Page 83 of Let Me Love You

Serenity looks at me inquisitively but says nothing. Her eyes appear more tired than I’ve ever seen.

“I’ll get in back with Summer,” Lana says.

But as she’s about to open the back door, Serenity says, “No, I’ll sit with her.”

Lana eyes her but doesn’t argue, hopping into the front seat.

Once we’re all inside and buckled, the other vehicles’ engines start, so I turn on my ignition. The townsfolk all stop shopping and turn to watch as each of the floats start to move. I’m thankful I’m not driving all those kids. I’d be too afraid they’d fall off.

As we start moving, Summer shrieks in the back seat. “This is the coolest thing ever!”

All of us laugh, even Serenity, and I meet her gaze in the mirror. Something like hurt flashes across her face before her neutral expression returns. Once this is over, I can’t hold back any longer. She has to tell me what’s going on. I may not be the most experienced with relationships, but communication is key.

We follow along, and I scan the crowd. People of all ages line the street, watching the parade. I’ve never been to a festival like this, never mind taking part in such a way.

I can’t believe out of everyone, I was trusted with this job.

Most people probably look at us and think about how much I changed Serenity’s and Summer’s lives, but they changed mine a million times more. I know how a real family should be because of them. Serenity has shown Summer more love and affection in our short time together than my mother ever showed me. And probably one of the most important lessons is not saying something in front of a child if I’m not one hundred percent serious.

That last one almost got me in a truckload of trouble.

Movement catches my eye in the rearview mirror. Summer’s waving to the crowd through the open window like the princess she is. A few kids wave back, and Summer beams at them. Serenity’s watching her daughter with a soft smile.

“Hey, Serenity!” a voice says from the crowd.

She looks around until her gaze lands on Abigail. The blonde is waving frantically as if she knows a famous person. Beside her are Harmony and Elias. Harmony is smiling while Elias stands still, holding his woman’s hand.

We finally reach the end, and the floats pull into a gravel parking lot.

When I put the truck into park, Summer says, “That was the most fun thing ever!”

“I agree,” Lana says, opening her door. “How about we go find Auntie Harmony while your mother and Victor find the person to turn the keys in to.”

“I’m sure we can—”

“No, you two stay here,” Lana says, cutting off her friend. “If you can’t find us, you can always call.”

Lana climbs out and unbuckles Summer. The two disappear into the crowd. She’s as subtle as a bullhorn. But I appreciate this time alone with Serenity.

“Let’s go find them,” Serenity says, opening her door.

I turn around to face her. She has never been the type to beat around the bush—another reason I’m squirming—so I just spit out the question, “Have I done something wrong?”

She sighs. “Actually, yes, now that you mention it.”

Every fear I had came true with that one sentence.

Her eyes that have been dull for days finally flare to life when she meets my gaze. “I didn’t want to do this here, but since you’re asking me, I found the files about Paul and me in your room.”

My heart plummets to the floor. I never planned on hiding it, but I never found an opportunity to bring it up. “It’s not what you’re thinking. I wanted to figure out if Paul was hiding anything else.”

Serenity looks down, breaking our eye contact. “You’ve been looking into my background without my knowledge. Don’t you see how that crosses so many lines?”

“Well, I haven’t been hiding it from you per se. I left the paper out on my desk even though I knew you could’ve gone in there at any—”

I let my words fall off when her head whips up, and she narrows her watery eyes at me. “Yeah, and Paul wasn’t hiding anything from me either.” Her voice wobbles as she speaks. “He just didn’t find the opportunity to tell me about all his debts and whores apparently.”

I can feel her slipping through my fingertips—all because her late husband shattered her trust into a million pieces. I’ve been trying my hardest to show her she can trust me while simultaneously hiding something from her. I should’ve told her right away, but that’s not the easiest thing to bring up.