Page 98 of Sweet Ruin

“I know,” I agreed. “I’m not sure what else I can do to put his mind at ease though.”

“I’m not sure there’s much you can do. Just keep being understanding and reassuring him,” Cress suggested. “I’m sure he’ll work his way through it.”

“Yeah, maybe,” I said. “But I’ve been having that conversation with him for weeks. He still doesn’t seem to trust me. And if this morning is any indication, it’s getting worse. What if he can’t get past it?”

The two girls looked lost for answers, and it was clear they didn’t know what else to say.

“I guess you’ll have to cross that bridge if it comes to it,” Cress said.

“I guess,” I agreed. “It’s not just about Wes though. DoIreally want to be in a relationship where I’m always worrying about whether my boyfriend trusts me or not, and I constantly have to reassure him that he can?”

We all fell silent. I was surprised I’d said that out loud. I didn’t even know I was thinking it, but I realized that was truly how I felt. I loved being with Wes, but I didn’t know how long I could handle the constant cloud of anxiety that seemed to have enveloped our relationship.

Cress and Anna were watching me with concerned looks, but they stayed quiet as Wes jogged over to us. Sawyer was slowly trailing behind him.

“He finally got tired of losing,” Wes said, nodding at his brother. His cheeks were pink with exertion, and his eyes were bright with mischief.

“We got tired of watching by the time you went for round five,” Anna replied.

“Right.” He chuckled. “Everything okay here?”

He must have noticed we were all sitting in silence as he approached.

“Of course,” I said quickly. “Everything okay with you? You look a little out of breath.”

Wes laughed. “It’s hard work going up that hill time after time.”

“Well, at least you won,” I said as Wes slumped down to sit next to me. “What did you guys bet this time?”

“Who says there was a bet?” he asked.

“Because it’s you guys. There’s always a bet.”

“True.” He grinned.

“And…”

“Geez, Sawyer, put it away!” Anna screamed.

I looked up and saw Sawyer streaking toward the house. I immediately buried my head in Wes’s shoulder.

“Why does it always have to be streaking with you?” Anna called after him.

Wes was grinning brightly, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t really enjoy seeing Sawyer’s pasty butt once again, but it was hard not to find the funny side of it. It was nice to laugh after the day we’d had, and for a moment, it felt like everything was back to normal.

* * *

The boys hitthe slopes again the following morning while Cress, Anna, and I stayed back at the chalet. The weather wasn’t as nice as it had been the day before, and the idea of sitting on the balcony drinking hot chocolates and admiring the view was a lot more appealing than skiing. If anything, I felt like the boys were the ones missing out.

I was curled up under a blanket reading a book, and Cress was on her phone, probably texting Kaden, when Anna opened the sliding doors and came out to the terrace.

“We’ve got a visitor,” she said, her voice dry and unenthused.

“Don’t pretend you’re not delighted to see me, London,” Luther said as he eased his way past her. Anna scowled at the sound of her nickname, but Luther simply grinned back before turning his attention to Cress and me. “How are we this morning, ladies?”

“What are you doing here, Luther,” I said, ignoring his question.

“I just came to hang out with my favorite people.”

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