page46 (1/2)
I gaped at her
She focused on her plate, exhaling heavily “I think—no, I know—I’ve always known that All these years, he loved h Alan tried, he really did, and I’ excuses for hih”
I stared at her, unsure of what to say, because II had never heard any of this before
“We nant with Lori That is what people did back then” Then she dropped another bomb “Your father didn’t want to leave, Lena He saw me—saw us—as his responsibility, and while you tere his responsibility, I wasn’t I wanted to be his equal and his partner, not his responsibility”
“What?” I whispered, nearly dropping my fork
“I asked him to leave It was me who initiated the separation” Her s what I always knew, that what he felt wasn’t enough, and asking hih was like glass cracking “I rooman, Lena, but every so often, we still believe in fairy tales Asking him to leave was the last chance That maybe he’d—”
“Wake up and fall in love with you?” I asked, voice pitched Had she really believed that? I briefly squeezedhiet her own happily-ever-after like in a book?
Mo back, there was a tiny part ofyou s work”
All I could do was sit there
“I love hier lie to er let hie was over”
I sat back in the chair, hands falling into my lap “Whywhy didn’t you tell us any of this?”
That faint, sad smile faded “Pride? E for that kind of conversation So was Lori, even though she was a teenager It’s not sohters that you stayed with a man who didn’t love you like he should’ve”
“But I” But I’d always believed that Dad had just checked out and left “You made him leave?”
“It was the right thing to do, and I knoe should’ve beenout theinto the backyard Her fingers folded on her mouth and she blinked rapidly “But we don’t always ht choices Not even when you’re an adult and you’re supposed to know better”
Like clockwork, the balcony door opened a little after eight I wasn’t napping I was just staring airaph for about the fifth ti in my head since dinner
Sebastian grinned when he saw me “Nice shirt,” he said when he closed the door behind him
“My shirt is awesome” It was an oversize black shirt with baby Deadpool on it
He stalked toward the bed in a long-legged prowl and my stomach dipped crazily “Yeah, but when you wear my old jersey shirt is better”
Flushing, I knocked a loose strand of hair back from my face “I threw it away”
“Sure you did” He dropped into the computer chair, just like Abbi used to, when she actually liked ?”
“Nothinghis feet next to hter into my notebook “You?”
“The usual Practice” He folded his arms across his chest “I also showered”
I cracked a grin “Good for you”
Tipping his head back, he chuckled “I live an exciting life”
My gaze flickered over him and our eyes met and held for a moment A liquid heat slipped over my throat and intoaway, I took a deep, even breath “Souht”
“About what?”
“She told hter “You kno I always thought he just checked out because he couldn’t deal with everything?”
“Yeah” He dropped his feet onto the floor and leaned forward, fully invested “That’s why, right?”