Page 87 of Mr. Green

Lana

All the guests send the happy couple off with a sparkler bridge. They’re off to their honeymoon in the Himalayas. They’ll be trekking through the mountains, and Scarlett has some yoga classes to attend in India. She’s excited and Matt has never been, so I imagine he’s equally thrilled.

Grant finds me, his hand going to my lower back. I haven’t seen him since the altercation. I think he needed some time to cool off, as did I.

“You ready to go?” he asks, his voice gruff.

There’s no pet name. No smile. I hope he doesn’t think I wanted that kiss or for that jackass to show up here.

I let him lead me to his car, where Andrew awaits. He opens the door and we get in. It’s so quiet in the car, heavy breathing from Grant is all you can hear. Andrew can feel the tension. I imagine he’s looking for something to cut through the pressure.

“I walked Queenie. She’s a pretty cool dog,” Andrew tries.

“Thank you, Drew. I’m sure she appreciated some fresh air,” I supply.

I could try to keep the conversation going, but what I really want to say is bound to end up in an argument. Grant and I haven’t fought before; I don’t want to argue with Andrew listening to everything. I’ll wait until we get back to the beach house to bring up tonight’s events.

Grant has his hands balled into fists on his leg as it bounces up and down. I fidget with my dress, looking out the window, seeing nothing.

We make it the beach house. Grant thanks Andrew andI head straight inside to say hi to Queenie. She greets me wagging her tail. Grant announces his presence with a mild door slam.

“What the fuck was that guy doing there, Lana?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You’d better not see him ever again.”

“Excuse me?” I raise my eyebrows.

“He broke you. You were a crumble of dust when I saw you at the housewarming party,” he explains while moving his hands about. “I know it was him that broke you and you don’t need to go near someone who will do that to you.”

“Why do you sound like my dad right now? Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you know everything.”

“I know seeing you without any light is not who you are. You were just starting to become yourself again. Look at you. You’ve lost some of the spark already.”

“I haven’t lost anything.” I straighten my stance. “The only thing I’m scared of losing is you. This has nothing to do with him.”

That shuts him up. He stares at me while putting one hand behind his neck and the other resting on his hip. I have to explain something to him before I lose my nerve.

“I’m scared of losing you, but I need to meet with Ryan one more time.”

“The hell you are.” He starts pacing about the room.

“That’s not really your decision. This is the closure I need from him, Grant. You know I can’t just move on or I would’ve done it already. I need to know why. I need to know how he could just leave me.”

“You want a reason from that sorry piece of shit? He left because he’s not me.” Both hands move to his heart. “Don’t you feel what’s between us, Lana?” He motions between the two of us. “I’m right here. I would never do what he did.”

“Grant...”

“I would always be with you andshowyou you’re the one for me. I can’t believe I have to convince you of us.”

“Grant, listen. I know you’d be there for me, but thatdoesn’t change that I’m still not myself. When you met me again, I was still working out some things. Ineedto have one more meeting with him. Just for my own clarity. It’s not anything that’s going to jeopardize our relationship.”

“You already are.”

“How?” My head shifts back like he slapped me.

“If you go to him, I can’t guarantee I’ll still be around.”