Page 11 of Until the End

I bite my cheek to keep from smiling at her mulish expression. She couldn’t be cuter when she’s annoyed with me. “Those are reasons your friends come together to support you. They’re shitty people if they hold that against you.”

“I’ve caused so much trouble.”

My anger spikes. The Weasel did more damage than I ever imagined he could. I carefully cup Ginny’s face to keep my frustration from showing. “Listen to me, and listen to me good. You. Did. Nothing. Wrong. People you trusted took advantage of you. Getting out was the only way to survive. No matter what happens next, you did the right thing to keep yourself safe. You understand me?”

Ginny nods.

“Words, Goose. I need to hear you say it out loud.”

“I understand. I did what was needed to keep myself from breaking.”

“That’s right. And until you internalize that belief, I’ll keep reminding you.”

“Thanks, Duck.”

I press a hard kiss on her forehead, my eyes falling closed as I soak in the moment.

“Your friends have arrived, Miss Ginny,” Daren, Ginny’s head of security, says through the intercom.

A minute later, our friends barrel through the front door, making their way into the kitchen, bringing a cacophony of noise that makes me grin. Ginny’s living space is one giant square, with a seating area and stairs leading to the second floor taking up the far side of the room, while the kitchen and dining area make up the other side of the main level. I press my hand to the small of Ginny’s back, taking advantage of our nearness. She doesn’t step away. In fact, she moves a little closer, and I want to preen.

Lottie spies us first, her eyebrows raising as her gaze bounces back and forth between us. I shake my head minutely, and she frowns but nods. It takes a monumental effort to step away from Ginny, but I do it to keep our friends from asking questions about our relationship. There’s no way I could lie to them or Ginny about what I want, so it’s best to keep them from asking in the first place.

Gia comes around the counter and wraps Ginny in a tight hug. “It’s so nice to have you home, sis. I’ve missed you like hell.”

“Me, too.” Ginny’s eyes shut tight as she hugs Gia back. She takes a deep breath and forces a smile onto her face. “I made a crap ton of food and thought we could sit by the pool since it’s warm out.”

“That sounds amazing.” Lottie sighs. She comes in for a hug next, her brown hair pulled up into a messy bun. Michael and our other best friend, Ryan, also quickly hug Ginny to say hello. We’re all beyond happy to have her home. She’s been a topic of concern for our friend group for the past couple of months. Knowing what I know now, I hate that we didn’t do more for Ginny. The signs were there, but we didn’t want to step on her toes or tell her what to do if this was what she wanted.

“Okay, one question before we dig in,” Gia starts. “Do you want to talk about things before we get drunk or after?” She knows most of the story already, but the rest of our group doesn’t.

Ginny rolls her eyes as she grins at her sister. “After. Definitely after you get me drunk.”

Gia looks at me. “You play bartender?”

“On it.” I pour drinks for everyone while the rest of the group grabs the food to take outside.

The wide double doors lead to a huge outdoor oasis. Between the house and the pool are the comfy couches andchairs we usually hang out in. Loungers surround the pool on the left side, placed at even intervals for maximum suntanning. On the other side is a kitchen and bar with everything you’d need to create an epic meal. The whole space is ritzy as fuck, and we’ve all talked about how crazy it is that Ginny lives in this house. It’s one of those places you see as a kid and think,at no point will I live in a house like that.

“The paps are still surrounding your gate,” Michael says as he shoves a bite of food into his mouth.

“We’re not talking about that shit yet, remember?” Gia admonishes.

Ginny shrugs. “I didn’t believe for a second that you’d last until I got drunk.”

Gia gasps. “Rude. I can be patient.”

Lottie snorts. “Since when?”

Gia throws a pillow at her, which makes her laugh harder.

“Were they shitty to you?” Ginny asks.

“They were close to getting their toes run over, but they weren’t hitting the windows like they do to you,” Michael says.

“I can’t believe they’re still here.” Ryan shakes his head. Ginny and I flew in last week after staying in California for four days. Daren informed us that the paps were outside Ginny’s house in LA until people spotted us at the Greensboro airport. We were able to get to Sonoma before we got mobbed, but it’s been a madhouse ever since we got back. Ginny hasn’t been able to leave her house in days.

Gia scoffs. “It’s a huge story. Country music’s sweetheart runs away from her wedding. They all want the scoop. I can’t believe Weasel hasn’t said anything yet.”

---