Page 50 of Covet (The Red #3)

Elle

Listen to The Heart Wants What it Wants

by Selena Gomez

I let Noah inside and shut the door behind me.

We stared at each other for a few moments. Then he pulled me into his embrace and held me tight.

“How are you doing?” he asked, voice rumbly in my ear.

I gave a half laugh, leaning my head against his broad chest. “Kind of sucky? But also relieved to tell the truth.”

“Me, too. Coop came to see me.”

I jerked back. “What! Oh, my God, are you hurt?” I frantically touched his face.

A smile tugged at his full mouth. “Yeah, he didn’t beat me up. Wanted to. I would’ve let him happily to let him feel better. But he ended up walking away.”

“Do you really this is a good idea?” I asked Noah, pausing before the door.

Sleet attacked my face and I shivered. The weather mirrored the upcoming meeting we’d all agreed to. Endless, toxic text streams. Whispered conversations in various groups. Accusations and tears and apologies. The epic fall-out we’d all dreaded and worried about had finally occurred.

It’d been two weeks since Noah and I had broken up with Coop and Daisy. Gabby and Max played mediators and finally begged for everyone to meet up to talk. To say our truths. To face the consequences.

I knew it could go sideways but there was a history here that deserved to be honored. I gripped Noah’s hand and his steady, calm gaze helped regulate my breath.

“No, but I think we need to try,” Noah said.

He was right. We’d picked the Irish pub where everyone was comfortable. The shadowed, wooden interior offered privacy, plenty of beer, and space to spread out. We’d booked the giant back booth for a party of twelve so we wouldn’t have to squeeze next to each other.

Noah and I walked in together. We were the first to arrive. Grabbing a beer, we settled in the back and told the waitress we’d need a lot of time to order. No one needed her continuously popping in with fake cheer while everyone was hating on each other.

My stomach danced with nerves so I guzzled my beer fast. Max and Gabby came next, thank God. Max was cool to both of us, but Gabby hugged me. I noticed they sat down together with an intimate familiarity I’d never caught.

“Are you guys dating?” I asked curiously.

They shared a glance. Max nodded. “Yeah.”

I waited for more but they didn’t give further explanation. Since the whole thing was awkward I dropped the subject. Gabby and I caught up with casual girl chatter, while Noah and Max made stilted conversation.

Coop came next. Ignoring me completely, he sat next to Max and Gabby, pretending we didn’t exist. Daisy was last. She sat next to Coop on the end, offering polite greetings to everyone. I noticed her gaze skipped right over me. I didn’t blame her.

I’d tried to contact her a few times. She’d taken my call once, listened to what I had to say, then hung up. I cried but knew I deserved it. Still, when Noah comforted me later on, I admitted it was all worth it. Noah was worth everything, even if the price had been high to pay.

Surprisingly, Max was the one to start talking. “I wanted us all to meet together. A lot of shit has gone down and I think we all deserve to say our piece. But first I need to say something, something that’s been bothering me for a long time.”

Everyone waited.

“This group is special. We have a lot of history together. I love each one of you and I think we deserve to fight to see if there’s any way we can salvage something. We’ve all made mistakes. We’ve all fucked up and hurt people and lied. We’ve cheated. But we’re also family.”

The words sunk deep inside me. Max was right. I longed to see if there was any possibility of healing.

Coop was the one to speak up first. “You can say that easy enough but if Adam walked in now, what would you do? Forgive? Hang out and have a beer while you know he was fucking Landon behind your back, pretending to be your friend? Come on, man, be real.”

Curious, I cocked my head and waited for his answer. It had all started with Max and Landon and Adam. Was Max only pretending for his sake? Or did he really mean it? Had his new relationship with Gabby changed him in some way?

Max didn’t have time for a response.

Because suddenly, two people appeared by our table. There was a collective, shocked gasp as we all seemed to register who it was at the same time.

Landon flashed a dazzling smile, her hand wrapped tight around Adam’s.

“We’re back, bitches. What have I missed?”