ELIZA:No!!! We’re safe. Jackie’s security is here. Don’t worry. Sleep tight.
The three dots under his name appear and disappear a couple of times before he replies with a briefHave fun.
I lean in to shout over the loud music. “What’s that about?”
She shrugs. “Just a hunch. We’ll see.”
Then her gaze flicks to the hard liquor in my glass. “But what’s going on with that?”
My head’s starting to spin, the air heavy. “Hey, I’m celebrating.”
“Looks more like mourning to me.”
“It’s your party.” I slide my arm around hers and give her an alcohol-induced grin. “Let’s make it memorable.”
“It already is. You planned everything. But something’s been up with you since you got here.”
I chuckle. “You’re on a roll tonight. First Quinn, now me.”
“I notice things. Especially about people I care about.”
It’s enough to make me crumble. The pressure of everything I’m feeling, too much to be contained.
“I’m an idiot,” I say, laughing too hard. “Such an idiot.”
The dance floor starts blurring at the edges, and I squint to focus my gaze.
“Some details would help.” Eliza gently encourages me to continue.
“I pushed him away. The best man I’ve ever known,” I sigh. “And now it’s too late.”
Eliza watches me carefully. “What about the other women?”
“It was all a lie. I trusted the wrong person, and I was too proud and scared to find out the truth.” My voice wavers. “And of course, he won’t forgive me now. I thought he had, but—”
“Maybe you both just need some time.”
“He’s dating Michelle,” I say, with a laugh broken by a sob. The words come out hollow; it doesn’t even sound like me.
Her eyebrows jolt up. “Your assistant?”
“Isn’t that hilarious?” My voice cracks at the same time as a fragile bit of myself.
My fingers dig into the smooth surface of the glass, like it might hold me together, but I end up taking another sip.
“I still love him,” I whisper. “And I don’t know how to stop missing him.”
Eliza is quiet for a moment, then says gently, “Then tell him.”
Saying it out loud in his office…it would’ve been too much pressure on him.
“How can I?” I sniffle. “After all I’ve put him through. That wouldn’t be fair.”
I wanted to be brave. For him. For everything we could’ve been.
But it took me too long.
Chapter Thirty-Two
