“I just wish I knew what happened between him and Bailey. I’m not sure if he’s more mad that I changed my plans for the year, or that I told Bailey about it before him,” I mumble, then it pops into my head that Henry might know more about what happened than I do because of Mirabelle. I’ve had my suspicions that Mirabelle and JJ always knew more about Bailey than Hunter and me, but I’ve never felt right asking. “Do you know?”
“Mira and I have a couple theories.” His vagueness only further raises my suspicion.
“Like?”
“You shouldn’t worry about it. We’re probably not right anyway.” He bumps my arm, giving me a warm smile, and Ifeel a little bad that he came out here to sit with me in the rain. “I’m glad you’re going to be around when the twins are born.”
I’m not sure who he thinks he’s fooling with the not-so-subtle change of topic, but pushing him on it won’t get me the answers I want. Instead, I smile at him. “Me too. They’re going to be so cute.”
“They will be if they look like Mirabelle,” he jokes, shielding his face from the rain. “Don’t worry about Hunter. He’ll figure it out, but if he doesn’t, I’ll knock some sense into him.”
“Thanks, Henry. I appreciate it, but maybe don’t threaten to beat up my boyfriend.” I laugh, feeling a little better about all of this.
“I love you, Kait,” he says, and I know he means it.
“I love you too.”
“Soit prudent s’il-te-plaît,”?1Henry warns, slipping into French, and a lump forms in my throat.
I feel like it’s something people only say when you’re toeing the line. You listen, agree to be careful, but you don’t realize how far over the line you are until it’s too late.
You’ve already started to fall.
1 “Please, be careful.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Bailey
NOW
The phonein my hands feels like it’s from another planet. Obviously shit kept advancing while I was gone, but having the newest electronics just wasn’t a priority for me during that time. I didn’t want anyone to find me, and I knew if I got a phone, they would.
I caved once in a moment of weakness and bought a cheap burner phone to call Kaitlyn, but I held onto it afterward in case I needed to call Luna.
All the calls I made to JJ were either from borrowing a stranger’s phone or using a payphone.
I left the phone Carter gave me behind after he kicked me out.
Dad looked so nervous when he knocked on my door earlier. I was afraid I’d hurt his feelings if I said no. The place he got it from helped use a backup from my old phone, so it would have all my stuff from before.
I know he was trying to do something nice, but I don’t want to look at any of it. It’s a reminder of how naive I was to believe everything Carter told me, and how bad I let thingsspiral. It’s also a blatant reminder of the repercussions my actions had on my family.
It’s weird to think of them as my family again. I know they are, but I guess I just can’t believe they were willing to bring me back into the house after what I did. Well, all of them besides Hunter.
After our conversation on the roof, I haven’t really wanted to talk to him either, so it doesn’t bother me that he’s ignoring me. I felt bad being relieved he was gone for the Fourth of July, but it kept me from picking a fight with him over the way he’s treating Kaitlyn about her gap year.
I can’t believe he’s making it all about him when it should be about her.
She looked so damn sad despite the smile she tried to fake. It took everything in me to keep from trying to make her feel better. I had a feeling that if I tried, I would’ve been putting her in a tough spot, which is exactly why I shouldn’t be thinking about reaching out to her right now.
I should be watching whatever movie Javi’s watching with my mom, but instead, I’m agonizing over whether to call the girl I shouldn’t have feelings for.
If I’m going to, I should do it before Hunter gets back from his trip tomorrow.
I groan, tempted to shove this stupid phone back into a drawer to forget about calling Kaitlyn. She probably doesn’t even want to talk to me. If I hadn’t suggested her for the position at the gallery, she would’ve been able to tell everyone in her own time.Why couldn’t I keep my fucking mouth shut?
But I miss Kaitlyn. She might not be mine, but still. I miss being her friend.
