Why didn’t I question Kenzie? Sure, she seemed upset when she told me, acting like she hated being the bearer of bad news. I remember her teary eyes as clear as yesterday. She said bloodwas thicker than water, which is ironic since she and I don’t share any. Family over friends, I figured.
But we were never family. I was a fool to take her word over Lila’s. Especially without proof. And we both paid the price.
I should have confronted Lila instead of burrowing into a hole like a coward. If I could do it again, I’d drive straight to her and make her tell me to my face. A simple conversation could have saved us both years of heartache.
Unfortunately, I didn’t do that. Another glaring mistake.
I tucked tail and left, drawing in on myself like I’ve always done. I’d just lost the only father I’d ever known, after watching him wither for more than two anguish-filled years. After what Mom did to Dad before their divorce, it was so easy to believe Kenzie’s lies. In a way, it confirmed what I already believed.
But I was wrong. And we wasted so much time.
Well, that ends now. I refuse to spend another second held captive by a lie.
I turn on my heel, surprised to see Lila simultaneously turning toward me.
Like we’re mirrors.
Our eyes connect, locking into place. Her pain is palpable from ten feet away. All my regrets are hers too.
Without uttering a single word, I stride right over to her, cradle her damp cheeks in my palms, and slam our lips together.
Rapture.
Her scent. Her touch. Her skin. Her lips.
She’s perfection in my arms.
Lila’s equally as passionate. She wraps her arms around me desperately. Although there’s no space between us, she yanks me harder as if I’m still too far away.
Her lips are tinged with salt from her still-falling tears, which I kiss away as fast as they come. I know it isn’t enough to easeher ache. I’ll spend the rest of my life nursing the wound if that’s what it takes.
I let the silky feel of her mouth on mine soothe the jagged fragments of my soul and her sweetness drive away the bitterness inside me.
Our passion increases with each precious second we’re joined. Her hands roam over me, tenderness blending with a biting need for a deeper connection. Mine do the same as we continue mirroring each other.
One breath at a time, we pour our shared remorse into the kiss with a chorus of quiet whimpers and tempered moans.
She pulls our mouths apart while keeping our bodies pressed flush. Our raspy breaths drown out the pounding of my heart. Those same eyes that have haunted my dreams for years burn into me, filling me with healing light.
“Lila.” Still cupping her damp, rosy cheeks, I brush the last of her tears away with my thumbs. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you back then. It was a mistake not to talk to you about it. If I had only?—”
“I’m sorry too. I was just so hurt. I felt betrayed and used. And I wasn’t strong enough for a confrontation.”
“Me too,” I confess, the words somehow cleansing. “I won’t ever make that mistake again. I promise.”
Her chin wobbles. “You still want me?”
I exhale, shaking my head. “Lila, I never stopped wanting you.”
Fuck. It feels so damn good to finally say that. Out loud.
Morgan Freeman would be so proud of me.
Lila’s face slowly brightens, sadness quickly drowned by her typical vibrancy. “I’m sorry I said you had toe fungus and drive a stupid Cybertruck.”
We share a laugh that ends with our lips sealed together.
And for the first time in years, everything feelsright. The way it should have been all along.
