deciding that no matter how hard it might be, I’m going to start fresh with my brother. I don’t want to be like my dad and harbor animosities for years.
I check my phone to see my mom and dad’s missed calls. But there’s nothing from Evan. I head out of my bedroom to take a shower and find Knox getting ready to leave for work.
“You fucked up,” he says.
“I know.”
“Fix it.”
I nod, and he opens the door and leaves.
After I shower and feel slightly more human, I head over to Evan’s place. Bits and pieces of what I did have come back to me and the sinking sensation in my stomach has been getting worse. I’ll be lucky as fuck if she accepts my apology. I’m surprised when she opens the door the first time I knock. She’s wearing flannel pants and a long-sleeve T-shirt, looking like she hasn’t slept all night.
“Can I come in?”
She nods and opens the door wider.
Once I’m inside and she’s closed the door, I meet her gaze. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have confronted you like that in front of everyone.”
“You shouldn’t have, no. But I should have been open and honest with you too. We were both wrong.”
She sits in her desk chair, and I sit on the edge of her bed.
“I’m not sure of everything I said, but I know one thing I said is true. Somewhere through all of this, I fell in love with you. And I know after last night, you probably want to throw me out the window. I’m sorry. I should’ve told you about my feelings earlier and I think that’s why I thought you lied to me…”
She stands and turns away from me, but I see her back shaking with sobs. “I didn’t lie. I dragged my heels, but I was going to tell you. I think the real reason you can’t trust me is because my last name is Erickson. With our families’ past, maybe we’ll never be able to fully trust one another.”
“That’s not true.” I walk over to her and put my hands on her shoulders. “I trust you.”
She shakes her head. “You don’t, and maybe you have a reason not to. Maybe the whole business thing with our parents has everything to do with it. Maybe we’re just destined to be enemies forever.”
I urge her to face me with my hands on her shoulders. “You can’t possibly believe that.”
She stares at me, bearing no expression. A shrug is all the response I get.
“I think it’s the opposite. I think we’re destined to be together. To find our way back to the friendship we once had, and that friendship grew into love. We can’t just turn our backs on that because of one misunderstanding.”
Tears slip from her eyes. “It wasn’t just a misunderstanding. You’re right—I was terrified to tell you about the offer because I thought you’d think I was selling out or using you as a backup plan to make my exit from the business. And I didn’t know if Nick was after Andrews Bagel too. I thought maybe you were keeping that from me. As long as our families are working in competition with one another, how can we be together? Think about it, Seth.”
“So you’re okay to just walk away from this?”
She looks over my shoulder so we’re no longer making eye contact. “I don’t see another choice.”
I close my eyes as the pain of her words settles in my chest. “You’re not going to fight for us?”
“It’s a losing battle. We didn’t even trust each other enough to tell the other one we were in love.”
“I was scared you didn’t feel the same way. That has nothing to do with trust.” I step closer and dip my head until our eyes catch. “Meet me halfway here.”
“I’m sorry, Seth. I think it’s better if you go now.”
“What? No.” I shake my head.
She wiggles out of my hold and opens the door for me to leave. A cold rush of air whooshes in and chills my shattered heart.
“I thought you were a fighter like me. That you’d go toe to toe. I guess I was wrong.” I walk out of her apartment, down the stairs on the side of the garage, and to my car.
Eli spots me from the yard and runs over with his football. “Hey, Seth? Want to play?”
“Not right now…” But I stop and hold my hands out for him to throw the ball.
He gets it right on target and