Page 41 of Fractured Hearts

I feel Jo shrug against my side. “An hour before you got here. Maybe two. I’m not sure how long I was sitting on the beach.”

“Son of a bitch!” I shout, sitting straight up and accidentally knocking Jo to the side. “That motherfucker! I’m going to kill him!”

“Who?” Jo asks. She’s frowning as she looks at the phone in my hand.

“Kai! I have his phone, and it took me four hours to get here!” I’m still shouting. I can’t seem to stop.

“He has two,” Jo surmises immediately. “Ezra was communicating with Kai and not you.” Jo groans and rubs her eyes. “I need to apologize to him.”

“I spent days calling Gavin and begging him to tell me where you were, and Kai could’ve just asked this whole time! I could’ve been here sooner!”

Jo grabs my face and forces me to look at her. “No. Ezra wouldn’t have given our location to anyone. Not even his twin. I need you to understand that before you do something you regret.”

I do know that, but my overwhelming emotions are making it hard to believe it. It’s always been my biggest flaw. The one my parents loved to exploit. The one Eva knew would trigger me into a downward spiral.

“You’re too emotional, Maverick.”

“This is too much, Maverick.”

“Stop crying, Maverick.”

Jo squishes my cheeks, making me focus on her and not my thoughts. I forgot she was holding my face.

“Don’t. You’re allowed to feel whatever you’re feeling, but you’re not allowed to feel guilty about feeling things as deeply as you do.” Her face is so serious I can’t stop the laugh that bursts out.

“Say ‘feel’ one more time.”

“Shut up,” she says, pushing my face away, but she’s smiling.

“Can we nap and talk about this later?” I ask with a yawn. She just nods, and we snuggle down together.

I haven’t felt this kind of peace in a long time.

thirty-nine

JO

I’m glad Maverick can sleep, but I can’t. There are too many thoughts running through my head. Apologizing to Ezra should probably be at the top of my list. Throwing his phone over a cliff might have been a bit of an overreaction. I’m still not happy that he was in contact with Kai and didn’t tell me. I thought we were past the secrets. I thought we were friends.

Friends probably wouldn’t pretend to be in a relationship with their friend’s long-lost boyfriend.

Maverick stirs slightly next to me, moving just enough to allow me to slip out of his arms. The moment I do, my heart feels heavy. I’m in love with him. I know I am, even though I pretend otherwise to anyone who isn’t Harlow. But he isn’t mine, and I need to go confess as much to Ezra.

Ezra and Maverick are good for each other. It’s not fair of me to stand in the way of that when Maverick doesn’t have feelings for me, anyway. I wish he did. I wish his physical affection and caring meant what I wanted it to mean. I wish that my parents’ coldness hadn’t made me so emotionally stunted that I fall for anyone that shows me a hint of kindness.

But that’s not the hand I was delt in life, so I need to put on my big girl pants and go talk to Ezra.

I find Ezra still in the gym, where I knew he’d be. He’s shirtless, sweat dripping down his toned body and pooling by his feet. I’m sure he’s been in that same spot punching the bag since he came down here. He probably thought Maverick and I were upstairs “reuniting.”

I wish.

Ezra’s icy blue eyes meet mine in the mirror. I can see the hurt and anger there, but he must clock something on my face because he frowns.

“What’s wrong?” he says, turning to face me and removing the headphones from his ears.

I had this whole speech planned about how I lied to protect Maverick but then regretted it. Instead, I burst into tears. Ezra’s warm and very sweaty arms wrap around me, and I plant my face into his chest, not caring how wet it is. Sobs wrack my body, and he just holds me through it, which makes me cry harder.

“Please tell me what’s wrong, Bambi,” Ezra says quietly. His heart is beating quickly beneath my ear. I hug him tighter to me, his sweat seeping into my clothes and his warmth breaking my heart.