Page 103 of Sergeant O'
I felt like I had emotional whiplash.
I hung my keys up on the hook, kicked off my shoes, and headed toward the kitchen.
Penny Lane twined around my ankles, brushing against me until I crouched down and picked her up.
“Sorry, sweet kitty. I think it’s just going to be you and me from now on.”
The thought made me sad.
I couldn’t find it in me to be mad. I understood why he thought we should cool it. Heck, until two days ago,Iwasn’t sure we should date once we got back to Haven Springs.
But then he had to go and ask,What if we did date once we got home?and that changed everything.
Except the media hounding us. Our names were all over the gossip sites, and HR had practically stampeddon’t date Brian O’Shaughnessyacross my forehead. Keeping our distance made sense.
It still hurt that he hadn’t even considered fighting for us, though.
I changed into my pajamas, crawled into bed, and punched my pillow a few times before laying my head on it. The sheets still smelled faintly like him. I closed my eyes and took a slow breath.
Tomorrow I’d go to work, keep my head down, and remind myself I’d survived worse.
Still, it stung to know he’d chosen safe over me.
Chapter Fifty-One
Brian
I woke up Sunday morning and reached for Jade, only to realize I was in my bed—in my room, not the cottage or in her house—and she wasn’t there.
Our streak had been broken, and frankly, it sucked. Still, I wouldn’t trade the six perfect days and nights we’d had together for anything.
I got out of bed with renewed determination to clear her name. I hated that I’d dragged her into this mess. The least I could do was find a way to get her out of it.
~~~~
With my coffee in my black traveler’s mug, I made my way next door. I was hoping Lainey and Adam would take pity on me and feed me—I really needed to get my ass to the store. Plus, it gave me the perfect chance to get their opinion about my bullshit story before I tried selling it to the rest of the town.
Adam opened the door before I could knock, like he’d been expecting me. “You look like hell.”
“Appreciate that,” I muttered, brushing past him. The smell of bacon hit me, and I knew I’d chosen the right time.
Lainey was at the stove, spatula in hand. She glanced over her shoulder and gave me a bright smile that reminded me of her sister’s.
“I like getting to see you so often, now. How are you feeling?”
“Hungry,” I answered honestly.
“Well, perfect timing, then. Have a seat.”
I did, and she slid a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs in front of me, over Adam’s protests as he sat down at the table. “Hey! Where’s mine?”
“You’re worse than Conor.” She dropped a kiss on his lips with a smirk while he wrapped an arm around her waist and looked up at her like a lovesick fool. “Yours is coming. We need to feed our guest first.”
“Why?” he whined as he reluctantly let her go so she could return to the stove.
“Because my mother raised me right. If I hadn’t already met your brother, I might think you were raised by wolves.”
“Speaking of… my parents want to come to Haven Springs next week when my brother does.” He glanced over at me. “They’ll fly, but Alan’s still planning on bringing your truck.”
