“Reece, when you built those walls to keep love out, you shut yourself in them. Unwilling to let it in, even if it’d make you happy.”Nope. Not true at all.“I’ve watched you hurtyourself time and time again over the past couple of years and I’m sick of it. If that’s what you want, fine. But stop pretending it’s anything but.”
“Everything is easier on my own!” I defended myself.
“No,” she stopped me short, “you tell yourself it’s easier because you think you’re a burden.”
Okay, I thought,maybe a little true. But also, a little harsh.
“I say that as your closest friend.” Her voice lightened as if she noticed my flinch. I said nothing. “Reece, I love you, but you’re hardheaded and bitter.”Okay, and? I don’t see the problem.“And…” Her gaze changed, her features softening into a gentle whisper of a smile. “You don’t love yourself.”
What?“What?” My lips parted. “I love myself plenty.”
Maggie shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. You don’t love yourself enough to let yourself be loved.”
“I—” Nothing. “That’s not—” True? It was. “I don’t mean to—” Yes, I did.
I stopped trying to talk.
“Don’t hate me for saying it, but using Laken as an excuse is well, just an excuse.”Well, cluck me in the ass, it seems I’ve been perceived.
Sighing, I knew it wasn’t Maggie’s fault she knew everything. She’d been forced to learn at a young age and unfortunately, her wisdom had grown beyond her years, making her a perfect friend and truth-teller.
We didn’t talk about Laken anymore. We stuffed flowers in jars and glued them in place. And I prayed all night that by some Gods-given miracle, everything would work itself out.
The fundraiser.
The sanctuary debt.
The ex.
No matter how much I wanted to ignore it, I knew the truth. It wasn’t up to any Gods. It was up to me.
“Oh, yeah. That reminds me, I have to leave you here alone tomorrow night.”
Maggie raised a suspicious, bordering on scandalous, brow. “For what?”
With a deep sigh, I shrank into myself for even saying these words: “Pig rescue mission.”
What’s worse than arguing with someone you love? Having to go on a pig rescue mission with them the next day. And what’s worse than that? Not knowing what to wear.
What does one wear to an underground auction to smuggle some magical pigs?
Standing in front of my closet, a nauseous feeling tore at my guts at the thought of seeing Laken. I’d have to run to the bathroom if it didn’t stop. Sure, I thought about canceling. But then I remembered there were pigs probably stuffed in a cage somewhere, waiting to be saved. And I couldn’t leave them there. I wouldn’t.
So what if I lost the best love I’d ever known? At least I had a lethal porcupine, right? Besides, Laken knew I needed the money, so he’d go whether I went or not. And if he wenton his own and gave me the money, I’d feel as if I owed him. Then he’d reassure me I didn’t owe him, and then I’d think,He’s so selfless, I should love him and forgive him as if nothing ever happened.
And I wasn’t letting that happen.
Another thing I wasn’t letting happen? Laken out dressing me. Whether I decided to wait for him or not, he’d picture me looking good for the rest of his life.
A parting gift, if you will. A little something to haunt his mind. Why be a sad bitch when I could be a bad bitch? We were pulling out the silk dress and trading the boots for heels. The fate of my heart had to wait—there were pigs who needed saving.
With that in mind, I trotted downstairs in my pajamas and leaned over the wooden rail, spotting my friend in her nightgown, counting tulips. Her eyes trickled up the stairwell, finding me waiting patiently but nervously.
“Morning…?” she questioned.
I wasn’t doing this on my own. “I need your help.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
