I love her.
I love her so fucking much, I don't know what to do with it all.
She's all frenetic energy, eclectic in everything she does, and fucking amazing.
How the fuck does she not burst into a million pieces?
Because the ache in my bones, a pulsating rhythm that matches the chaos, is relentless and tearing through me every minute.
If Nick experienced even a fraction of this falling for Charlie… I owe him a huge apology for anything I said that made it harder.
“You promised me you’d look out for her,” Nick says, his voice quieter now but no less sharp. “But if this is what that looks like? I don’t know if I can trust you.”
His disappointment is suffocating, heavier than anything he’s ever thrown at me.
He shakes his head, stepping back. “Figure your shit out, Chance. And fast. Because some things..." he pauses, shakes his head, "some things break in ways that change everything.”
He heads for the door, then stops. "And Chance?"
"Yeah?"
"If you have any hope of fixing this, the apology better be fucking spectacular.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Holly
CHANCE
I need to apologize.
My chest pinches hard,pinching so tight my breath squeezes out in a whoosh, leaving me lightheaded. I stare at the words for a second longer than I should, heat flaring under my skin.
ME
About your Oscar-worthy prick performance at breakfast?
CHANCE
I deserved that.
Damn right, he does. My heart kicks up, betrayal and anger warring with something terrifyingI don’t want to name. I snatch up the phone again, my fingers trembling as I type.
ME
Gold star for the obvious, soldier boy.
CHANCE
Let me fix it.
Fix it? The laugh that escapes me is sharp, bitter, and way too loud in the quiet room. My stomach twists as I picture the pieces of his shattered bowl. The shards glint in my mind, like a warning—a jagged reminder of how easy it would be to fall into the same trap I’m in with my father.
Chance isn’t my father. I know that. But the pull—the need to prove something—it feels the same. Dangerous. Familiar in all the worst ways. And the worst part? A tiny, treacherous piece of me still wants to try.
ME
Pretty sure that bowl is beyond repair.
