“Are you the reason Torres has been turning up to all Miles’s games?”
Her jaw pops.
“Clem, I know what I saw, and I haven’t told anyone. But fuck me, I have enough shit to deal with without holding on to this secret too. D’you know how hard it is for me to keep a secret from Miles?”
She stays silent, but this time, her eyes lose their wariness and drop down.
“Miles is out for blood, you know. He’s going to pay him back for nearly killing him.”
That gets her attention. “What’s he going to do?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug. “Have you forgotten that Miles nearly died?”
“Of course, I haven’t.”
“Then I’m asking again, what are you doing? You know how fucked up this is?”
“Nothing’s happening, Hendricks.”
I shake my head. I can see in her eyes that she’s lying, but I just don’t know why. “I’m not keeping this secret for you, Clementine. It’s too big. Either you tell Miles or I will.”
“Hen, please don’t. Miles will never speak to me again. Nothing is going on, I promise. I promise. Youdon’t understand.”
“Then help me to understand.”
Her head drops again, and she wipes away a tear. I wait for a response,anything, but she’s gone back to being silent.
I know why she thinks I’ll be a soft touch to her begging, because I am with Max, but this is different. Miles is the most loyal of all of us, and Clemmie’s behavior won’t make him angry. It’ll break his heart.
“Explain to him, Clem. That’s all you have to do.”
I leave her to her thoughts and walk back to the kitchen. Adrenaline is pumping through me, and I’m tempted to burn it off with a run, but I need to wait and hand over Sienna’s document to the courier.
So I order some lunch, pour myself a beer, and ruminate on everything that’s happened since the beginning of the year, starting with Story and ending with my son.
It’s been a whirlwind, to put it lightly. My past and everything I thought I’d buried have returned with vigor and smacked me in the face. But I see it clearer.
My life is slowly slotting into place. My brain has space to figure out what I want for my future, where I want it to be, and who I want it with.
My mum was right. I now have the chance to be more than Max’s father, and I know exactly where to start.
CHAPTER 29
Story
The first thing Hendricks does when I open the door is pull me into his arms and kiss me.
Reallykiss me.
It’s different from our other kisses. I might be pushed hard against the wall, but there’s no urgency to rip my clothes off. His hands stay locked around my waist, and he holds me like he has no intention of ever letting me go.
I love it.
He tastes fresh and delicately minty. I can sense his smile growing at whatever’s going through his mind while his tongue strokes against mine. Hard, soft, firm. After a minute, he pulls back, enough to search my face, and I guess he finds whatever he was looking for, because he goes back in. Soft nips at my lips, and then his mouth surrounds mine again.
And I melt.
It’s the kiss I dreamed about as a teenager, lying in bed at night after a romcom marathon. It’s Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean, Noah Calhoun and Allie, and all the couples I fantasized about at fifteen who hadwhat I wanted.
