minute passed. “Do you want to talk about what happened with your sisters?” she asked in a barely-there voice.
“No, not really,” I replied instantly. “Shit, I shouldn’t have brought you here. I don’t know what I was thinking.” What had I been thinking? I should have taken her home the very minute I found out Gabby was in a foul mood. I didn’t want her to meet Gabby that way; I’d wanted them to get along. And at that moment, not only did I have a fourteen-year-old secret ready to come out and tear my family apart, I had the one girl I’d do anything for caught in the middle of it. Why would she choose to stay with me once she found out the truth?
“I don’t understand your decision either, but I’m okay with being here,” she started. “Besides Gabriella, the rest of your family has been wonderful. Your sisters are lovely and your mother is a beautiful woman, but…”
Huh? Where is she going with this? “But?” I asked, finding the courage to turn to her. Her face dropped the moment our eyes met. To be honest, it hurt. Suddenly, I didn’t want to hear what she had to say next.
For some unknown reason, she appeared to be struggling with her next words. “But what does your mother think about us?” she said eventually. “About our situation?” Her cheeks grew bright red. “I mean… outside, you said what we have is complicated. I get that, but is it always going to be like this?”
My eyebrows pulled together as I took in what she was trying to say. “You want us to be exclusive?”
“No! I mean, I don’t know what I want…” She mumbled the rest. Seeing her awkward and nervous was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. If we weren’t discussing such a serious topic, I’d be all over her again. But we were…and that changed a lot.
“I can’t do relationships, Evangeline,” I answered straightforwardly, but my eyes fell to the mattress, which only made me look like an asshole.
We fell silent for a while. I knew I had to tell her it wasn’t because I was sleeping with every other girl in the country, but rather because I had secrets which would cause her to run very fast in the opposite direction. I wanted to tell her…but where was I meant to begin? If I told her then she’d start asking more questions. And would she believe me?
Shaking away my thoughts, I glanced up to find her staring at the same spot on the mattress I had been just a moment ago. Every now and then, tiny lines would form on her forehead as though something troubled her. I knew I was the cause of those troubled thoughts.
“I haven’t been with anyone else since you, Evangeline, if that makes you feel better,” I said in a lowered voice. I had to at least admit that part.
Her thick lashes fluttered before she glanced up at me, a worried expression on her face. “It shouldn’t matter whether you have or not,” she responded.
Sweet Evie, always trying to be brave.
“But it matters to you; therefore, it matters to me.” I placed a hand on her cheek. I took a deep breath before saying the rest. Here goes nothing… “I know I have a reputation, and the media harass you because of it, but that’s only one side of me, Evie. If things were different, if they were easier and I wasn’t afraid of possibly losing you forever, I’d share the rest of me. I’d give you everything and do anything you want of me…”
“Ryan, what are you trying to say? I’m fine with the person next to me. He’s more than I could ever want.”
Her words caused me to smile. “To hear you say that once you knew the truth…” I whispered, lightly stroking my thumb against her cheek.
She didn’t say anything and I was glad she didn’t. I let her search my face for the answers for a moment before pulling her in close.
We lay there quietly, unable to take our eyes off each other until hers fluttered closed. I knew I’d kept her up until late last night, but we’d woken up at the same time this morning, so it was a
“No, not really,” I replied instantly. “Shit, I shouldn’t have brought you here. I don’t know what I was thinking.” What had I been thinking? I should have taken her home the very minute I found out Gabby was in a foul mood. I didn’t want her to meet Gabby that way; I’d wanted them to get along. And at that moment, not only did I have a fourteen-year-old secret ready to come out and tear my family apart, I had the one girl I’d do anything for caught in the middle of it. Why would she choose to stay with me once she found out the truth?
“I don’t understand your decision either, but I’m okay with being here,” she started. “Besides Gabriella, the rest of your family has been wonderful. Your sisters are lovely and your mother is a beautiful woman, but…”
Huh? Where is she going with this? “But?” I asked, finding the courage to turn to her. Her face dropped the moment our eyes met. To be honest, it hurt. Suddenly, I didn’t want to hear what she had to say next.
For some unknown reason, she appeared to be struggling with her next words. “But what does your mother think about us?” she said eventually. “About our situation?” Her cheeks grew bright red. “I mean… outside, you said what we have is complicated. I get that, but is it always going to be like this?”
My eyebrows pulled together as I took in what she was trying to say. “You want us to be exclusive?”
“No! I mean, I don’t know what I want…” She mumbled the rest. Seeing her awkward and nervous was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. If we weren’t discussing such a serious topic, I’d be all over her again. But we were…and that changed a lot.
“I can’t do relationships, Evangeline,” I answered straightforwardly, but my eyes fell to the mattress, which only made me look like an asshole.
We fell silent for a while. I knew I had to tell her it wasn’t because I was sleeping with every other girl in the country, but rather because I had secrets which would cause her to run very fast in the opposite direction. I wanted to tell her…but where was I meant to begin? If I told her then she’d start asking more questions. And would she believe me?
Shaking away my thoughts, I glanced up to find her staring at the same spot on the mattress I had been just a moment ago. Every now and then, tiny lines would form on her forehead as though something troubled her. I knew I was the cause of those troubled thoughts.
“I haven’t been with anyone else since you, Evangeline, if that makes you feel better,” I said in a lowered voice. I had to at least admit that part.
Her thick lashes fluttered before she glanced up at me, a worried expression on her face. “It shouldn’t matter whether you have or not,” she responded.
Sweet Evie, always trying to be brave.
“But it matters to you; therefore, it matters to me.” I placed a hand on her cheek. I took a deep breath before saying the rest. Here goes nothing… “I know I have a reputation, and the media harass you because of it, but that’s only one side of me, Evie. If things were different, if they were easier and I wasn’t afraid of possibly losing you forever, I’d share the rest of me. I’d give you everything and do anything you want of me…”
“Ryan, what are you trying to say? I’m fine with the person next to me. He’s more than I could ever want.”
Her words caused me to smile. “To hear you say that once you knew the truth…” I whispered, lightly stroking my thumb against her cheek.
She didn’t say anything and I was glad she didn’t. I let her search my face for the answers for a moment before pulling her in close.
We lay there quietly, unable to take our eyes off each other until hers fluttered closed. I knew I’d kept her up until late last night, but we’d woken up at the same time this morning, so it was a
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