Page 26 of Reid
“You will always have me.”She tightened her fingers around mine.“Maybe moving here was a mistake.We can pack one of the Jeeps with the bare necessities and drive around until we find a place that feels right.”
“What?No!”I sat upright, which caused the world to spin a little, but I fought off the dizziness.
Heart racing, I tried to think through the fog of panic and whatever drugs were lingering in my system.Leaving wasn’t an option.Sure, we had obstacles that made our new living arrangements awkward, but we couldn’t leave.That felt like running.Ghost’s presence was definitely something to be concerned about, but not even that mattered.Not when things were finally right.
“We are where we were meant to be.Creswell Springs is home.I feel it right here, with my whole heart.”I pressed our linked hands to my chest, a desperation to make her understand tightening inside me.If we left, all the good things we’d gained would disappear.Leaving meant losing more than I was willing to give up.“I already see the change in you.This town is magical.You’re getting better every day.”
“I’m healing because of you, Evy, not some stupid town.Being beside you is what is helping me.Each day I can wake up and touch you, I get another small piece of my soul back.That’s the magic.Not the place, but you.”
“I don’t want to leave.”As soon as the words left me, I realized they were true.It wasn’t just because of how good this place was for my sister.I wanted to live in Creswell Springs.Even with Ghost here.Even with that bitch Rory running around mouthing off.Even with that damn bloodhound and his fleas.I could make it work.
Somehow.
My twin stared at me for a moment.“Because of Reid?”
My stomach flipped at the mention of him.“I don’t know.Maybe.”
That tasted like a lie.Reid had a hell of a lot to do with it.It felt selfish.My focus should have been only on Evie.Even though I wasn’t giving my sister the full truth, I couldn’t lie to myself when it came to him.My heart was already engaged in a big way.
“I overheard his mom talking on the phone when I first got here,” Evie informed me.“She was trying to call him.Whatever he’s doing, he wasn’t answering his phone.Mila and Sammy both said they tried texting him with no response either.”
“He’s probably busy with work.”I shrugged.What little I knew about Reid, I didn’t think he would ignore his mother’s calls unless he had a good reason.
It would have been nice to have woken up to him beside me in the hospital with Evie, but he had no obligations to me.One night together didn’t mean we were anything special.
No matter how badly I wished we were.
Needing to turn the conversation away from Reid, I gave my sister’s outfit another once-over.“What’s the deal with you and the bloodhound?When I got home this morning, you were snuggled up on the couch together.Did you get lucky too?”I teased.
Pink filled her cheeks.“He said he wants to take things slow.”
“He does?”That surprised me.If anything, I’d expected him to have been ready to deflower Evie as quickly as Reid had me.That Chance hadn’t was a good thing, though.With my extreme reaction to the condoms, the likelihood of Evie having the same allergy was high.
Her shoulders drooped.“We made out and stuff.But then he just…stopped.Chance said he doesn’t want to rush me, but I don’t think he wants me the way I want him.If he did, he wouldn’t have been able to stop in the middle of what we were doing.I mean, he was acting like he couldn’t bear to have more than an inch of space between us all night, and there I was, ready to give him everything.It felt right, you know?”
Since I’d felt the same way with Reid, I nodded in understanding.“Yeah, that’s how it was for me.”
“And Reid couldn’t stop?”
“I think if I’d said I wasn’t ready, he would have.”
“Chance has a reputation.I heard multiple people talking about him last night at Hannigans’.He hooks up with a different girl every weekend.Sometimes a different one every time he goes to the bar.”Jealousy flashed in her eyes, mixed with hurt.“If he truly wanted me, he would have taken what I was offering.What, he can fuck every other girl who looks twice at him, but he won’t even show me his dick?”
“Evie, I don’t think that’s the case.I’ll admit, I didn’t like him when I first met him yesterday.But from my perspective, I think he’s wild for you.”I couldn’t believe I was defending him, but here I was, trying to make my twin see that the bloodhound was attempting to be a better man for her instead of the horndog he was with every other woman.“Maybe he doesn’t want to risk screwing up what you two have.He doesn’t want to scare you.”
“I’m so confused where he’s concerned.”She bit her lip, frowning down at her lap for a moment.“When Abi called to tell me you were in the hospital, I was a mess and couldn’t drive.He insisted on bringing me.It’s all a blur until we got here.And then I met Rory.”
I tensed at the mention of her.“I can only guess how fun that was.”
She grimaced.“She didn’t speak directly to me, but from what little I heard, she’s not a fan of either of us.”
Seeing fresh tears fill her eyes, I tugged her forward.Without hesitation, she moved to sit on the bed and wrapped her arms around me.
“People suck, Evie.Not everyone is going to want to be our friend.Some people are too small-minded to even try to understand.”I rubbed her back when I felt her shoulders begin to shake.“I’m so sorry you have to learn that the hard way.”
“There are a lot of lessons I still need to be taught,” she sniffled.“Even though it hurts, I’m thankful that I’m learning them now and not after I gave my whole heart away.”
“Giving your heart to someone doesn’t mean you’re weak, Evie.”
