Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 128156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 641(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Noah stares at me for a moment, and then he looks down, nodding to himself.
We go quiet, both just drinking our coffee in silence, and then he pours us another cup, this one just as soothing as the last.
“Should I punch you in the face?”
My head yanks around, and I spill a little coffee on my knuckles.
Noah’s grin is wide, and he tries to bury the chuckle that leaves him in his fist. “That’s what she told me you’d prefer over my friendship.” He jerks his head toward Paige. “A punch to the face.”
A scoff escapes me, and then we’re both laughing.
When I look at him again, his laughter dies, maybe from the expression on my face.
“Chase.” He shakes his head, but I hold up my hands.
“Just…let me. I’m—I’m sorry, Noah,” I tell him earnestly. “I thought I was sorry before, and I was, but I didn’t understand the severity of what I did to you until…” I swallow.
Noah’s mouth hooks up in one corner, and he glances at the girl on the couch, his oldest friend. His once best friend, until Ari became that for him.
Until Paige became that for me.
“Until you fell in love with Paige.”
I nod, jaw clenched. “I didn’t know it could ever be like this. That it would be like this. Like every piece of me is made up of nothing but pieces of her. It’s terrifying in a way I never knew possible, like this endless pressure and constant stress and worry.”
“Yeah, it is.” Noah is smiling now. “But the payoff?”
Yeah, the payoff.
My eyes move to Paige again, and everything in me softens.
The payoff is unmatched.
“I don’t deserve her.”
Noah’s hand clamps on my shoulder and he gives a little squeeze. “That thought right there, it’s the exact reason why you do.”
“Noah.” Ari’s soft whine comes from the hall, and then the bathroom door clicks shut, and he taps my arm, jogging down the hall.
I frown after him, then grab my cup and move back to my place on the floor beside a still-sleeping Paige. Leaning forward, I kiss her cheek, letting my forehead rest there a moment, wincing when my spine spasms a bit, and straighten, my eyes closing.
I don’t care what I lose, Angel, so long as I don’t lose you.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Paige
The smell of charcoal fills the air and something about it feels nostalgic.
It reminds me of my childhood when Dad would pick me up after elementary school and instead of heading home, we’d go to parks just like this one. We’d make hot dogs on the same type of built-in barbecue Mason is grilling on right now, and I’d play with whoever else got to go to the park after school that day.
I miss him.
I’ve missed this.
My eyes slide toward Chase, sitting in a folding chair beside Ari and Brady. They’re laughing and chatting, but he’s picking at the label on the water bottle he’s holding, his shoulders slumped.
The sight breaks my heart, and I pull in a lungful of air to work past the ache threatening to take over there.
“Do you think he’s okay?” I ask quietly.
Payton follows my gaze, her smile fading. “I don’t know. What’s he said?”
“He apologized, right after the game when he came to Ari’s. I told him I didn’t even need an apology, that I was just worried but he didn’t do anything wrong.” I sigh, my own shoulders sagging. “Then he just apologized again.”
“Sounds about right.”
“Yeah, but since then, it’s like he’s…” I can’t quite say it out loud and maybe that’s because I don’t really have words for it at all.
It’s almost like he’s always present but never really here.
Payton reaches out, squeezing my hand gently, then picks Deaton up off the table, kissing his cheek as she snags the bag of chips he tries to take with him.
“Hey, buddy, I think Uncle Chase wants to go play,” she whispers to her son, meeting Mason’s eyes when he looks over with the most grateful of smiles, his own worried expression moving to his best friend.
“Just don’t tell him Mama told you so, ’kay, D? I think he’ll like that.”
Deaton nods excitedly, then runs full speed until he’s throwing himself in an unsuspecting Chase’s arms with a big oomph.
“Uncle Chaser, let’s go play!” Deaton grins up at him.
Chase’s smile is instant and he’s on his feet in the next moment, turning for the playground without a thought.
Mase leans over, kissing Payton’s cheek. “Good job, Mama.”
I nod absentmindedly, watching the two boys as they race for the slide.
Deaton gets ahead of him, but then he trips climbing up the last step and falls forward.
But Chase is already there, picking him up and saying something none of us can hear as he dusts off his little hands and reties his shoe. Deaton starts waving his hand all around, talking as animatedly as ever, and Chase is completely enamored, smiling down at the little boy.