Page 179 of Challenge Me

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“Again?” Remi groaned.

“I’ll take a whiskey. No change.”

He snatched the bill and flipped it to check for writing, which made me smile. I ducked my head to hide it, then drained the alcohol in one go.

“Sinking to alcoholism and abandoning your child weren’t what I expected,” he said.

“That’s a bit of a reach, don’t you think?”

“For some, it doesn’t take much. Negative emotions are the worst catalyst for addiction, you know.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Yeah, you should.” While drying a glass, he met my eyes. “I’ve seen people around me lose to their vices, all in different ways, but every time they lost. That’s why I made Oli swear to never touch something that could take away his control.”

“What if you’re my vice?”

He scoffed.

“Is that so hard to believe?” I asked.

“This is the sixth night you’ve come in here. It’s time to give it up.”

Leaning forward, I grabbed the front of his shirt to drag him closer. “Why should I?”

He pried my fingers away and dropped my hand on the counter. “Because desperation isn’t cute.”

“I lean more toward commitment than desperation.”

“If Avery never let you go, would it have been romantic?”

“That’s different.”

“Only the details.”

“The details are important.”

“Like your little messages? ‘However long it takes, I’ll be—’ What? What will you be? A thorn in my side?”

The corner of my lips lifted. “Find out tomorrow.” The smile fell from my face. “Tuesday, actually. I’m out of town the next two days.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I thought you didn’t check on what I was doing.”

“I already know the schedule.”

“Good, then you know what day this is for.” I dropped the envelope on the counter. He shook his head as he grabbed it. It went straight into the garbage, but I tried not to show the way it affected me.

I was halfway to the door when his voice stopped me. “Why?”

I turned around and looked at his pinched expression. “Why what, Remi?”

“Why not let it go? You said that you wouldn’t come after me, and you didn’t that night. So, why?”

“It wasn’t that I didn’t intend to fight for you. I always did. I just needed a minute to figure out how to make it the last time.”