Page 108 of Fall Love

“But I can wait. I’ve already been waiting my entire life for you.” I blink the water dripping from my hair out of my eyes, or maybe those are tears. I clear my throat.

“I told you to tell me what you want when I came back from New York, but this new information throws a wrench in everything, and I get that. You’re hurt. I hurt you, and I never, ever wanted to do that to you. I’m so sorry, Neve.”

She doesn’t acknowledge the apology, so I pause and stand taller.

“I’m here to stay, Neve,” I state. “When you want to talk, the door is always open.”

I press a kiss to the crown of Wren’s head, my chest ripping in half when I hand her over to Neve, whose arms move like an automaton. She shivers from the wet clothes still on her body, and I take another towel from the pile and tuck it over her shoulder so she can bring Wren closer to her. Her fingers shake as she runs them up Wren’s back, inhaling her baby scent while closing her eyes a second before looking at me.

Neve once said she hated goodbyes. They were hard, and they hurt, and I never understood what she meant until right now.

She didn’t mean casual farewells. She meant permanent absences. A final goodbye.

She was right. It hurt like hell.

CHAPTER 39

[Neve]

He loves me?

He couldn’t mean it. He’d lied to me.

But had he really?

As Lumi said, Tate was never the buyer of the property. He was a middleman. An agent. And while I could be upset about who he represented, the real issue was with who he represented. They made the deal that confused me.

Then again, whose fault was the confusion?

I should have asked more questions. But the answer would have remained the same. We had to sell Rusty’s Wrecks, because it was time. Somewhere deep inside me, a white flag was waved. Surrender was necessary.

Maybe Tate was the sign. Or Wren. Or just life happens. Seasons change.

I’ll be forty in a matter of days, and a new era begins.

I’ve been told I won’t give a fuck, but I haven’t given a fuck most of my life.

Maybe it’s time I did.

He loves me.

How did he know? I was ornery and difficult. I was bullheaded and mean. I was never someone others stayed for. I purposely picked people who would leave so they had an excuse I could accept. Because time dictated their actions, not me. I didn’t have to learn I was unlovable because love couldn’t happen in a matter of days.

Nope. It happened in a matter of hours.

Because, as Tate said, from the moment we met, he frightened me. When I dropped him off at Fisk’s house, thinking I’d never see him again, an unfamiliar ache had churned in my gut, like I wanted to see him again. I would miss him when he was gone.

And I did. For nine months, I had a constant reminder that he was gone but would always have a permanent place in my life.

Family. Accept him, forgive him, or not, Wren and Tate and I were forever woven together.

He was back from New York. He was here to stay. I didn’t even know what that meant. I didn’t ask.

I’m still too wrapped up in my anger and his declaration of love conflicting with each other like darts that don’t stick to the board.

Dammit, Tate.

I snuggle Wren closer to me, hating how much it hurt to watch him walk out the door. His car keys are still in my hand. My car keys, apparently, because he did take care of me. He worried about the safety of Wren and me. He’d explained all the features and the add-ons for protection, and my car-loving heart soaked it all in without realizing he was explaining these things for me.