Page 96 of You and Me, For Real
“I couldn’t process it. Tanner acted just as surprised. Before I even left the party, our photos were plastered all over social media. The video clips aired on TMZ within a few hours. But that wasn’t even the worst part. Turns out, Tanner had been dating my sister for a while. I had no idea. All the articles paintedmeas the villain. When I was the victim.” My voice cracks. A tear spills down my cheek.
“Come here.” Griffin spreads his legs and pulls me to him, cradling me.
“I went home crying, of course. Mom told me to quit being such a baby—that I’d made great content for our show. For once, I’d made her proud. Imagine that.
“I’d disliked my family’s reality show for years, but it wasn’t until that night that I loathed it. I wantedout. I packed a bag, left my house, and never went back. I haven’t spoken to my mom since.”
“Where’d you go?”
“For a while, I drove aimlessly around town. I don’t have any extended family—all my grandparents passed years ago, and my parents were only children. I had no plan. I just drove until I could come up with one. That was when I found Teddy.”
“What do you mean?”
“I sat at a stoplight, asking God what I should do. Out of nowhere, I saw this dog wandering the streets alone. I pulled into the closest parking lot, got out of the car, and called the dog. He came right to me.” I laugh, wiping my nose.
“Even then, before any training, Teddy was so obedient. So good. So eager to please. He was filthy but otherwise seemed healthy. I drove to a twenty-four-hour supermarket and bought some dog food and a water bowl with the cash I had on me. We spent the night in my car together. The next morning, I drove him to the nearest shelter. I hated to give him up, but I wanted to make sure he didn’t already have a family looking for him. That’s when I met Lynn.” I smile at the memory of her.
“This is where your passion for rescuing dogs comes from?”
“Yeah. It was like I found my purpose. He gave me a goal and something to work for. Within a span of a few days, I emptied my savings account, started a new one, quit school, applied to get my GED, and emancipated myself. Lynn gave me a job at the shelter and a place to live, and the rest is history, I guess.”
“Well, that explains a lot. And just for the record, I kind of hate your mom now too.”
“I’m sorry I ditched you with her. I just couldn’t face her. I wasn’t prepared to see her there. A week ago, I had lunch with my sister. I hadn’t talked to her since the night I left. She told me that night was a setup.”
“By Tanner, right?”
“No, by my mom. She’d recruited Tanner to date both of us, giving him his five minutes of fame to make our show juicier. I’m sure she secretly gave him some kind of payout, too.”
“How could someone do that to their own child?”
I shrug. “I’m not surprised. She’d used me my whole life.”
Griffin’s arms wrap around me tighter. “I’m sorry she did that to you. I should have run after you the moment you took off. I wanted to, but Scarlet stopped me.”
I tense, my chest prickling with jealousy at the mention of her name.
He shifts my body, draping my legs over his, my shoulder pressing into him. “I told her about us.”
“Us?”
He nuzzles my temple with his nose. “Yes, us. I told her I only wanted to be friends with her. That I want the chance to see where things go between you and me.”
Delight races through my veins. “How’d she take it?”
“Okay, I think. She’s the one who told me to go after you.”
“She did?”
“She’s a bigger person than I gave her credit for. I told her I’d stick to our contract, but only as friends.”
“So, we’re seeing where things go, huh?” I tease.
His fingers grasp a strand of hair blowing across my face. He cradles my jaw in his palm. “I’ve made it quite clear I like you. So yes, I’d like to see if there’s more between us.”
Oh, I know there is—my body thrums with it.
“But you’ll have to be willing to trust me…given your background. I know my lifestyle isn’t exactly prime real estate to you.” His thumb travels across my lower lip.
