Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Keep it,” I say, nodding at the mug. “That whiskey you mentioned is sounding like a better idea right now.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Go?”
She nods over her shoulder. “There’s a barber shop speakeasy not far from here. You enter through a secret door in one of the mirrors. Ever been?”
I shake my head, already knowing I can’t take this to a second location. If I’m going to have a shot of getting past this awkward situation with Adrian, Sydney has to stay in my past.
No matter how much it hurts.
It’s time I ripped the bandage off and stopped prolonging the torture. “I can’t see you again, Sydney. In any capacity. Tonight, or any other night.”
She flinches, as if the words physically wound her, making me feel worse than I do already.
“I’m so sorry,” I add, my voice rough. “You have no idea how much I wish things were different. When we first sat down, I thought…” I sigh. “I don’t know what I thought. I was so happy to see you again, I wasn’t thinking straight. But the more we circle this, the more I see that continuing to see you in any capacity would destroy my chances of mending my relationship with my son.”
She swallows, averting her gaze as she nods. “I understand.”
“Telling him we were together once, before either of us realized the two of you used to date, will be bad enough. If I have to tell him I kept seeing you after, or that I was still seeing you…”
“He’d hate you even more,” she says, confirming my suspicion that Adrian’s been more open about his feelings about his shitty father than she initially let on. “You’re probably right, but I…” Her tongue slips out to wet her lips. “I…”
“Tell me,” I encourage after a moment. “Please. You can say anything to me. You won’t hurt my feelings. And if you do, I deserve it for letting you down.”
Her eyes fly to mine, cold fire flickering in the crystal blue. “You haven’t let me down. And you didn’t let Adrian down. You did the best you could, under some pretty shitty circumstances, and someday, he’s going to realize that.” She rolls her eyes. “Or not. But that isn’t your work to do; it’s his. He’s an adult and it’s time people started treating him like one. It’s time his mother stopped paying his bills, Ben quit networking for him for free, and Noelle stopped cleaning up his toxic kitchen when she spends the night at their place.”
My brows pinch together. “Angela pays his bills?”
“That’s what he said.” She shrugs. “That his mom paid his college tuition and some of the party expenses for the fundraiser tonight. Even though she wanted him to use the money for grad school and is angry that he dropped out at the last minute.” Before I can respond, she adds, “Though he didn’t drop out at the last minute. He dropped out in the spring but kept it from his mom long enough to get the deposit for the fall semester, which he used for the down payment on the apartment with Ben and a bunch of designer clothes. He’s definitely using his mother, too, if that makes you feel any better. She’s dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into his education and he still lies to her and only takes her calls about half the time.”
Willing my jaw to unclench, I manage to force out, “Angela didn’t pay for those things.”
“Then who…” She trails off as her eyes go wide. “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry,” she says in a softer voice. “I can’t pretend to know what it feels like to be in your position, but… I know my father wouldn’t continue to subsidize my life if I weren’t respectful and honest with him. Relationships have to change and evolve over time. Even relationships between parents and their kids.”
I sigh. “Yeah, I was having similar thoughts as I was leaving the party. But I can’t cut him off like this. ‘Hey, son, I slept with your ex, and I’ll no longer be sending you a dime.’ He’d never talk to me again.”
“You’re probably right, but…” She smears a bit of the condensation under her water glass across the sealed wood table before lifting her gaze to mine. “You don’t have to tell him. About us.”
My brows shoot up my forehead.
“It’s our private business,” she continues. “It has nothing to do with him. Adrian and I weren’t that close, and it doesn’t sound like the two of you are, either. I don’t owe him any explanations, and it’s not like we did this on purpose.” She lifts one bare shoulder. “We could pretend it never happened. You can trust me not to say anything. I don’t want to hurt you or Adrian.”
Her sweet offer hurts nearly as much as the thought of never seeing her again. It’s just another sign that she’s the kind of woman I’ve been looking for, someone as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. “I can’t ask you to compromise your integrity for me. Or Adrian.”