyour fault, Luca," she says.

"Oh well…live and learn," he says.

"Live and—" She pauses, sighing. "No, you know what? It's over."

"Thanks for telling me," I say. "I was scared."

"Good night, Teagan," she says, forcing a smile that doesn't touch her eyes.

"Okay," I tell her. "Good night."

Luca wraps his good arm around me and kisses me on the forehead, and River pulls the covers up to her chin and burrows in on his bad side.

I don't think I'll actually be able to fall asleep, but it's okay. I'm content just existing—knowing I'm not alone and listening to them breathe.

But I'm wrong. The rise and fall of Luca's chest quickly lulls my tired, aching body to sleep.

When I wake again, it's dark inside the cabin and Luca is no longer at my side. I prop myself onto my elbows and see both River and Hazel asleep in the bed.

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