9. June
CHAPTER 9
JUNE
I push the weird exchange with Jake to the back of my mind. I don’t want to dissect what he said. If he was serious about me moving in with them, that would be crazy, right? It doesn’t matter that I’m in love with them—the Unholy Trinity, as Melissa called them on the night I met everyone—or that Ryan reciprocates my feelings. We’re still getting to know one other, and I need my space. I need my independence.
Lachy and I drive to the farmer’s market. It isn’t far from the apartment, but it’d take too long to get there on foot. Lachy has Winston’s leash, which allows me to appreciate the view—my beautiful goalie. My heart does a somersault in my chest, and never mind the butterflies in my stomach that have not stopped fluttering their wings since we left the apartment.
Perhaps sensing my stare, Lachy turns to me and grins. It’s the smile of a man who knows he’s being checked out. I almost move closer and kiss him, but then I remember we’re out in public and I can’t show any display of affection.
“What?” he asks.
I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”
“Come on now, lass. You do know your face is like an open book. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Well... I want to kiss you, but then I remembered I can’t do that in public.”
He looks left and right, then moves closer, sporting an up-to-no-good grin. “No one is around.”
I press my palms against his chest, stopping him from leaning closer but knowing I’ll lose the fight. I’m much too into this man to have any self-control around him.
My phone saves me from making a bad decision. “Someone is calling me.” I step back, fish the device from my purse, and see my best friend’s name on the screen. “It’s Katrina. I’d better get it.”
His lips curl into a crooked smile. “Okay, lass. You answer that call. I’ll kiss you later.”
Shaking my head, I step away from him and press the green button. “Hey.”
“How are you, hon? Beau just told me what happened with the Titans’ plane.”
“I’m okay now. The boys are home safe and sound.”
“Oh, thank goodness. What a nightmare.”
My heart feels heavy once again as the agony of not knowing their fates returns like a phantom pain. “You have no idea.”
“I’m glad they’re okay. I suppose you’re spending the day with them?”
“Yeah.” I glance at Lachy, who’s watching me. I feel hot and cold at the same time, and my heart speeds up like a bullet train. “I’d better go. I’m out walking the dog.”
She laughs. “Yeah, yeah. I expect a full report tomorrow.”
My face becomes hot, knowing she won’t be satisfied with the basics. When she says full report , she expects all the naughty details. “You got it.” I hang up and stare at the phone.
“Who was that?”
“Katrina. She just learned about what happened to your guys.” I put my phone away.
Lachy shivers. “That’s a memory I hope to forget soon.”
“You will. Besides, the odds of your plane having issues again is probably close to zero now.”
He nods. “That’s one way to look at it. You’re always a glass half full, aren’t you, lass?”
“It’s better than being pessimistic.”
“I used to be pessimistic, but I think I’m turning around. It must be your influence.” He smiles.
My heart is beating so fast, I’m surprised he can’t hear it. “It must be.”
“I can’t wait to meet your friend. She sounds fun.”
“She is. You might meet her when you come to visit my school.”
His brows furrow together. “Oh?”
Shit. I totally forgot I never asked them if they’d be okay coming to the school.
“That’s right. You don’t know about that yet. My principal asked if you, Jake, and Ryan would come talk to the students since we’re friends. I didn’t want to put you on the spot in case it wasn’t possible, so I asked Melissa first.”
“You’re blushing. Why are you blushing, lass?”
I glance at the ground. “I don’t know.”
He tosses his arm over my shoulder, making me tense a little. We aren’t kissing, but the gesture looks intimate. We’re at the entrance to the farmer’s market now, and it’s crowded. Someone might recognize him. I don’t have any intention of stepping away from him, though.
“I think that’s a great idea. It’ll be cool to see where you work and meet your students.”
“They’ll love meeting you.” I beam at him.
He turns to me, grinning too. “Who do you think they’ll like best?”
I laugh. “Oh no. You didn’t just ask me that.”
“What?”
“I’m not going to pick. I love you all.”
Shit. I didn’t mean to blurt out the truth like that, and surrounded by all these people.
He stops in his tracks and turns me so I’m facing him. “What did you say, lass?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. It’d be easy to lie and make light of what I said, but he’s looking at me with so much expectation and hope in his eyes that I can’t downplay the truth.
“I—”
“Lachy?”
He looks over my shoulder, and his easygoing expression turns into a grimace. Then he stops touching me and steps back. His reaction makes me tense. I turn around to see who interrupted us and made him withdraw. My stomach bottoms out. Standing in front of us is none other than Lorena Pearson, Lachy’s ex-fiancée.
“Lorena... what are you doing here?”
Her lips quiver, and her gorgeous face twists into an ugly-cry expression. She shoves me out of the way to get to him. I stand there frozen and horrified, staring as the woman clings to Lachy for dear life. He doesn’t hug her back, but jealousy is running rampant through my veins. My pulse is pounding in my ears, and I have to fight the impulse to drag her away from him.
Finally, Lachy seems to snap out of his paralysis. He pushes her away. “What was that for?”
She sniffs and wipes her wet cheeks. “I heard about the plane crash. I was so worried. I thought I had lost you forever.”
“The plane didn’t crash,” I say, annoyed that she thinks Lachy is still hers to lose.
She looks at me and widens her eyes as if she just realized I was standing there. “Who are you?”
“This is June, my friend,” Lachy replies before I can.
Friend .
I know we’re not broadcasting our relationship to the world, but his reply feels like a punch to my chest. The prickle in my eyes tells me I’m about to cry.
“Oh,” she replies, then dismisses me, returning her attention to Lachy. “You’ll think this is stupid, but I came to the market today hoping I’d see you. It was your favorite thing to do on Sundays.”
“Uh... okay?” Lachy’s cheeks are red. He’s getting flustered and I don’t know what to make of his reaction. Is he happy to see his ex-fiancée? Does he wish I wasn’t here?
“I was hoping we could talk. There’s so much I want to say to you.”
God. Is this really happening? My heart is thundering inside my chest. I wait for a sign from Lachy that I should intervene and save him from this awkward situation. But what if he doesn’t want to be saved? Maybe he’s getting nervous because of my presence.
“I can take Winston back home,” I pipe up.
Lorena whips her face to me. “Home?”
“I... uh...”
“June is our neighbor,” Lachy chimes in. “You don’t need to go, lass.”
“She’s offering to go because she’s your friend, Lachy. Don’t feel bad about it.” Lorena looks at me so intensely, her eyes could be shooting death rays. “Right, June. You understand Lachy and I have much to talk about.”
I glance at Lachy and read the horror in his eyes. I could be wrong, but it doesn’t seem he wants to spend another second in her presence.
I raise my brows. “I understand you betrayed him in the worst possible way and didn’t lose a minute of sleep over it.”
Her eyes round, matching the shape of her lips. “Excuse me?”
“Besides, if you really wanted to talk to him, you could have picked up your phone and called.”
“He blocked me!”
I wince, not having expected her to be candid about that. Winston decides he’s been ignored long enough and that Lorena’s fancy shoes need some watering.
Lorena shrieks and jumps back. “Your stupid dog peed on me!”
I flatten my lips, trying not to laugh out loud. Then I glance at Lachy, expecting him to be amused as well, but he just looks sad, and that wipes the amusement right off my face. My heart becomes small and tight. He might not want to talk to her, but that doesn’t mean his feelings for her are gone.
“Sorry about that.” I take Winston’s leash from Lachy and tug him away from her. “Come on, Winston. Let’s find you a tree instead.”
I don’t look back to see if Lachy is following us. Right now, I’m just trying not to cry.