His eyes opened. “He’s a con man, not a killer.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know it.”
“You can’t know it.”
“I know it.”
“Luke –”
“I know it because I’m not a con man but I am a killer.”
My breath froze in my lungs but I still managed to breathe. “What?”
“That’s part of who I was, it isn’t who I am now but it isn’t something you forget how to do.”
Panic filled me and oxygen came back into my lungs with a burning whoosh.
“Stop talking,” I begged on a whisper.
“I’ve said it before, babe, but maybe you didn’t clue in.”
“Stop talking.”
“You gotta know who you’ve let in your bed.”
“Stop.”
“You wanna end it now, you say the word and I’ll walk away. I’m still goin’ after him, I’m still gonna make him pay. But I’ll be out of your life.”
“Stop talking!” Now my hands were gripping his head, lungs burning so hot I was finding it hard to breathe.
“Say the word now, you don’t, I’m never letting you go.”
“Please, Luke, stop talking.”
“You gotta make the decision now, Ava.”
“Shut up,” I whispered.
“You can’t deny this and you can’t deal with this later, it has to be now. I’m not gettin’ used to sharin’ my life with you and havin’ you take off on me. You don’t say the word now and you can’t deal with it later and you think to leave, I’m warnin’ you, I’ll come after you.”
“Shut up!” This time, I shouted it.
“You make the decision, either I walk out and leave you in here or we walk out together. We walk out together, that’s it. Things get tough, we fight, it doesn’t matter, we deal. You don’t buy tickets to St. Croix, you don’t give me the silent treatment, we deal. We walk out of here together and you use this, or anything else you can conjure up, to shut me out, I’m tellin’ you babe, it’s not gonna be good. In our scenario, we aren’t switchin’ roles so I’m forced to live your Mom’s life while you take off and live your Dad’s.”
Oh… my… God.
He did not just say that.
“You didn’t just say that,” I whispered, letting go of his head, pulling mine from his hands and leaning back.
“I said it. You know the worst in me and I know it’s bad but I’m not hidin’ anything. I’m givin’ you the chance to decide. You tell me to walk, I won’t like it, but I’ll do it.”
Okay, that was it. I’d had enough.
“You are such a jerk!” I snapped and gave him a shove that was so hard, he rocked back at the shoulder. I was too angry to realize I’d finally scored a physical push. Instead, I kept ranting. “You know, Lucas Stark, the reason I got contacts and lost weight was because you hugged me at your Dad’s funeral and later I overheard Marilyn and Sofia making fun of me, and you, because we looked stupid together. You, hot, handsome Luke hugging me, Fatty, Fatty Four-Eyes. They said the sight of us made them throw up a little. They said you had to be g*y to hug me. I vowed, vowed,” I shouted the last word at the top of my lungs, caught in a dramatic tizzy I could not control and didn’t even try, “that you wouldn’t lay eyes on me again until I could be held by you and if anyone saw us no one would throw up a little or think we didn’t look right together.”