My head snaps in her direction, brows furrowing.What?
“I’ll give you a chance. I’ll try.” She looks at Alley. “For Alley.”
Relief rips through me, and I’m moving, pulling her into a hug before I can even think. “Thank you.”
She hesitates, stiff at first, then slowly wraps her arms around me, cautious, like she’s still unsure.
When she lets go, Alley’s already there, arms open. They cling to each other, voices thick with emotion. “Thank you,” Alley says softly. “I love you.”
“I love you too. I just want you to be happy,” Scarlett says back.
“I know,” Alley whispers. “I know.”
They step apart, and Alley turns to me, eyes steady. “I’m going to come home tonight.”
My brain short-circuits. For a second, I think I misheard her, but she holds my gaze, unflinching.
“Really?” My voice comes out low and rough, almost disbelieving.
She nods once.
God, this is everything.My chest tightens, air threatening to escape all at once.
I pull her in, arms locking around her, praying she doesn’t change her mind.
She’s finally coming home.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
ALLEY
The bottles clink togetheras I toss them into the glass recycle bin. That’s the last of them. I move on to gathering garbage from Matt’s living room and kitchen, scooping up paper plates and half-empty cups.
The patio door slides open.
“Al, you don’t need to clean up. Maggie’s coming tomorrow morning,” Matt says as he walks toward me.
“It’s fine. You know I can’t leave a mess.”
“But you don’t live here. You don’t even have to look at it. You can just... leave.”
“I know.” I don’t look up. I just keep moving. I’m afraid the night will catch up to me if I stop.
Matt doesn’t press. He passes me, grabs a Voss water from the fridge, and disappears back outside.
Everyone’s gone now, except for Jensen and me, but the tension left behind still hovers like a thick fog. Even after Scarlett hugged Jensen and I told him I’d stay with him tonight, the awkwardness that followed was suffocating. No one knew where to look. Kevin cleared his throat, muttered something,and went to the patio. Scarlett slipped out without saying another word. Megan trailed after Kevin.
Now it’s just us.
Jensen held me, whispering the sweetest things, though I couldn’t tell you what they were. It’s like I blacked out in his arms, letting them hold me up while the silence rang in my ears and the haze blurred my vision.
Eventually, he loosened his hold, and I slipped away, going straight into cleaning mode. Picking up empty plates and wiping countertops. Moving like a robot.
I told him I’d stay with him.
I want to. I really do. But I’m nowhere near ready, and now I’m nervous. Nervous to walk down the same hallway that seemed never-ending the morning I left. To step into the elevator that carried me out when it felt like bricks were crushing my chest. To walk into the place I used to call home. The place that holds some of my best memories of Jensen. Of us. Where I fell in love with him.
But it’s also where all the pain is. Where I sat for hours, staring at the walls while they stared back at me, watching me cry. Where promises and vows were broken by lies and locked doors.
