10. Lachlan
CHAPTER 10
LACHLAN
T he last person I expected to see today is Lorena. I haven’t seen her since she ripped my heart out of my chest and tore it to pieces. It took me a long time to overcome the pain of her betrayal. I know I’m not in love with her anymore, but that doesn’t stop me from spiraling.
“Aren’t going after your friend?” Lorena asks, sounding annoyed.
Shit. June left with Winston, and I didn’t even notice, trapped in my inner turmoil.
“I blocked yer number for a reason, Lorena. I have nothing to say to you, and I sure as hell don’t want to hear what you have to say. Don’t ever ambush me like this again.”
“Fine. Be like that. I know once you get over your wounded pride, you’ll regret shutting me off. I was the love of your life, and you’ll never get over me.”
Crazy laughter bubbles up my throat. “Love of my life?” I shake my head. “That’s the joke of the year.”
She narrows her eyes and then looks over my shoulder. “Does she know you said you’d love me until you died?”
My spine goes taut. I don’t want Lorena to start gossiping about June. “Why would I ever mention you to anyone? You’re nothing but a bad idea. Have a nice life, Lorena.”
“You can’t walk away from me.”
I shake my head and walk faster. She’s not worth a reply. I’m concerned only about June. She’s already left the market, and I can’t see her.
“You’ll come back crawling, Lachy!”
With every word that leaves Lorena’s mouth, I question my state of mind when I thought I loved her. I should thank the heavens she showed her true colors before I married her. I’d have been committing to a lifetime of misery.
Once in the parking lot, I veer toward my car, but June didn’t go that way. She probably decided to walk home. I’m such an eejit. I should never have wasted precious minutes with Lorena.
I turn around and run toward the sidewalk. June has already crossed the street with Winston. Bloody hell. Is she running away from me? The light is now red to cross, but I don’t care. I brave the traffic and zoom after her. A driver has to stop their car suddenly to avoid hitting me, and a loud horn and curses follow. The noise catches June’s attention. She looks over her shoulder and stops.
“Did you just cross the street when the light was red?” she asks when I stop in front of her.
“I didn’t want to let you get far.”
“It took you long enough to come after me.”
I wince, knowing I deserve the retort.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.” June adds, looking at her feet.
“You’re right to be cross with me, lass. I should have come after you, but...”
“But she’s your ex-fiancée. I get it. There’s a lot of history there.”
“True, but that’s not why I got delayed. I had to tell her to leave me alone.”
“You did?” She looks up, her eyes hopeful.
I cup her cheek. “Yeah, I did.”
“You seemed so stunned to see her that I thought...”
“You thought what? That I still have feelings for her?”
“Yeah... I’d understand if that was the case.”
“Lass...” I press my forehead against hers. “Can’t you see that I only have eyes for you?”
“I hoped that was the case, but I didn’t know for sure. Besides, you just had a brush with death. That usually brings things into perspective.”
“It did.”
Winston barks, reminding me where we are. I was about to attack June’s mouth in the middle of downtown LA, where any arsehole with a camera could snap a picture of us. I pull back and lace my fingers with hers. “Let’s get back to the car. You aren’t walking home, and I want to tell you a story.”
“Is it a story with a happy ending?”
“That will depend.”
“On what?”
“On you, lass.”
JUNE
Lachy doesn’t say anything until we’re back in his car. I’m dying of curiosity and on pins and needles. My self-control is nonexistent, and no sooner does he drive out of the parking lot than I ask, “What’s the story?”
He chuckles. “Curious?”
“Yes, you did such a good job teasing me.”
“I’m very good at teasing.” His hand slides under my dress, diverting my attention to the sudden ache between my legs.
I push his hand away. “Don’t try to distract me. I want the story.”
“Okay, okay. But... you might not enjoy the beginning.”
“Why? Oh... is it about you and Lorena?”
“Yeah.”
I feel cold of all sudden. “Maybe I don’t want to know. I’m a firm believer that the past should stay in the past.”
“I agree, lass. And I’m not trying to hurt you, but I want you to know me, and for that, I have to tell you everything.”
The vulnerability in his voice tugs at my heartstrings. I look at his profile and see more than just a handsome face. Lachy is sweet, generous, and loyal. Falling in love with him was easy. It was inevitable.
I sigh heavily. “Okay, let’s rip off the Band-Aid fast, then.”
“All right. I’m not sure if you know already about my background.”
“What do you mean?”
He peels his eyes off the road for a moment to look at me. “I’m an orphan, lass. I grew up in the foster system.”
“I... I didn’t know that. I’m so sorry.”
“It wasn’t easy.” He rubs his face, then looks at me. “Do you know the baby blankie I still have?”
“The one Ryan was teasing you about it.”
He nods. “It’s the only thing I have from my parents. Hence why I still cling to it even though it’s nothing but rags now.”
Fighting the urge to cry, I swallow the lump in my throat and ask, “Have you ever tried to find them?”
He shakes his head. “No. I spent my entire childhood dreaming of the day they would come fetch me. It never happened. I’ve come to accept they didn’t want me, so now I’m the one who doesn’t want them.”
I try not to judge anyone, especially people who give up their kids for adoption, but I’m having a hard time not hating Lachy’s parents in this moment. Even though he says he doesn’t want them, I can sense he still needs them in some capacity. I guess it’s the innate desire to know about our roots, to know where we come from.
“You’re so strong, Lachy. I’d be lost if I didn’t know who my parents were.”
He laughs without humor. “I’m not strong, lass. If I were, I wouldn’t have latched on to the first woman who understood what I’d been through.”
I frown. “Do you mean Lorena?”
“Yeah. She also grew up in the foster system. That’s what drew me to her in the beginning.” He glances at me again, his eyes shining with sadness. It breaks my heart to see him like that. “I thought that because we had a similar past, we would have a similar dream for the future. That blinded me to all the red flags about our relationship.”
“I’m so sorry, Lachy.”
He swallows hard, making his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I was lucky that she did what she did before we got married. I’m not saying it wasn’t hard, but now I can look back with complete detachment.”
“Do you really believe that?”
He nods. “I do. Why?”
I bite my lower lip, then look out the window. “It’s... never mind. It’s nothing.”
He touches my leg. “June, you tell me.”
Taking a deep breath, I glance at him. “You didn’t seem detached when Lorena surprised you at the farmer’s market.”
“Well... I was shocked. And then she was saying all those crazy things in front of you, and I panicked.”
“You panicked?”
The interior of the car becomes darker, and I realize Lachy just drove into our garage. This conversation consumed me so completely, I didn’t notice the drive.
He parks the car first before turning to me. “Yes, lass. I panicked, because she was spewing all that nonsense about losing me forever in front of you, and I didn’t know how you’d react.”
I glance at my lap, wriggling my fingers together. “To be honest, I didn’t react well. I was consumed with jealousy, and then you introduced me as your friend. That hurt.”
He pinches my chin between his thumb and index finger and turns my face toward him. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, lass. I’m bloody sorry that you thought for a second you were only a friend to me.”
My heart skips a beat. “I’m not?”
His eyes drop to my mouth. “No, lass. You’re much more than that. You’re my happy ending.”
I cup his face, then run my thumb over his mouth. “Happy ending in what sense?”
“All of them, my love.” His eyes connect with mine, and I see it then, my feelings mirrored in his gaze.
“I love you, Lachy.”
His lips unfurl into a slow smile. “You love me?”
“Yes, with all my heart.”
“That’s good to hear, lass, ‘cause I love you too.”