Chapter Twenty-Four
Twelve years ago…
Sloane paced back and forth in her bedroom. This was it. She’d practiced her speech over and over again the past two weeks, ever since she got word that her brother was coming home for a day during spring break, and he was bringing August with him.
She stopped in front of the dresser mirror and inspected herself. Not that she was an expert, but her makeup looked great. Thank God for YouTube tutorials. For her outfit, she’d gone for casually sexy. She had no clue if she could pull it off, but she had to try. The jean skirt barely covered her ass, and it showed off her long legs to perfection. Her top dipped a little more in the front than the shirts she usually wore, but it offered a tasteful amount of cleavage. She tugged the collar down. Maybe tasteful wasn’t what she should be going for.
She checked her phone. It was after 1 A.M . Everyone was asleep, or at least in their bedrooms. Still, she tiptoed down the stairs, avoiding the step that squeaked, made a detour through the kitchen, grabbed the lemon meringue pie her mom had made, and escaped out the back door to the porch.
When she was settled, she held her phone between shaking hands. Was she going to do this? Yes. She had no choice. Not if she didn’t want to live her life with regrets. She sent the text.
She knew he’d be up. He said he often had trouble sleeping. Two minutes later, she was rewarded with the creaking of the door behind her.
“Sloane, what’s—”
She stood to greet him. His mouth dropped open. “Wow. You look nice.”
“Thanks.” She shyly held out the pie. “Want some pie?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
They settled on the porch and ate. Well, he ate and she watched him. Her stomach would not be happy with her if she tried to put anything in it. Finally, he set aside his plate. “What’s up? You couldn’t sleep?”
She shook her head. Time for her speech. “I have a lot of decisions to make. I’ve been accepted to UCLA and Northwestern. Both are dream schools. I can either stay here close to my family or go halfway across the country.”
He studied her with dark eyes. “Which way are you leaning?”
“It depends.”
“On what?”
Say it! Say it!
After a moment of hesitation, she answered.
“This.”
She bridged the gap between them and pressed her lips against his for the first time in reality. In her dreams, she’d done it a thousand times. Reality blew fantasy out of the water. His lips were soft and plush. When his mouth parted on a gasp, she instinctively licked the seam between his lips. Anything to be closer to him. He tasted delicious. Warm and sweet. Her lips slid once, twice against his. Then, she felt it. A light pressure as he returned the kiss, his mouth capturing hers. The kiss was perfect. The moment was perfect.
Then, she felt nothing. Her eyes flew open.
August had stumbled to his feet and put the width of the porch between them. His eyes were wild, his chest heaving. “Sloane! What the fuck was that?”
She rose to her feet and closed the distance between them. “August, I want to be with you. For real. I love you, and I think you love me too.”
He shook his head. “No, you’ve got it all wrong.”
She couldn’t give up. This was too important. “Do I? We talk all the time. We share our dreams with each other. Our deepest thoughts.”
He waved his hands, like that would negate what she said. “I have a girlfriend. I’m going to marry her.”
Sloane stumbled back. “You’re going to… marry her?”
His eyes squeezed shut for a second. “Yes. We’ve known each other since we were twelve. We promised we would always be there for each other and get married.”
No, she couldn’t accept that. Wouldn’t. It made no sense.
“But you love me. Whatever you have with her can’t compare to what we have.”
“Sloane, we talk on the phone. That’s it.”
Wow. Pain lanced straight through her, but she wouldn’t let it fell her. She couldn’t. “All the time. We talk all the time. Way more than whatever you told my brother, and don’t give me that BS about respecting my privacy. You didn’t tell him because what we have is special, and you don’t want to share it with the world.”
He shook his head. “Sloane, no.”
She spoke through tears now. She couldn’t stop them. All her dashed dreams poured out of her in wrenching gasps. “I can love you better than she can. I already do, and you know it.”
“Sloane, you’re just a kid. I’m marrying Melinda. I promised her. Whatever you think we have is all in your head.” He went back into the house.
Leaving her broken and alone.