Page 96 of The One

Why was I getting attacked?

What had I done?

This—whatever the hell this was—had spiraled into something so far from where it should have been. Somehow, I needed to get her back to a place where she was at least settled enough to handle the rest of this boat trip, and I’d deal with the aftermath once we were on land.

I kept my voice low and somewhat soft. “Penelope?—”

“Leave me the fuck alone.” She backed up to the right side, leaning against the fiberglass edge.

I waved her over and opened my arms, doing anything to calm her down. “Come here. We’ll hug it out, and then we’ll get going. Don’t forget, we have a joint to share once we get to Timothy’s.”

“You can go fuck yourself!” She flipped me off.

My hands balled into fists, and I turned toward the helm, slamming them onto the cold metal wheel.

She was impossible.

There was nothing I could do.

My anger was peaking.

My frustration was reaching a whole new level.

I didn’t know if this was the person she really was or if it was the drugs making her act this way. It didn’t matter because I didn’t know what to do.

She’d lost her shit, and I saw no way out of this.

She hadn’t reacted well to my yelling—something I should have held in, but I couldn’t—and she’d had the same response when I tried to play Mr. Nice Guy.

Do I pick her up and put her in the seat?

Do I beg for her forgiveness?

Do I?—

“I’m fucking out of here.” She rocked the boat as she stormed toward the stern.

Awesome. Just what I needed, for her to stomp around like a damn child.

I pulled my hands off the helm and began to turn around. My body was only halfway pointed toward the stern, just approaching the starboard side, when I heard the sound.

A sound that made my heart suddenly stop.

A sound that made every bit of breath hitch in my lungs.

A sound that consumed every part of my body.

TWENTY-SIX

Rhett

Present Day

“I’m … your why,” Lainey whispered, the emotion deepening in her eyes, in her posture, in the softness of her voice. “I’m … your one.Oh God.” She rested her forehead against her knees, hiding her face from me. “I can’t, Rhett.” She finally tilted her head to look at me. “I can’t hear this. Not those words. Not from you.”

I’d overstepped.

And I’d overshared.