Page 83 of Gin & Jewels

He pulled me into an embrace. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.”

I looked at the TV and saw that the season finale had ended and was on the main screen. “Logan …” I cried again.

“Who’s Logan?”

I was crying so much that I couldn’t breathe, and it was over a fictional character. I couldn’t breathe, speak, or think of anything except what I’d just seen, and I was heartbroken because after everything Veronica and Logan went through, it was … I pointed at the TV to answer his question, still sobbing into his T-shirt.

“Wait … you’re crying because of the TV?”

I nodded and sniffed. “My heart is … my heart is broken.”

“Because of a TV show?”

I nodded again.

Brad chuckled. “Oh my God, princess. You scared me so much. I thought something was seriously wrong.”

“Something is wrong!” I cried. “How could they do that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if it was a TV show, that’s not real life.”

“It’s real to me,” I sniffed. All I’d had after my parents died was TV shows, and now my heart felt as though it had been ripped from my chest.

“You know what’s real?”

I pulled back so I was looking into his brown eyes. “What?”

“Us.” He smiled warmly. “Everything we have is real, and you know what else?”

“What?” I smiled, my heart speeding up slightly.

“Every day since we had lunch at Freshly Baked, I’ve been falling in love with you.”

I sucked in a short breath. “You love me?”

“Of course I do, princess. I was ready to kill whoever hurt you again, and it was just a TV show.”

“A really good TV show,” I corrected.

Brad grinned. “Okay, a really good TV show.”

I smiled. “I love you too.”

“Yeah?”

I nodded. “I have for a long time.”

He kissed me again, and all thoughts about a fictional character went out the window. What I was livingwasreal.

The next day, I scheduled an appointment to get my driver’s license. It was time. Being with Brad made it seem as though I could do anything, and that included walking into The Velvet Box and apologizing.

I took a deep breath and opened the glass door. Ray looked up to greet me, and his mouth hung open in surprise as nothing came out. He was standing with a girl who looked a little older than me—probably my replacement.

“Is Steve here?” I asked Ray.

He nodded. “Yeah. Where the hell have you been?”

I snorted. “In Hell.” Though, it wasn’t all Hell, but pretty close to it.