Page 39 of Savage in the Sweets
“I’m not mad. It’s just so not like you.” Stephanie says, handing me back my phone. “I’m a little worried.”
I downcast my eyes. “You should be.”
“He’s handsome and even a little funny.” Steph smiles. “Part of me doesn’t want to hate him, though redemption is required.”
“What do you think I should do? I completely understand if you want to cancel the sleepover.”
“Lace, I trust you completely. I know for a fact that you’d never do anything to hurt April. She’s always safe with you.”
My hand covers hers. “Your trust means a lot to me.”
Carolyn interjects our heartfelt moment with, “Did you really leave that sucker on his door?”
“Yeah—don’t judge me!”
“Well, it looked like he enjoyed it,” Carolyn returns.
“He’s definitely not shy about it.”
“But you’re not into casual hookups?” Stephanie says. “You’re way tamer than I was before settling down.”
“Yeah, which is why I went to his gym to call it off.”
Carolyn’s eyes light with fire. “You idiot!”
“Huh?”
In between bites of pizza, Carolyn says, “Colin Davers is H-O-T—HOT! He’s also a damn good father.”
“Agreed,” Steph adds.
“Wait, are you guys suggesting that I should fuck him based on those two factors?”
Carolyn’s replies with, “I’m just saying there’s not a lot of eligible men in Wilson’s Grove, and even though part of me hates him for what he did to you, another part of me kind of forgives him after reading these texts.”
“Well, he’s not into relationships.”
“I wasn’t either,” Stephanie says. “When Eric came into my life, I was still partying nonstop for a good year before I finally realized I was about to lose something really special.”
“What made you want to settle down?”
“He pulled away. We were on and off for six months, mostly because I didn’t want to miss out on life. Then, he started seeing someone else. I pretended like it didn’t bother me, but my life began to feel hollow. Seeing them walking together around campus damn near killed me.”
“You never told me this…”
“I was ashamed.”
“What did you do?”
“I waited. I let my actions speak louder than my words. I threw myself into my coursework. Eventually, we reconnected again when he was at a crossroads, deciding how serious he was with the other woman. In the end, he chose me.”
“I’m so glad he did.”
“Me too.”
“So, you think I should try to lure him into a relationship? Is that what you’re saying?”
Carolyn points an authoritative finger at me. “No. I think you should get fucked and tell me all the details. But…don’t automatically assume that it’s going to end there. Be the best version of yourself, and watch who he becomes when he’s around you.”
