“Yeah, you did.” He smirks, and I have to admit that I’m happy to see him smiling. He loved Gabriella a lot, and this must be killing him.
“I’m sorry, Cade. I wish I knew what to do to make it better.”
“You already did it. It’s going to be nice not having to tiptoe around your boyfriend anymore.”
Hysterical laughter bubbles out of me and Cade’s smile fades. “That was tiptoeing? Cade, it was so obvious you hated him that no one would have flinched at a billboard in Times Square.Tiptoeing around. God, you’re a dick.”
“Okay, fine. I hated the guy. But with good reason. I’m hoping you can see it now that you’ve broken up.”
My phone vibrates again, and a rush of panic passes through me, wondering if it’s Zane. We haven’t spoken since I drove away from the lookout the other night, and yet, every time my phone goes off, I’m desperate to check.
“Do you need to get that?” Cade asks, a little distractedly, and when our eyes lock, a moment of guilt takes over me. He’s here because he needs me. Because he just broke up with his fiancée, and I’m thinking about Zane.Goddammit.
“Nothing is more important than my big brother right now. Come on, sit down. I want to know everything.”
“What about Nathan?”
“Ibroke up withhim. It’s different.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re not hurting.”
“You’re right, it doesn’t. But I promise, I’m good. Now tell me, from the beginning. What happened? And how can I help?”
For the next hour, Cade fills me in on everything that’s been going on in his life, and I welcome the distraction. It kind of puts things into perspective a little. Cade and Gabriella were engaged. They were planning a wedding while I wasn’t even sure I wanted to marry Nathan. It’s not something I dreamed of. I don’t have a pros and cons list or journals full of my name with his last name like I did with Zane.
Blair Fitzpatrick. Blair Jasmine Fitzpatrick. Mrs. Fitzpatrick.
God, I spent hours writing my name over and over, never once questioning if it would ever come to be.
Ours wasn’t a relationship that stemmed from a crush. When I said Zane was a friend, I meant it. I’d never given it another thought.
But the moment our lips touched, the moment his palms first cupped my face and his gaze bore into mine, I was a goner. There was no going back.
Until it all turned to shit.
And I moved on with Nathan. I moved on.
Or so I thought.
After talking through Cade’s predicament for the better part of the morning, he eagerly helps me pack more of my clothes and we check into his hotel before I take him to meet Jenna.
It’s not until he disappears to take his bag to his room that I finally get a chance to look at my phone. My pulse spikes when I see that it’shim.
ZANE: Just wanted to check up on you. To make sure you were alive after seeing all that blood
A soft smile pulls at my lips, but I don’t let it shine until I read his next text and burst out laughing.
ZANE: Don’t make me fly back there to see for myself
ZANE: Too late. My flight is booked, see you in a few hours
I scoff, calling his bluff as I lazily type out a response, ignoring the way my heart thumps against my rib cage. I don’t want to see him, but I also do. I’m so confused.
BLAIR: I’ll be waiting. Did Jenna tell you where I live?
The three little dots instantly start moving, and my confidence wavers. It was a stupid thing to write; it will probably encourage him.
Rushing to stop him, I quickly follow it with another message, before he’s had a chance to click send.
