“Shit, sorry. We uh… Fuck.” It hit me. “No. No way. She…she heard it wrong.”
“What’s going on?” Jeff asked and I didn’t have patience to explain shit. I waved him off.
“She heard exactly what you said, both of you. Imagine if you’d heard that.”
“Heard what? Guys. Fill me in.”
I froze.‘It’s just fucking’… Oh my god.“She lied. Because of me.”
“Yes. Why else would she lie about Tony? She was protecting herself, Aaron.” Her frown deepened and she grabbed my wrist. “Go talk to her.”
“Someone explain to me what the fuck is going on!” Jeff yelled.
“It became real with Greta, okay? I need to go!” I shouted.
It took all of two seconds to jump into gear. Heart racing, palms sweating, chest heaving. I forgot to grab a jacket. Before I stormed out of there, I picked Callie up and squeezed her. “Thank you—so fucking much.”
“Go get our girl!”
Raw hope flowed through me. Not unlike the feeling I got when my dad’s tumor was shrinking. It was like someone had lifted a weight off my chest and breathing became easier. I couldn’t drive fast enough. The goddamn stop signs had me sweating.We still have a chance!
The ten minutes seemed like an hour, and I slammed it into Park before flying up the stairs. I knocked—I pounded the door so loud it hurt my wrist. “Greta! Open up, please!”
But only silence remained. I called her five times, each one going to voicemail.
Where the hell is she?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Greta
No fucking sweets at the apartment—and if this didn’t call for chocolate, I wasn’t sure what did. So, with a bag full of candy ranging from dark to white to caramel-filled chocolate, I headed back to my place.
I would’ve called an Uber but I’d left my goddamn phone at the apartment and the short walk home was uneventful. I should’ve worried about walking alone, but I didn’t—the train of my thoughts swirled around one person and one person alone.Aaron.
If he’d sent the bracelet before the charity event, then I’d thrown everything away for nothing. The thought of being stood up, or turned down… I couldn’t forgive myself for not taking the chance.But it’s Aaron. He doesn’t do feelings.
But that bracelet said different. And talking to him wasn’t an option because of that girl…God, I want to hate her.I squeezed my eyes shut and clenched my fingers around the white plastic bag.Think of the chocolate, all of it.
I was pretty deep in a self-deprecating thought when a familiar car raced down the road toward me. The bright lights lit up the entire block, like a spotlight from a helicopter was shining down on us. I gasped. It was Aaron’s SUV.
Is he driving drunk? Shit.I waved my arms in the air and ran up to the vehicle. “Stop. Slow down, psycho.”
“Greta!” he shouted and jumped out of the car, a crazed look of desperation on his face. “My god… Greta.”
And he crushed me with his weight. He closed his massive arms around me, the familiar scent of him overtaking all my senses. And it feltright.As though he was the final puzzle piece to complete everything. He kissed my forehead and, with shaky hands, cupped my face. He forced me to meet his eyes and the intensity in his gaze hit me deep in my chest. “It was real for me. Fuck, it was real. All of it.”
“Me too,” I whispered into his warm chest. His body relaxed in my arms, and my heart raced to meet his. The combination of our heartbeats sounded like a loud stereo, and I wanted to pick him up, I was so damn happy. “Me too, Aaron.”
He pulled back and just stared at me, emotions swirling in his eyes. My heart continued to race. He traced my bottom lip with his thumb so sweetly that my eyes stung, and he pressed his mouth to mine. Each stroke of his tongue answered a question I had, just as each moan of mine told him how I felt. Seconds, minutes—time didn’t matter at that moment. Nothing mattered. Just him. His mouth, heart, happiness.
“Ronnie, should we—” He interrupted by kissing me. “Ronnie—”
“Shh. I fucking missed you.”
“Let’s go back.” I put my hand on his chest and swore he trembled. “Come on.”
He took me and helped me into the car. “That girl wasn’t a date tonight, just so you know.”
