Page 86

I pause in the doorway as nausea swarms my stomach.

I’m too late.

He sucks in a breath as a male voice breaks the silence from his phone. “You there, man? You okay?”

Beckett doesn’t react. He doesn’t move. The only clue that he’s even heard the voice is that his grip tightens around the phone as his thumb taps the screen.

“Beckett?” I step forward, speaking a little louder this time, and he finally lifts his gaze, his broken expression tearing my heart in two.

He’s quiet for a beat before he shakes his head and steps back, suddenly refusing to meet my eyes. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

Turning quickly, he stalks away from me, his fist still clenched at his side, and my adrenaline spikes.

“Beckett, stop!” I chase after him. “I know what you saw and it’s okay.”

He jolts to a stop but doesn’t immediately turn around. I’m about to move closer when he shakes his head and spins abruptly.

“It’s okay?” he questions, his brows furrowed. “How can you say that? They went after my mom because of me and now they have photos of you.” His voice cracks along with my chest, leaving a gaping hole that only he can fix. And he’s not in any state to do that.

“Fuuck!” He spins again and paces the sidewalk, running his hand through his hair, drawing attention.

“I think you should come inside.” I walk forward and gently touch his arm, making him jolt.

“I can’t.” He shakes me off. “I’m sorry.” He turns again, but this time I grab his arm, using all my strength to pull him to a stop.

“You’re not leaving.”

“Lily.” He tries to shake me off again, but with his broken demeanor, he can barely muster the energy. “Please,” he begs, his voice so shattered that I almost give in.

“I’m sorry. I can’t let you go. And if you don’t come inside, we’re going to have this conversation right here in front of everyone.”

As if snapping out of a daze, Beckett’s eyes widen as he glances around. His throat bobs as he swallows, and without a word he stalks toward the door, disappearing inside.

I chase after him, locking the door behind me while flicking our sign to closed. “I’m sorry, but⁠—”

“I never meant for this to happen.” Beckett pauses his pacing and runs a hand down his face. “I should have known better. I did know better. I fucked up.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Lily, I⁠—”

“No!” I throw my hand in the air, a wave of determination rolling through me. “I let you walk away twice because I thought it was the best thing for me and Ava. I assumed I’d get hurt if I let myself feel more than I already did. But I was goddamn miserable without you. And now you’re back. Here. And… Why are you here?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Beckett’s words come out raspy and it hurts to see him like this. But I have to know.

“Tell me.”

“Lily.”

“No. Don’t Lily me. You told me things couldn’t work between us. And yet you came back. If I hadn’t wholeheartedly agreed with you when you left, you’d be toying with my emotions pretty badly right now.”

“I shouldn’t have come back.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“But it’s true. You were right to worry about getting hurt. Because if we’re together, that’s what’s going to happen. I can’t stop it. I can’t stop them.”

“Stop who?” I’m ninety-nine percent sure this is about the photos and what happened to his mom, but I need him to acknowledge it. I can’t read his mind.