Page 177 of Wish You Were Mine
“No problem,” Josh said. “Glad I was here.”
“What were you doing out here, anyway?” I asked, still trying to piece together how both of them had managed to appear at exactly the right moment.
I understood Owen since he’d probably seen me leave the club alone and his protective side had kicked in.
But Josh? I hadn’t even spotted him inside tonight.
“I was here to pick up some of the guys.” Josh gave a half-shrug. “Tried to go in for a few minutes, but…” He rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile tugging at his mouth. “Turns out I’m blacklisted. Guess the bouncer hasn’t forgotten about my fight with Brody in December.”
“Oh.” I hesitated, unsure which response fit best. “Should I say sorry you’re blacklisted…or thank you, since it meant you were outside?”
“Not sure.” He chuckled. “Yeah, fun times. But I deserve it.” His smile faltered, his voice dropping a notch. “And well…I know it’s way too late for this, but…I really am sorry for everything that happened when we were together. I was a terrible boyfriend, and you didn’t deserve any of it.”
“Thanks,” I said, somewhat surprised he was bringing it up now.
My instinct was to follow it up with anit’s okaysince the people-pleaser in me practically trained for it.
But it wasn’t okay. Not even close.
So instead, I asked, “I heard you stopped drinking. Is that true?”
“It is. Took me way longer than it should have but…I finally realized it was turning me into someone I didn’t like.”
“I’m glad you were able to realize that.” Even if he’d hurt me, I still cared and wanted what was best for him…even if it couldn’t be with me.
An awkward beat passed between us before he cleared his throat. “And sorry for not warning you about Brody. I always knew there was something off about him, but…I didn’t know why until tonight.”
“Yeah.” A shiver crawled up my spine. “He took me by surprise, too.”
We exchanged a few more strained pleasantries before Josh tipped his head toward Owen. “It’s good to know Lucy’s got someone else looking out for her now.”
“Yeah,” Owen said, skirting the fact that we weren’t exactly allowed to be together right now. “Maybe we can talk sometime about getting you off the club’s blacklist.”
“That’d be great.” Josh managed a small grin. “Mocktails only, though.”
“Sounds good to me.” Owen chuckled.
Josh headed back to his car and Owen turned back to me, his arm still warm and solid against my lower back, that touchthe only thing keeping me steady at the moment. “Want to go back inside?”
“Not really.” I shook my head. “Would it be too much to ask you to take me to my parents’ house?”
“Definitely not too much,” he said. “Just let me tell Malik he’s closing up.”
We walked inside together, Owen staying close by my side. After speaking with the other bartenders, Owen and I made our way to the corner where my friends were.
“Lucy! What happened?” Nora shot to her feet the moment I reached the table for my jacket. Her gaze flicked over me, then to Owen, then back to me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay now.” My hand trembled as I held out my keys. “Can you drive my car home? I…I’m not up for it.”
“Of course.” She took the keys without hesitation. “Do you want to go now?”
“Owen’s going to take me to my parents’ house,” I said, already feeling the weight of the conversation I’d need to have with them. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay.” She hugged me, quick but firm, not pressing for details even though I could see the questions in her eyes.
Owen’s car was parked close to the back entrance. The ride was quiet, the hum of the engine the only sound between us. I kept my gaze on the dark streets sliding past, the glow of streetlights smearing into golden streaks, fighting the replay of Brody’s face in my mind.
When we stepped into my parents’ living room, Mom was curled up with a book, Dad scrolling on his phone.
