She gasps.“Nova!You and Brad?!Who else knows?”
A lump rises in my throat.
I can’t tell her it’s the one thing of any value he didn’t take—and only because it was on my finger and that would’ve made it hard to escape without a trace.
But she’s so excited, and for once, I can’t find the words.
“We should call him!”she goes on when I don’t answer.
“No!”
Mari’s eyes widen.
I think she’s going to press the matter, but instead, understanding dawns on her face.
“Because it's my wedding and you don't want to pull focus.”She draws me into a hug.“I know I give you a hard time, but once in a while, you do something grown up like this.”
The truth is on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t want to disappoint my sister and make her think I can’t do anything right.
She leaves, and I drop onto the bed.
Harlan and Mari have been nothing but welcoming.Still, keeping this secret is a weight on my chest that’s growing each day.I feel claustrophobic in this huge house.
I need to do something wild.
To get out of here.
I set the ring back in the jewelry box.
There’s no one I can talk to about this.No one who understands the pressure I’m under and who wouldn’t judge me for what I’m doing.
Except one person.
Clayton Wade might be a superstar, but he also knows my damage.
And he never looked as if he judged me.
With a glance back at the empty doorway, I open my hand and stare at the ten-digit number on it.
I shouldn’t.I’m trying to sort out my life.
Fantasizing about the most famous athlete on my future BIL’s NBA team is not the way to do that.
I bite my cheek and reach for my phone.
My fingers punch in the digits from my palm, and I type out a message.
Delete.
Another one.
Delete.
I try one more time.
Then take a breath and hit Send.
7
