Page 9 of Theo (Stone Brothers #6)

She stared out the window again as if there was something interesting to see, but we were driving through town, the same town she'd seen thousands of times.

I reached over for her hand. She rested her hand on my palm, and I laced my fingers through hers. "Lacey?"

"They didn't invite me," she said it fast as if it would hurt less that way.

"What the fuck?"

She sniffled. "Never mind. I don't want to talk about it."

"Is it cuz of me?" I asked.

"They don't know what love is. They're just jealous.

" She sniffled again. "Megan said the party was to discuss college plans.

Some of them are applying to the same university and—it's all just stupid.

I don't care. I don't give a shit about any of them.

" Lacey and I had figured a way around the politics of her friends and me.

She kept those parts of her life separate, but I knew damn well it wasn't easy.

She'd skipped out on her friends to be with me, even when they were doing something like a day at the beach or a party.

I didn't fit into her circle of friends, but she fit right in with mine.

I always felt the weight of that plenty.

It wasn't fair, but I was also far too crazy about her to let it get in the way of us.

"But you're going to college too." It was a topic we avoided because it meant the possibility of Lacey moving far away, something that I couldn't even think about without feeling sick.

"I know but—" She fell silent again.

"Oh shit, this goes way deeper than not being invited," I said.

"Megan said everyone discussed it, and they thought the party should be for couples only, so they decided not to invite me."

"Because they worried you'd bring your sketch-ass boyfriend to the party."

"I think I'm through with them, with all of them," she said with shaky resolve.

I pulled into the lot of the minimart and parked. I spun sideways to face her. "Ace, you know that I love you, right?"

Her smile returned, but it was still frail. "I do."

"That's all I've fucking got. That and the fact that I'd move a fucking mountain for you.

I hate that they're acting like this, but none of them would do that for you.

None of them would move a fucking mountain for you.

" It was a pretty stupid defense, but the conversation had landed solidly on me, like a bag of bricks.

I knew her friends were petty and mean, but I never expected them to throw down this kind of grenade between us.

"I really am through with them," Lacey said. She looked over at me. "If they're asking me to choose, then I've already chosen."

My throat tightened, and for once, I had nothing to say. I motioned with my head for us to get out of the car. She stepped out. I reached for her and pulled her to me. Her blue gaze peered up at me with a look that reached right into my soul. "Lacey," it was the only word I could get out.

She hopped on her toes and kissed me lightly. "It will always be you, Theo. Over everyone and anyone else—it will always be you."

I kissed her once more, and we walked in to buy cherry slushes.

A few minutes later we were parked outside her house, our mouths cold and bright red from the drinks.

We had a good laugh about how we both looked like clowns with badly applied makeup.

It was one of those moments we'd had hundreds of times, just the two of us and so in tune with each other.

We loved the same humor, the same movies, the same music.

She was at the top of the class, and I was near the bottom, but we never ran out of things to talk about.

All I knew was I couldn't imagine not being with Lacey Michaels.

Lacey rested her half-finished slush on the console and climbed over that same console to straddle my lap.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me.

We were both lost in our make out session and hadn't noticed she'd kicked over the drink onto the gray upholstered seat.

The old car had plenty of stains and scratches, but the bright red drink really took the stain-to-seat ratio to a whole new level.

Lacey sat down on my lap with a pout. "Your new car." She looked close to tears again.

"You mean my new old car. It's all right, Ace."

"How can it be all right? Just look at what that red dye does to this mouth." She pointed at her lips.

"Oh, trust me, I've been looking at it, and I like it." I turned her face back to me and kissed her again.

She lifted her face and ran her fingers down my cheek. "Are you sure you're not mad?"

I shook my head. "Now, every time I see that stain, I'll think of you and think about the two of us making out in the driver's seat."

She giggled and pressed her mouth over mine again.

Present

I checked my phone like a fucking chump for the hundredth time.

She was gone. Tomorrow she was getting married.

I had no idea why she reached out to me after such a long time and especially when she was about to get married, but it seemed I was going to spend the next few months trying to forget the whole damn thing.