Page 9 of Beneath the Scars
“Fair enough. What are you going to do?”
I shrug. “I have no idea. At the very least, I need to talk to him. We can’t live in the same town or even be near each other with this hanging over our heads.”
“So go talk to him,” Caroline says, as if it’s the simplest solution.
“And say what? ‘Are you still up for taking my virginity?’”
“Yeah. This is the time you need your kick-ass side to come out to play. He’s not going to come to you. We both know that, so you have to make him either pay up or let you go.”
I bite the inside of my lip. “What if I have to let him go?”
“Then you’ll be better off. Your heart will hurt for a little while, but in the end, maybe you’ll finally be able to find someone who will worship the groundyou walk on.”
I’m not sure who I’ll be if I no longer love Michael. It feels wrong on so many levels to think that one day, I might have to find someone new.
But today isn’t that day, and for now, he could still be mine.
Chapter 5
Michael
“Got anything you want to tell me?” Ryan’s voice startles me, and I whirl around. He’s got his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. His runner’s build shouldn’t be intimidating, but my guilt about lusting after his sister is consuming me.
“Uhh…no?”
“You paid all of our bills again without asking for my half.”
A breath of relief has my shoulders lowering. “It’s not a big deal, Ry. I’ve got plenty of money.” With the help of our parents, Ryan, Carson, and I bought our house right after we graduated from high school. It was scary, taking on that responsibility so young, but we’ve managed to not fuck it up in the ten years we’ve owned it. Now that Carson and Ginny live together, Ryan and I have been going back and forth on who’s paying for what. Both of us can afford the bills on our own, so it’s become a bit of a game.
“You drive me crazy.” He walks into the kitchen with a shake of his head. I lean back against the counter and take in my best friend. His light brown hair and hazel eyes match hissoft personality. I’ve always admired his ability to be warm and welcoming to everyone he meets. Growing up with him as my best friend, I learned how to love unconditionally. There were plenty of times he could’ve given up on me—I’m not always a good friend. Yet after all these years, he never has.
“Anything exciting happen today?” he asks, opening the fridge to pull out a sparkling water.
I snort. “Nothing exciting ever happens here. Broke up a rowdy group of teenagers out at the ball fields and had to give a ticket to Mrs. Haypenny because she was knowingly driving without her license. She tried to use her age as an excuse. As if she ‘forgot’ she didn’t have her license anymore. The woman might be eighty, but she’s not senile.”
Ryan laughs. “Did she hit on you again?”
“Of course. She tried that first.” I grin at the memory. The woman is certifiably insane. Her eyesight has started to fail, so we didn’t renew her license this year. She’s not happy about it and is struggling to accept the decision. She’s an accident waiting to happen, but luckily, she never drives above thirty and lives in town. Everyone’s learned to stay clear if they see her out and about.
“We’re out of all food that could be turned into a meal.” Ryan sighs.
“We’ve got cereal,” I suggest.
He frowns at me. “That’s barely even a breakfast. Let’s just go get burgers at the diner.”
“Sounds good to me.”
We walk out the front door to take my truck. It doesn’t fit in the garage nicely, so Ryan parks there instead.
“Does it still feel weird to you to be at the house without Carson?” he asks as we pull out of the driveway.
“A little, yeah.”
It’s been almost a year since he moved in with Ginny, and I still find myself expecting him to be home when I getoff a shift. He hangs out with us often—although less now that Nina is here—so it’s not like we never see him.
I glance at Ryan before looking back at the road. “Ten years is a long time to live with someone. It’s not surprising that it’s taking a while to adjust.”
“What happens when you find someone to be with?”
