Page 62 of Mr. Green (Mr. #2)

Grant

S he hugs her friends and family, who waited until she finished her run. Paige keeps holding her as her back moves up and down at a quick pace. Scarlett is holding the roses I brought for Lana and giving her a half hug.

I don’t know where my jacket ended up, but I don’t give a fuck. I’m out of breath, my lungs sting, and my feet hurt from the wrong shoes, but I’d do anything just to see Lana again.

She looks to her friends who are waiting for her reaction. Is she going to acknowledge me?

“Hey, Sunshine,” I try again once I can breathe.

“What are you doing here?” she chokes out.

I want to reach out and wipe her tears away. She didn’t start crying until she finished. I thought she was just trying to catch her breath, but it was more.

“I wouldn’t want to miss something this big for you. You did it!” I smile up at her since my hands are on my knees, trying to get my breathing back to normal. “Those roses are for you.” I point towards Scarlett and stand tall.

She looks over at them. “Umm, thanks.” She bites her lower lip. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“See me around?” I furrow my brow.

“Yeah. You’re Matt’s friend, Scarlett’s husband. I love Scarlett, so I guess I’ll be seeing you around.” She turns to her friends. “I’ve got to get out of here. I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

They wave and she walks off, taking the roses from Scarlett. She stops and looks at them. She’s thinking about putting them in a trash can near her. She walks past the trash can, but is holding the flowers down facing the ground. She held onto them, so there’s a small win.

I know this has got to be some sort of front. She’s wearing the outfit I got for her in Texas. She started crying when she finished. I guess the tears could be for her accomplishing something she’s been working on for months.

Fuck.

Scarlett comes over to me. “We’re going to the café downtown to celebrate. Her whole family will be there.”

I nod. I know I can’t give up on Lana. I need to go there. I need to fix this.

“See you there.” I walk off.

~

Andrew parks in front of the café. I’ve put on a clean shirt and rolled up the sleeves. I look in the rear-view mirror to redo my hair, and then I get out of the car.

“Go get her,” Andrew tells me while slapping my shoulder.

I take a breath and stick out my chest to fake confidence. I need to explain things. I know she doesn’t want to let us go.

Once I reach the door, Lana is smiling, talking with her sister and her best friends. I take a deep breath and let it out as I open the door.

Josh sees me first. “Oh, hell no. Get out.”

“Josh, I need to talk to her. I need to explain.”

“Like how you explained you’d leave right when she started trusting you? Get the fuck out of here.” He points to the door.

“I need to talk to her.”

Lana taps Josh on the shoulder. “Josh, it’s fine.” She looks over to me. “Come on, let’s go outside. We don’t need to make a huge scene at my favorite place.”

Josh gives me eyes like he’s trying to stab me. I understand that. I’d be doing the same thing, except I know we’re supposed to be together.

We get outside and she crosses her arms in front of her chest. “So, explain.”

“I’m so sorry, Lana. I was being an insecure asshole.”

She nods her head and lets out a small chuckle. “Understatement of the century. I had to talk to him, Grant.”

“I know, I know. I’m so sorry, Lana. I can’t believe it was the first time I couldn’t see you needed to get closure.

I was such an idiot. I was so scared of losing you, I got jealous and had a moment of pigheadedness.

I thought you were going to pick him over me.

I thought you did pick him over me. Scarlett told me you weren’t seeing him.

This whole time I thought you went back to the jackass that broke you.

I didn’t know how to handle you picking him. ”

“How could I pick him, Grant? You showed me I wasn’t being treated how I wanted. You showed me I deserve the world. You showed me I could be loved, even in sweats.”

A tear slips down my cheek. I clear my throat, trying to hide my emotions. “I’m glad you know you’re worth the world, Lana. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to show you.”

“Grant?”

She can tell I’m crying. I don’t want to lose her, but I need her to make the decision. I think she needs space to see if she wants to be with me.

“I’ll give you anything you need, Lana. If you want me to stay away, I’ll stay away. I love you. I want what’s best for you. I always have.”

“You want me to stop talking to you?”

“What? No, of course that’s not what I want.” I pull at the nape of my neck. “If that’s what you needed , I’d give it to you, though. I’ll go back to Texas right now. I just needed to give you this. If you ever feel the need to see me again, please call me.”

I hand her a card. Hopefully she’ll read it instead of throwing it away. If I don’t hear from her soon, I’ll have to find another way to win her trust back. I’m not going to give up when I know she would’ve stayed with me if I hadn’t been an ass hat.

Another tear slides down my cheek. I kiss her on top of her head. “I hope to hear from you. I love you, Lana.”

I walk away, letting her make the biggest decision of my life.