releases Juliet, who darts to the couch and sits on the back. “Matt?”
I nod.
“Did you listen to your message?”
I shake my head.
“Arlo, she dropped everything and got on a flight the second I told her you were kicked out of Brighton. What do you think?”
Before I can reply, the front door opens, and Liv appears, her dark hair damp from the overcast day and the perpetual rain. Her blue eyes meet mine, and she freezes.
“Arlo found her,” Rose says.
Liv’s shoulders drop as her gaze snaps to the couch where Juliet is curled into a ball, napping. “Thank you.” She shakes her head, wiping a tear from her eye. “God, I can’t stop crying. What’s wrong with me?”
I know I carry the blame for these tears, and that knowledge feels like a pickaxe to the chest.
“I’m going to go run some errands,” Rose says, grabbing her purse. “You guys should talk.” She gives Liv an expression I can’t read, but I can tell Liv does as she takes a steadying breath and straightens her shoulders as Rose ducks out of the apartment.
I wish I’d listened to her message. I also wish Lincoln wasn’t fucking right because I know he’s going to gloat for the next decade over the fact.
“Why did Matt come?”
Liv’s eyes dance over me. “I think part of it was because he realized he’d lost me, and part of it was because he wanted my help talking to my dad so he could come play for Brighton.”
“I know he’s been a big part of your life, and if you still like him, I’ll—”
She shakes her head, her blue eyes searching my face for something I want like hell to give her. “You didn’t listen to my message, did you?”
I kick myself again. “I thought you were going to tell me why he was back and that you changed your mind.”
She scoffs, but her cheeks are tinting red. “I’ve been trying to cling to the past for so long, like moving forward was in some way forgetting about my mom and letting her go, and that terrified me. I’ve spent four years keeping my attachments to a minimum, and you came in and broke every rule and every defense I had, and I didn’t even fully recognize it until I was leaving for Texas, and it hurt to get on the plane. For the first time, I didn’t want to go back.”
I want to reach for her, to kiss her—but I can tell she has more to say, so I will myself to remain still and silent.
“I realized it again when I didn’t hear back from you. It never hurt when Matt took weeks to respond, and yet it hurt when it took you a day. Then, when Rose called and said you were kicked out of Brighton, I knew it with such clarity. I know this sounds crazy, but maybe we were supposed to meet? Maybe if my mom hadn’t died, you would’ve come to Texas? Or maybe I would have still come to Brighton? I don’t know, but I feel like this—us—we were supposed to meet. And I know that somewhere in the middle of curses and trying to find out who my mom is, I fell in love with you.”
My lips crash against hers with desperation and hunger, threading my hands into her hair and kissing her until I can’t breathe or think straight. Her words make me feel so empowered and so vulnerable, realizing that of all the things I’ve feared losing this year, not one of them compare to her.
I rest my forehead against hers, our breaths ragged as they dance and mingle. “I love you, Liv.”
Her eyes darken with lust, and then she kisses me. Her hands delve under my shirt, and her tongue tangles with mine as she moans, lighting me on fire with need. She shoves at my shirt to get it off, and I quickly yank the fabric free, dropping it to the floor as I kick off my shoes and reach for the zipper of her jacket. I slip it from her arms and toss it to the floor, reaching for her jeans. We pull and shift, freeing the layers that separate us.
I glance at the couch, wanting to take her here, but one glance at Juliet has me deciding better of it. I tag her waist and back her down the hallway, my hands roving over each inch of her body as we kiss and stumble our way to