Page 115 of All That Glitters

“Do you want me to text Amity and tell her to leave it for a while?”

She sighs and shakes her head. “No. Friendships are tricky, and I won’t throw away the ones I have because things have gotten hard. We’ll work it out. It’s just different now. I’m different now. I think that’s why I’m going to miss Del so much.”

“Because she’s loyal to you, not me,” I state, and again, I know she’s right. Neither Amity nor Nevaeh would openly betray Legs, but if they were given an order by their men as VP or president, would they cave? It’s tricky, and I don’t sense that Legs is mad at them for it. Sad, maybe, but not mad. I guess she expected it.

“Alright, enough of this shit, what do you want to do tonight?”

She opens her eyes and looks over at me. “What do you mean?”

“Well, operation date Legs until she loves me again is now in full effect, so what do you want to do? Sky’s the limit.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Legs

I wince and look away,feeling like a shithead. Honestly, the thought of getting dressed up and going out makes me want to crawl under the bed and hide. I guess I’m still stuck in a funk, and right now, I’m not ready to dig my way out of it.

“Can we just stay in and watch a movie?”

“Absolutely.”

“Thank god. I don’t think I have the energy to get all fancy. I’m not saying I never want to go out.” I throw him an olive branch because I said I’d try, even if I still plan on walking away at the end of it all. “I think I just need a moment to catch my breath.”

“I get it, Legs. You don’t gotta explain shit to me. Though I think we should make time to talk. We can start out small, but I think we should share something with each other every day. I realized the other day that I don’t know shit about your past, and that’s downright shitty of me when I want to steal your future.”

“I can promise you now, you won’t like it, so why lay that burden at your feet?”

“Because you carried it alone for long enough. I don’t care if it isn’t pretty. It won’t change how I feel about you. Let me carry the load for a little while. I can promise you my past isn’t going to have you jumping for joy either.”

I tilt my head, studying him. I can hear the absolute truth in his words. I know he doesn’t want me to know about his past any more than I want to talk about mine, but he’s right. Those moments in time shaped who we are now. They define us, as much as we hate to admit it. Perhaps knowing his history will help me understand why he did the things he did. I’m not sure it will change anything between us now. Everything feels so hollow. But I’m willing to listen, if for no other reason than he needs to get it off his chest. Even if it’s so he can treat the next woman who comes along better than he did me.

The thought of him finding a happily ever after in someone else’s arms makes me feel like my ribs have been cracked down the middle. I rub my chest, trying to soothe the sting, which makes him frown.

“You okay?”

Not wanting to voice my thoughts, I nod. “Heartburn, that’s all. It will pass.”

“How about I run you a bath and you take a soak while I set the living room up and order some food?”

“Yeah, that sounds good, actually.”

“Any requests?”

“Carbs. Preferably pasta of some kind.”

He grins. “Italian it is. Sit tight while I go run you a bath.”

I lean back and close my eyes, giving him a thumbs up. When he disappears, my phone chimes from where it’s plugged in on the kitchen counter. I get to my feet with a groan and grab it, smiling when I see a message from Del.

How you doing? I have a shovel, tarp and some rope if you need it.

I chuckle as I type back.

I’m okay,but that’s all useful information.I’ll store it away for later.

My phone bleeps a few minutes later.

As you should.