Page 76 of My Three Hometown Alphas

As painful as it is to talk about, it’s cathartic to have someone else know what I’m thinking.What I’m feeling.

We laugh. We cry. I cling to her like she’s my lifeline. Her hold on me never wavers.

The words finally slow to a trickle, and I drag in what feels like the first deep breath I’ve taken in far too long.

“Thank you,” she says quietly.

“For what, angel?” I ask, running my hand over her hair.

“For trusting me with all of that.”

I do trust her. My lips press a kiss to the top of her head. “Want to watch a movie with me?” I ask.

“Sure,” she says, tilting her head up to look at me.

“Sandlot?”

She gives me a sad smile, now understanding what that movie means to me.

So, with Avery snuggled in my side, I watch my favorite movie for the first time since that day I had another feisty woman laying beside me. It hurts, but it’s also freeing in a way I never would have anticipated.

I know Liv is looking down on me because yes, she’s in Heaven. She might have cussed like a sailor and was sassy as hell, but she’s not in Hell like she always joked about.

A sliver of that twin connection still must exist because I can feel Liv smiling at me. I finally feel like maybe I can live the way she wanted me to.

I glance down at Avery, whose head is resting on my chest.Maybe she’s what I’m supposed to hold onto.

She’s breathed life back into the shell I was before she breezed back into my life.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Avery

My eyes feeldry and scratchy as they slowly open. The hair on Owen’s arm rubs against my cheek where my head is using his bicep as a pillow.

His large body is firmly tucked in behind me with his other arm draped over my middle. Our legs are even twined together.

Our bodies are wrapped as close together as my heart feels to him after yesterday. I didn’t know what to expect when I walked in his room yesterday afternoon and found him completely zoned out and staring at the ceiling.

Seeing him open up was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. I know his trust isn’t something he gives out freely, so being on the receiving end of everything he shared feels precious in a way I can’t quite wrap my head around.

At some point during the night, Owen must have grabbed an extra blanket to drape over us because we’re lying on top of his comforter in our same clothes from yesterday.

I know today is going to be hard for him, but I hope last night will make the weight a little easier for him to bear. I’m glad I could play a small part in all of this, but I’m sure their family will want to be together today.Without me.

It hurts to think about, but I’m not a part of this family. There have been moments over the last few months where it has felt like I am, but I’m not.

Not really. I’m leaving, and their lives are going to go on without me.

This thought alone makes it difficult for my lungs to get enough air.

I hate this.

I start the slow process of peeling myself away from the gorgeous man wrapped around me. I barely make it two inches before his hold on my waist tightens and he pulls me back against his chest.

“Where are you going?” he grumbles against my neck.

“Back to my place,” I say.