But she stared at him like he was everything.
And who was I to take that away from her?
So, I talked myself out of going in, even though I wanted to tell her how much I missed her and needed her in my life. I wish I could’ve shown her how much I’ve grown since getting kicked out of school and how I built myself a world that meant something after everything else knocked the wind out of me.
But she deserved something better than me. Something not as risky.
He reached across the table and brushed his thumb over her knuckles, telling her something that made her smile.
She didn’t pull away or slap him across the face like she would’ve me.
She accepted his touch. Embraced it even.
And that’s when I realized she never would’ve given me a fair chance. She would’ve let me take her virginity and kept on going.
She wouldn’t have waited or tried to make things work.
Poppy let go.
And in turn, so did I.
“And for some foolish reason, you stopped.” Eddie laughs. It’s not a question.
“Yeah,” I admit.
Rich’s head shakes in disbelief. “That’s where you fucked up.”
I lean back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. “I thought loving her meant letting her go.”
Eddie snorts. “That’s the dumbest romantic bullshit I’ve ever heard.”
“Maybe,” I say. “But it felt right at the time.”
“And now?” Rich asks, neither of them knowing how I let her go again, handing her over to the other guy in defeat.
“Now it just feels late,” I say.
The bay door rattles as a car pulls in, work calling us back to reality. Eddie grabs his wrench as Rich heads toward the office.
Before he disappears, Rich glances over his shoulder.
“For what it’s worth,” he says, “she still asks about you.”
My chest tightens. “Why?”
He shrugs. “Some people don’t stop wondering about the what-ifs even if it’s painful for them.”
Chapter Five
Poppy
(That night in Vegas)
“You know,” Amber shouts, her mouth forced into a permanent smile. “I really needed this shit. Pippa, thanks for bringing me out tonight.” She takes another long pull from her glass.
Pippa salutes her with a drink. “Of course. What are best friends for?”
Amber burps loudly. “Best friends are for making girls like me realize they are better off without a guy like Eddie in their lives. I mean, he cheated on me! Me! The girl who loves him with all her soul. How dare he,” she growls, her inebriation only getting worse.
