Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
And Fallyn…
She’d just sat there, frozen in place, like a deer in headlights. That’s the moment I realized that no matter how much I love her, no matter how much I’d bleed for her, I’ll be damned if I put her through any more pain.
What kind of shitty human would I be to force her to choose between me and her parents?
Who the fuck does that after they’ve already caused so much heartache?
No…I just can’t.
My steps quicken with the need to get the fuck out of here. I need time to figure out how I’m going to move forward. How I’ll wipe her from both my mind and heart.
As if that’s possible.
“Wolf! Wait!”
I spin around only to find Fallyn bursting through the glass doors and rushing toward me. The wetness that streaks her pale cheeks breaks my fucking heart because I know I’m the cause of it.
I never should have forced my way back into her life. All I’ve done is cause chaos and grief.
My tongue darts out to moisten my lips. Before I can blurt out the words, she hurtles herself at me like a small projectile and wraps her arms around my neck.
“I’m so sorry about that,” she whispers fiercely, clinging as if she’ll never let go.
Even though it’s the last thing I want to do, I grip her wrists and carefully untangle her arms before holding her at a distance. It hurts too damn much to have her this close.
“There’s no way for us to be together if you can’t tell your parents that I’m part of your life. I love you, Fallyn.” I search her shiny eyes for understanding. “I’ve always loved you, but I won’t hide our relationship. The last thing I want is to come between you and your family.” My voice dips, sounding as if it’s been roughed up and scraped raw. Just like my heart. I jerk my head toward the restaurant. “You saw what happened in there. They’ll never be okay with us together.”
More crystal-like tears flood her eyes, turning them luminous in the bright winter sunlight.
Before she’s able to respond, a deep voice growls, “What the hell is going on here?”
My gaze slices from Fallyn to her father as he stalks across the parking lot, eating up the pavement with long-legged strides. His hands are clenched as color gathers in his cheeks, giving them a mottled appearance.
His wife is hot on his heels, attempting to keep up with him. Her blue eyes are flared wide with shock as she stares at us.
Fallyn searches my face for a long heartbeat before a look of determination flashes across her features and she swings toward her parents.
“I love him,” she says simply.
Her mother’s mouth falls open before she slams it shut and shakes her head. “No. Don’t you dare say that! You can’t possibly be in love with him. Not after what he did!” More tears trek down her cheeks as she blurts, “He stole Miles from us!”
Fallyn’s gaze shifts to mine, and I steel myself, unsure if she’ll agree with the accusation. It would break my fucking heart if she did.
“I’ve loved Wolf since I was a kid and in all these years, that’s never changed. And it never will.” The edges of her lips quirk before she turns her attention back to her parents and straightens her shoulders as if preparing for battle. “What happened to Miles was an accident. A tragic accident. You’ve spent all these years blaming Wolf even though it wasn’t his fault. All three of us made the decision to sneak out of the house that night. We all bear culpability for it.” There’s a pause before she adds in a softer voice, “Even Miles.”
More wetness streams down Eleanor’s face.
Hugo moves closer to his wife before slipping an arm around her waist. “You’ll break your mother’s heart if you do this.”
Fallyn’s soft gaze returns to mine, and she searches it for a long, painful moment before stepping closer and pressing a chaste kiss against my lips. When her warmth disappears, it takes every ounce of strength I have not to reach out and yank her to me.
Her attention returns to her parents as she closes the distance between them and embraces her mother before meeting her father’s eyes.
“It’s been five years since we lost Miles and neither of you have healed. Your pain is as fresh as it was the night it happened. Don’t you think it’s time to change that?” Fallyn’s gaze shifts to me. “The first step in the process is to stop blaming Wolf. No matter what you want to believe, Miles loved him, and he wouldn’t want you to blame his best friend for something that was a tragic accident. And he wouldn’t want you to live like this either. Both of you need to find a way to heal and move on. This isn’t healthy for any of us. And I can’t do it anymore. I won’t.”