Murphy's Law (Havenwood #2) - Riley Hart Page 0,19

dumb jokes, because they feel like a silly part of you that you don’t let out often enough. I love that you notice that I give money to homeless people and that you give so much to your family, even if I don’t feel they always deserve it. I love that you write lyrics on sheets and pillowcases, then pay the hotel for them when you take them. I love that you’re funny, even though you don’t see it. You’re more than you know, Rem.”

Then…then I walked away.

He didn’t stop me.

A week later, his guitar showed up at my place in Charlottesville. It was the one he’d been playing on when we met. I thought it was a sign, but he never came out, never contacted me.

I went a little wild after that. I was with a different person every night. I partied. Then Sara and I started dating, and we were all over social media together. I wondered if he saw, if he cared. I would never know if he did.

He was Remington, and his popularity continued to grow. He had his music. He didn’t need me.

And we hadn’t spoken since.

CHAPTER FIVE

Remington

I knew I wasn’t quite like other people. When Law walked away earlier that day, part of me wanted to pack up and leave town. It was all too much, people were sometimes too much, and wouldn’t it all be easier if I just focused on my music?

But I couldn’t. Not this time.

The six years since I’d last been with him hadn’t been easy on me. It was my own damn fault. I wasn’t so far in my head that I didn’t know that. I’d walked away from Law before, but I wouldn’t do it again.

So I got my shit together. I showered and changed and scribbled down the random words and sentences in my head. Those weren’t for him. I didn’t know what they were for, but shit like that just came to me sometimes, and I had to let it out. If not, I would be full of words I never set free.

Then I walked my ass down the lane to his house. I had no clue if it was the right thing to do or not. He’d said he couldn’t do this right now, and maybe I was supposed to give him more time, maybe I was supposed to let him come to me, but I was so damn tired of waiting for things to change, waiting for life to come to me.

His house was bigger than mine and definitely newer. I found myself wondering if Law had done work on it himself or if he’d purchased it this way. It was clear there was less land. It reminded me of what he’d said about buying his house and how he’d wanted it all, making my thoughts spin with what he wanted to do with it.

I knocked softly on the door, and immediately a deep bark came from inside. The door pulled open less than a minute later, and there he was, wearing jeans and no shirt, and fuck, did he look good. I wasn’t in bad shape or anything. I’d always been a bit on the skinny side, but Law was…well, Law obviously worked out. He had before, but the cut of his abdominal muscles was even more defined and his chest was smooth, unlike the light dusting of hair on mine. I swallowed, remembering what his skin had felt like against mine and the vibration of his laugh running through his body to me.

“Know what I’ve decided?” I asked, falling back on old habits.

Law sighed as if he knew what I was doing.

“I think I want a job cleaning mirrors. I could really see myself doing it.”

He didn’t smile. He used to always smile when I told him my corny jokes. “Law, I…” A nose pushing into my crotch snapped me out of it. I glanced down to see a huge…fucking horse dog or something. He seemed to be some type of mastiff, and I was pretty sure he could eat me alive if he wanted to.

Then his long tongue began lapping at my hand, and Law cursed. “Such a fucking traitor, Bear.” He stepped away and nodded toward the inside of the house. “Guess you better come in. I figured you would have bailed by now.”

I flinched at his words, knowing I deserved it. Yes, he had been the one to walk away, but it had only been because I forced his