be gorgeous, though, her momma was a beauty and her dad... Well, Uncle Aiden had most of my girlfriends swoonin’ anytime he was around. Journey definitely won the lottery of genes from her parents. She’s almost nine, but I swear she acts thirty.”
For some reason, thinking about Journey calmed me.
“She’s always been an old soul,” I stated. “Does she still shake her ass everywhere she goes?”
“You know it. She also still has the biggest crush on you. Anytime I see her, she asks me how you are, what you’re doin’, so many questions. Always tellin’ me to tell you hi and she misses you.”
“She was always fuckin’ adorable.”
“Her birthday is next month. Maybe you should go see her... You know, the family misses you too, Cash. Not all of them agreed with your parents.”
“Naw.” I shook my head. “It ain’t the right time yet.”
“Yet? Does that mean you will eventually show your face in Oak Island again?”
“When I make somethin’ of myself, you bet your ass I will.”
“Journey will love that.”
“Harley, she’s a kid. Stop romanticizin’ somethin’ that ain’t gonna happen.”
She shrugged, grumbling, “She won’t always be a kid.”
“She will be in my eyes. So what’s up? You ever gonna tell me why you came to see me?”
She took a deep breath, grabbed a chocolate donut, and stuffed a huge piece of it into her mouth.
“Eatin’ your feelins’, darlin’?”
“You could say that,” she muffled with a mouthful of food.
“What did the fuckin’ quarterback do now?”
“How do you know it’s about Jackson?”
“You get this look in your eyes when he hurts you.”
She frowned. “It started with Shiloh.”
“Is she okay?”
“No.”
“What happened?”
“It’s a long story I don’t even know yet ... other than Trigger takin’ her virginity and the football team catchin’ them.”
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah, it gets worse. Cash, she was a bet Pierce started.”
I didn’t know what hurt her more, the fact that Jackson was behind it all, or that I couldn’t lie to her. I responded with, “Yeah, I know.”
“What?! You knew? How could you do this to her?”
“Harley, it ain’t like that.”
She bolted off the couch. “How can you say that to me? She’s supposed to be your friend. I’m supposed to be your best friend! How could you not tell me?!”
Things went from zero to a hundred real fuckin’ quick.
“They were happy. I didn’t wanna fuck it up.”
“So you keep this secret? You fuckin’ hate Jackson!”
“All I ever wanted was for you and Shiloh to be happy.”
“I can’t believe you.”
“Harley.” I stood, reaching for her.
“No! Don’t touch me! You’re nothin’ but a liar!”
“If I thought for one second she’d ever find out, I would have told her myself.”
“Cash, this killed her.”
“Harley, I’m sorry. But Trigger loves her. It’s obvious to anyone who’s ever been around ’em.”
“I can’t even look at you right now.” She abruptly turned, going straight toward the door.
“Harley, don’t do this!”
She whipped around, and the expression on her face would forever haunt me.
“Fuck you, Cash! I hate you!”
I jerked back, simply reacting, “Fine. I hate you too.”
It was childish, and I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.
She gasped.
“Harley, I didn’t mean that.”
“Don’t follow me, Cash McGraw.”
“You know me better than anyone. I’d never intentionally hurt you.”
“You’re a liar, and I want nothin’ to do with you.”
Her words were like a knife to my heart. I was frozen to the spot I was standing in as I watched her leave.
Hating myself for causing her pain. I was supposed to be her hero. Except...
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Chapter 26
“Sometimes our dreams come true, sometimes our fears do too.”
-J. Cole
<>Cash<>
Then: Twenty-one-years-old
My birthday came and went.
For the last month and a half, Harley wasn’t answering any of my calls. She’d completely blown me off, not that I could blame her. I fought with the desire to show up at her apartment almost every day. We’d never gotten into an argument before, and this unchartered territory between us didn’t sit well with me.
I missed my girl.
I couldn’t imagine my life without her.
Not for a second.
A day.
An hour.
She meant everything to me.
The knock on the door interrupted my plaguing thoughts. No one knew where I lived other than Harley. Triggering me to rush toward the door. As soon as I opened it and saw her standing there, I instantly pulled her into my arms.
Welcoming her with a big ass hug, squeezing the hell outta her.
“I’m so fuckin’ sorry, Harley. I swear I just didn’t wanna fuck up what they had. Shiloh was happy, they were in love. It