The Rivals - Dylan Allen Page 0,260

knife to my heart. “So… you don’t want me to meet Bianca?” I ask even though I know the answer.

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea. I just need to think.” She avoids my eyes and let her because the distance in them is almost more than I can fucking stand.

The tangle of emotions that are running riot through her have tentacles and they reach out and wrap themselves around me. I feel her regret most keenly, but I also feel her anger.

She’s seething. I glance at her. She’s wrapped her arms around herself and she’s staring straight ahead.

“What can I do?” I ask, and hear the desperation in my voice.

She shakes her head slowly, her shoulder slump.

“Remi. You don’t trust me. There’s a part of me that understands. But, we have to work on that and I think maybe some space will be good for both of us. We’ve been in this pressure cooker for the last two weeks, and I’m fried. Maybe we’ll be fine. Or maybe we’ll realize that this was all too much, too soon. Either way, I think we should take a break.”

Chapter 42

WHITE KNIGHT

REMI

* * *

“I don’t understand how a man like you can be so totally clueless when it comes to women.” Regan shakes her head at me in disgust. We’re lying in a double float in her pool. It’s a warm night and the cicadas are singing for us.

Her huge magnolia trees dangle over the pool and the lights at the bottom of it make me feel like I’m somewhere far away.

I wish I could get far away from how shitty I feel. I don’t know what to do about Kal. She asked for her break, and I’m giving it to her. But, it feels wrong. We’ve spent enough time apart.

I came to stay with Regan for the weekend so I could avoid being out and about in Rivers Wilde. I don’t want to risk running into her.

She left my house and hasn’t been in touch since. I spent all day moping around, and after Regan put her kids to bed at their ridiculously early bedtime, she dragged me outside and into the pool and coaxed the story out of me. I told her everything.

“How is this me being clueless? We were at an impasse. She wanted to write a story about me. I couldn’t let her do that.”

“Why the fuck not? You think you’re The Prince of Persia?” she laughs derisively.

“No, Reg, I don’t want the whole world to know how fucked-up our family is.” I shoot back, annoyed at her nonchalance.

“Remi, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. People are going to figure out that Dad is back. He and Gigi will come up for air and someone will see him. And there’s going to be reporters flocking. Someone will write that story. Why not let someone you trust, someone who loves you, write it?”

“Why didn’t she tell me? I hate that she kept something from me.”

“Oh, for God’s sake. Grow up.” She scoops a handful of water and splashes me with it.

“Fuck you, Reg.”

“People lie. You lie. That woman loves you, dummy. She wouldn’t have hurt you or done anything to betray you. I know Mom fucked us up, but you’re lucky. If a woman is brave enough to love you again after you broke her heart, I promise she’s the one. Give her the benefit of the doubt.”

I groan, my stomach feels like someone dropped a ten-pound weight in it. “Oh, shit. I fucked-up, didn’t I, Reggie?”

“Big time. But now you have a chance to make it up to her.”

“How?”

She kisses her teeth. “You’re lucky you’re pretty, ’cause you’ve got like zero game.”

“Shut up and tell me.”

She flips a lock of hair off her shoulder and turns on her side to face me. “The way I see it, that girl has saved you more than once. You told me you wanted to make her believe in happy endings? Then take a page out of a fairy tale and be the white knight she needs right now. Go give her that story. Tell her you want her to write it. Save her job, make her career. Be her hero.”

When she says it, it all sounds so obvious.

Her phone rings. She looks at it and curls her lip.

“Work?” I ask.

“No, Marcel. It’s about time for his usual check in,” she says irritably.

“Trouble in paradise?”

“I have never lived in paradise, so I wouldn’t know. But trouble, in general, yes.” She flips