Page 82 of Darlin'

Hey! Forgot to mention that Marlow might ask you to be a bridesmaid. Just a head's up. See you tmrw. PS, we're fine.

Bridesmaid. Because he's getting married. Because he's in love. Because he has a future. He's a future husband. A future father.

A future. A future. A future.

His future is in your hands, Miss Kingsley. What will you do with it?

As the camera on my phone flashes, I tacitly answer Miguel's question and quickly place the paper back in the safe, hustling out of Jesse's office with the stack of ones and coins.

Breathe. Just breathe. Act normal, and freaking breathe.

Guilt seeps through my pores as I pass Rocco again and the two young lives I will inevitably destroy. Pain rushes through my veins as I smile at all the patrons at Jesse's bar. And as I get behind the counter and crack open the coins into the register, my heart clenches with absolute agony when I look up at the photo of Jesse and his momma above the till.

"Yeah, she's right here—" Jo stops in front of the bar, landline in hand. "It's JP." She holds out the phone. "He wants to talk to you."

"Me?" I whisper, my throat dry and full of betrayal. "Wh—" I clear my throat, closing the register with my hip. "Why?"

Jo blinks at me. "The hell would I know? Do I look like a fortune teller to you, hun? Take it."

I lick my lips and take the phone, pressing it against my ear. "Hel—" Breathe. "Hello?"

"What's wrong?" Jesse asks.

"What?" I squeak. "Nothing, nothing's wrong. Why do you ask?"

Jesse snorts. "Cause I know you, princess." His voice softens. "You worried about me?"

"Always," I reply honestly, closing my eyes as my cell phone pulses in my pocket like the tell-tale heart.

He chuckles. "Well, stop. We're fine. We're riding back early morning. I'll be home before you even wake up." He pauses, swallowing. "How did uh—how did your lesson with Miguel go?"

"It was fine," I lie.

"Yeah?"

"Mhmm," I hum, missing the sound of his voice even though it's right there. "I umm..." My phone pulses louder in my pocket, the evidence inside deafening. "Jesse?"

"Yes, princess?"

"Do you..." I turn my back to the bar, lowering my voice as conflicted longing fills my chest. "Do you uh?—"

"Yes, Sav," Jesse whispers. "I miss you." He releases a tiny laugh. "Apparently, I like crazy."

A melancholy smile curls on my lips. "Maybe my crazy matches your crazy."

"Maybe," he says, and I can almost see his smile. "Listen, I got to go now, but I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," I reply. "Have a good night, Jesse, and ride safe tomorrow. No speeding, you hear?"

"For you? Fine," he chuckles. "Sweet dreams, princess."

"Goodbye."

I hang up the phone and place it back on the dock.Goodbye. That's what's in my pocket right now. A permanent goodbye. It's a conclusion. An end. Like a book. Like a tragedy. There's no happily ever after. There's no sequel. There's just me. Alone. The end.

His future is in your hands, Miss Kingsley.

But so is mine.

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