Page 40 of Rebellious

My chest pounds. “I—”

She interrupts me, her voice strained. “Let’s just enjoy the summer.”

I should agree with her. Parting ways needs to happen but—“Wait, Asp.” I reach for the door but then remember the rules. No nakedness. I can’t see her naked, and she certainly cannot see me. “Stay,” I beg. “Don’t leave like this.”

I know before she even speaks, she’s not staying. “I can’t.”

I nod and it’s painful. I know my words are harsh and the rules are unfair, but I’m trying. I’m trying to keep the woman I love. I’m trying to keep her in my life in any way possible.

I need to.

And that’s where I’ve failed.

I should have walked away from Aspen all together. But I couldn’t. I tried. I’m not perfect. I’m a selfish prick. She doesn’t deserve to be kept at arms-length. She doesn’t deserve to follow rules she doesn’t want to.

Aspen Von Bremen deserves the world, and I’m a failure for not giving it to her.

“Are you still up for our run in a few hours?” I ask, looking up and seeing nothing.

She’s gone.

“Heaven help me, I will drown you in the pool.”

I should have known Aspen would blow off our run, leaving me instead to run with Drew and my father.

“Leave him alone,” my dad defends. “He’s tired.”

He would know. I heard him up at four this morning too. I didn’t go out since I knew he was waiting on Theo to arrive for their morning run. This run with me and Drew is his second of the day. I’m always amazed he can keep weight on with the amount of cardio he gets in.

“We’re all tired,” argues Drew. “And yet, we still manage not to be a dick.”

“I’m not being a dick.”

Drew pulls to a halt. “You punched me in the face!”

I did. He asked me where Aspen was this morning. I told him I didn’t know. He made a shitty joke about her showing Liam around town.

“Keep running, both of you.”

My dad shoves Drew, and he turns back and cuts me a shitty look. “I’m tired of being your punching bag when Aspen ghosts you.”

I hit him once, not hourly.

“She didn’t ghost me,” I correct him. “She went with Mom and Anniston to set up for the carnival.”

My dad nods. “Which is exactly where you two are headed as soon as we’re through. I need some help with setting up the entrance.”

Drew groans. “I’m so glad I could come all the way back from college and provide you with some free labor.”

Dad arches a brow. “And I’m so glad I can work my ass off and pay a hundred percent of your college expenses since you fucked up your scholarship.”

Like Fenn, Drew is on the baseball team. They come as a pair. Drew is Fenn’s catcher. Together, they’ve been undefeated since they played travel ball in middle school. They both received a scholarship, and both were suspended for fighting on the field. Of course, Fenn started it, but when Drew went out to the pitcher’s mound to stand between Fenn and the batter from the rival team, the guy swung and leveled Drew with a shot to the jaw. Fenn took that as a green light and they both had to be pulled from the field.

“Touché,” Drew says, laughing. “All I’m saying is I would much rather sleep in until four and follow up a few hours of video games with mom’s famous lasagna in my lap.”

We crest the hill in time to see Theo loading up the car. “Where’s he going?” I ask Dad.

He shrugs. “Probably to the site to help the girls.”

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