Page 84 of Safe Place

I nod. “I was going to go there after work anyways.”

Wyatt raises his brows. “Oh wow. You’re free? That’s a first.”

I smirk. “I quit my other jobs—the tutoring gig and the bookstore.”

“Wait, seriously?” Grant says, eyes widening. “So no book discounts next semester?”

“You’ll survive. Besides, Poppy’s taking over for me. Hit her up for the deals.”

I glance at Wyatt, wondering if he already knew about Poppy’s new job. His expression gives nothing away.

“So what’s with the sudden quitting of perfectly good jobs?” Wyatt asks instead. “Hit the jackpot, Lennox? Scratch-off? Secret trust fund?”

“I got a scholarship,” I say. “Full support from the Evergreen Initiative. From now until I graduate law school. That is, if I get in, of course.”

They exchange a look, and then Grant chuckles. “Aww, Luke is helping his baby brother spend more time with his girlfriend.”

The word girlfriend makes my breath hitch. Not because I don’t like the sound of it—God, I do—but I’m just not used to it—wait, what?

“What do you mean?” I ask.

Grant blinks. “Lucas Vale. Founder of Evergreen. Mic’s big bro. You knew that, right?”

I stare at him. “No, the founder of Evergreen is Adam Green. I did my research, Grant.”

“Yeah, that’s Luke’s alias for the company. You didn’t know?” Wyatt chimes in.

“Oh, fuck. You didn’t know. Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Grant mutters under his breath. “Micah’s going to kill me.”

My heart is thudding in my chest. I look down at the floor, like the tiles might explain how I missed something so big. Again. I feel tears welling up in my eyes.

This was Micah’s doing. Of course it was. He wanted to take some load off me. I don’t know how to feel. I’ve never been looked after this way before. He didn’t want to burden me.

“Sophie, you’re not gonna cry, are you? Shit.” asks Grant, voice filled with concern.

Wyatt hits him in the chest. “Look what you did, Grant.”

Before Grant can answer, the bell above the door chimes again.

I have a feeling I know who it is without turning around.

“What’s going on here?” Micah asks suspiciously.

I turn, my eyes stinging. He’s standing there, looking from me to the boys and back to me again, probably reading the guilt on their faces like it's spelled out.

Without thinking, I walk straight to him, wrap my arms around his neck, and bury my face against him.

“I love you, Micah,” I whisper, voice shaky.

He’s tense at first, caught off guard, but then his arms wrap around me, encompassing me in his warmth and safety.

“I love you, too,” he says softly into my hair, even though I know he still doesn’t understand what just happened. “I wanted to be the one to say it first.”

I hug him tighter, smiling. “Thank you.”

“For?”

I pull away slightly and look up at him. “I know your brother is Adam Green.”