“Are you going to tell us to apologize now?” Owen asks.
“Do I need to?”
“No.” He softens as he stares down at Summer. “Little, I can admit when I’m in the wrong.”
“We can,” Jett says.
“You should wear what you want,” Owen rumbles. “Without us or anyone making you feel bad about it.”
“I’m sorry too,” Jett says. “Can you forgive us?”
“That depends.” Summer steps forward. “Do you think you could also stop giving my boyfriend such a hard time?”
“Sure. We’ll accept Hollywood…” Owen’s lips twitch and curl. “If he steps up and asks you already.”
“That’s none of your business.” They don’t get it. They think they’re entitled to an opinion, but they don’t get to make that decision. Summer is the only person whose opinion matters.
Summer lets out a frustrated scream. “Stop it, Owen. If he wanted to ask me, he would.”
“You’re having his babies. He should make you his wife.”
“What if I don’t want to marry him?” She stamps her foot.
My heart plummets. It’s something I’ll get over if that’s the decision she makes, but the idea of being able to call her my wife is something I’ve never wanted so much.
“You’re not happy, little,” Jett says. “We figured it was because you wanted to get married. You always used to love wearing your white princess dress when you were little. Do you remember? You pretended to marry your stuffed animals.”
Owen’s features soften. It’s the first time I’ve seen any tenderness in him. “You’d pick all those wildflowers and carry them around like a bouquet. Sometimes you’d make Henry be the groom.”
“I’m not okay here.” She blinks back tears. “And it has nothing to do with Rebel.”
“Then what?” Owen asks.
“You have no idea how hard it is for me to come home, knowing there’s always a chance I am going to run into someone I knew back in high school. You have no clue how it feels to be exiled from the town you grew up in. I lost my mom, my friends, my family, and my home.”
Pain flickers on Owen’s face. “We’re still here.”
“I know that.” She wipes at her eyes. “And I miss you all. I think about coming home more often. But I can’t. I just can’t. Not when they all still live here. Going about their lives like they never did a damn thing. Duke is the mayor, for God’s sake, while I’m still being called a slut.”
“You ran into Duke?” Jett demands.
“No,” Summer says.
“Which of those fuckers did you run into in town?” Owen asks darkly. “And why didn’t you ask one of us to come with you?”
“I shouldn’t have to ask one of you to protect me,” she snaps. “That’s the point. I shouldn’t hate coming home. Or need to be careful where I go. Or worry about what I wear.”
Jett and Owen both cringe.
These Heart boys are going to have to learn.
“Won’t happen again,” Owen says.
It better not.
She huffs out a frustrated breath. “I need a minute.”
“We’ll go back to the house.” Rogue and Ivy will understand if Summer and I need to skip the party.
