Page 57 of Let You Love Me

“I fucked up.” With a shrug, I add, “I’m sorry. You never gave me a reason to believe Sophie was anything but yours, and I absolutelyhatethat my assumptions might have made you feel any kind of way.”

“You saw what you wanted to see, Teagan. It’s fine. Just forget it.” She turns away from me, her tone dismissive, and I panic.

I’m not done, not even close.

“I didn’t just see what I wanted, Lane. I mean, yeah, looking back, it was dumb as fuck to assume, but it was an innocent mistake. You’re young, and I have sisters way younger than me, so I just thought . . .” I rake a hand through my hair with a growl, knowing I’m screwing this up. “The fact that Sophie’s yours has exactly zero to do with how I feel about you.”

She glances over at me, her brows arched. “But . . .?”

“No buts, Lane.” I step closer, wanting to reach out and touch her, to pull her arms away from where they’re crossed tightly against her chest. “I want you all the same.”

“Friends,” she chokes out. “You mean you want to befriends.”

Fuck.

“Right,” I say, nodding like an idiot now. “Friends.”

Lane sighs, staring at me long and hard for several beats before she nods. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, fine.” She tries for a smile but it falls flat. “I shouldn’t have gotten so upset with you, anyway. It was just . . .” She chews on her lip as if contemplating finishing her thought, and I want her to finish her sentence more than I want my next breath.

“Just . . .?”

“Nice. It was just nice, thinking that you knew and didn’t care. That you accepted me and Sophie and—” She bows her head, and the vulnerability in her voice grips my heart and squeezes.

Fuck, I’m in trouble with this girl.

“Lane.” I close the gap between us and tip her chin, so her eyes meet mine. “Idon’tcare. And I would’ve acted the same exact way had I known. Nothing changes now, I swear.”

She exhales, her smile wan. “If you say so.”

I do. I do fucking say so.

“Well, since we’ve established we’re still friends, I only have about forty minutes left, but I thought maybe we could hang out.”

“Hang out,” she repeats like she doesn’t know the meaning.

I nod. “Yeah. You know, two people who spend time together?”

“Teagan,” she shakes her head, “I’m working.”

“Right, I know. Maybe I can help?” I push my shoulders back and close the gap between us, nudging her out of the way where I take up wringing the uniforms in her place.

“You’re going to help me wash uniforms?”

“Sure. Why not?” I place one of the wrung jerseys in the rolling bin, then move onto the next.

“But . . .” Her eyes track my movements. “Why would you do that?”

I sigh and pause, so I can stare her in the eyes. “Because I want to see you. So I can spend time with you however I can get it, and since my schedule is fucking nuts, this is the only way I can.” I cock my head, staring at her stricken expression and wondering why the hell she’s so shocked I might want to get to know her.I vow to make her understand just how amazing she is, how special. “I told you this already. Friends, remember?” I choke out even though friendship isn’t the only thing I want.

“I guess I just thought . . .”

Since I discovered she has a daughter I’d want nothing more to do with her?

Well, she thought wrong.