Page 143 of Finn Rhodes Forever

“Why don’t I take Cora home?” she asked. Her voice was neutral and strangely calm, like she was trying to keep me calm. “I’m going that way anyway.”

My thoughts spun as I raked my hand through my hair, trying to remember the details of everyone’s schedules. “Uh. They’re not home. It’s okay.” I shook my head, watching Cora laugh as the dog licked her hands. “I’ll take her to Hannah and Wyatt’s.”

Her gaze flicked to Cora. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” Frustration pitched in my chest. Again, I wondered how I could have been so stupid. Hannah was saying the other day how Cora was getting fast at walking. I crouched down to pick her up. “Come on. Time to go.”

While I was packing up and putting Cora in her stroller, I felt the gazes of half the park on me. My pulse still drummed in my ears, adrenaline coursing through my blood.

I didn’t like this kind of thrill.

I took Cora back to Wyatt and Hannah’s. She didn’t want to have a nap, so we played on the floor until she fell asleep with her toy in her hand, and I settled her into her crib. I sat there in her room, watching her sleep, thinking about how much I could have lost today because of my own carelessness.

I replayed it over and over, and then I thought about the future with Liv, with our kids.

How could she trust me once she heard about this?

* * *

When Hannah got home earlythat evening, Cora was still sleeping. I made a quick excuse to leave and got out of there as soon as possible. I didn’t tell her what had happened—I didn’t know how to. I just said goodbye and hurried out the door.

Pulling up to my parking spot behind the bar, every instinct in my body screamed at me to run, get the hell out of there, away from the whispers and the gossip and the shame. I sprinted up the stairs to the apartments, ignoring the music and chatter from the bar. Ignoring the knowledge that Liv was there tonight, working. In my bedroom, I threw clothes into a bag before hurrying out and down the stairs, back to my car.

Liv was at the bottom of the stairs.

“Hey,” she said, brow creasing.

I froze. “Hi.” My chest ached. I wanted to tell her what had happened, but if I did, she’d see me the way Jen did, and I couldn’t bear it.

I couldn’t be around when she realized what a piece of shit I was.

Her gaze dropped to my bag and something dimmed in her eyes. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know.” I swallowed with difficulty, unable to tear my gaze from her. I felt stripped bare, like she could see all of me, all the bad parts I had tried to hide from her this summer. “I need to think for a bit.”

Her brows snapped together and anger flashed in her gaze. We stood there a moment, staring at each other as noise from the bar traveled down the hall.

She lifted an eyebrow. “Are we done?”

Her eyes were so cold, like this summer had never happened. Like I was a stranger.

“No,” I rushed out, shaking my head and wincing. “I—” I rubbed my chest, where anguish and frustration stabbed. “I need to get my head on straight.”

She shrugged like she didn’t care. “So go.”

Without a word, she turned and headed back to the bar, and my heart dropped through my stomach.

54

Olivia

The next morning,I opened my eyes and turned over, searching for him.

My stomach plummeted as I remembered what had happened and I blinked, staring at the empty spot beside me in bed. Yesterday’s conversation replayed in my head. After he left, I’d moved around the bar like a robot, unthinking, unfeeling, just going through the motions of mixing drinks and ringing up bills.

He looked so lost last night, with his bag over his shoulder. His eyes had darted between me and the back door like a caged animal.

I frowned and let out a long breath. This didn’t make sense. After all this. After this entire summer of him assuring me he was different.

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