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I can see the concern and anger on my mom’s face as I make my way over to her. She gives Tori a polite smile before pulling me into a hug.

“Just FYI, she isn’t coming to eat with us,” my mom whispers in my ear before stepping back. “Both of you did awesome today. I know Hudson and Bellamy got tired of hearing how you got your hockey skills from me.”

The mention of her name is like a shot to the heart.

Mav slings his arm around her. “That’s right, Mama.”

She smiles up at him before looking at the two of us. “Okay, boys, we need to get to our reservation. I want to spend a little one-on-one time with you both before I head home.”

If Tori doesn’t pick up on that being my mom’s way of saying , You aren’t welcome , then she’s an idiot.

Thankfully, she does.

“Okay, call me later,” she says, moving onto her tiptoes and pressing a kiss to my cheek. I grind my teeth so as to not shudder at her touch.

“It was nice to see you, Mrs. Leblanc.” She fakes a smile, and no doubt purposefully uses my mom’s incorrect last name.

My mom gives her a small wave, not even attempting to correct her mistake.

As soon as Tori walks away, my mom hits me in the arm with her purse. “What the hell was that?”

“Yeah, bubs… I’m sooo lost.” Mav frowns, watching Tori walk out the same door Bellamy just did.

My nostrils flare at the corner Tori has backed me into. “It’s a long story.”

“Well, save it for Bellamy. Don’t worry about dinner with me; you need to go find her. Whatever the deal is, she deserves to know what the hell is going on, because I saw her face crumble into a million pieces just now. That wasn’t okay, Cash.”

Trust me, it almost killed me. But I’m trying to protect her.

When I told my mom about Bellamy coming to the game, she blatantly asked me what the deal was between us. She said she knew it all those years ago. Honestly, it felt good to talk to someone other than Mav about it, especially knowing I had my mom’s full support.

My mom continues, concern written all over her face, “I’m just confused. You said y’all broke up for good, and then we had a long talk about going after what you truly want and even making your dad see that she’s what makes you happy. Why let Tori ruin that?”

The realization of how bad this truly is finally hits me. I’ve been numb since the second I saw the image Tori sent me after the game.

I swallow the bulge in my throat. “I need to talk to Bellamy first.”

My mom gasps, her eyes wide, like something just dawned on her. “Oh Cash, tell me Tori isn’t pregnant?”

Bellamy

I honestly can’t believe this. Part of me wonders if this is some sick joke, and then the desperate side of me is questioning if there’s more to the story.

Maybe it isn’t as bad as it looked.

If he wants to be with her, I don’t think I can sit here and watch it anymore. I love my friends, I love the ranch, I love his family— our family —but my heart can’t take this. If tonight is what it looked like, I’m leaving. After this semester, I’ll transfer. I have to.

Four more blocks, and I’ll be back to my apartment. I’m so ready to be curled up in my bed, letting all these tears escape onto my pillow. A pillow that probably still smells like him.

A truck heads toward me, and I quickly recognize it as Connor’s. Furiously I wipe the tears from my cheeks, not wanting him to see the look of heartache on my face.

He rolls down his window, and I walk over. “Hey, beautiful, what you doin’?”

Thankfully, he doesn’t know me that well, so he believes the fake smile I force. “Just coming from the hockey scrimmage.”

A hint of disappointment crosses his face, likely thinking back to Cash’s possessive stunt the other night during the storm.

“You need a ride?” he smirks.

I really just want to be alone.

“I’m okay. Thanks…” I say, and as soon as the words leave my mouth, I hear another truck slowing down behind me.

My body aches with awareness, like it knows he’s close before he even speaks.

“Bellamy.” Cash’s voice sounds as desperate as I feel.

I wish I had it in me to say “fuck you,” and then jump in Connor’s truck, just to piss him off, but honestly, I want answers. I deserve answers.

“See you around, Connor.” I give him a small wave.

He looks over my shoulder, then back at me. Winking, he says, “I hope sooner, rather than later.”

I turn around, and whatever anger Cash was feeling from seeing Connor morphs. Mimicking my own saddened demeanor.

But then I remind myself I’m pissed at him, so I hold my head high and opt for the smart-ass version of myself. Peeking around his body to look in his empty truck, I ask, “Where’s your girlfriend, Stud?”

His nostrils flare, but he doesn’t deny it.

“Bellamy, we need to talk.”

“Yeah, the fuck we do,” I snarl and head to the passenger side of his truck, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of letting him ask me.

Slamming his door, I keep my gaze straight ahead as he gets in, unable to look at him. It hurts too much.

“Take me home, tell me what the hell I just witnessed, and then you can leave me alone for good this time,” I say as calmly as I can.

Cash doesn’t respond. Instead, he puts the truck into drive. His silence has nausea rolling through me. The part of me holding out hope is slowly dying in the pit of my lovesick stomach.

His gear shift hasn’t even made it into park before I’m opening the passenger door and stomping up the stairs to my apartment. My wrist aches when I turn the key to unlock our front door.

Thankfully, I’m met with darkness. Berkley is with Nate, and Darby must still be at basketball.

I love them, and they’re the closest girlfriends I’ve ever had, but for some reason, I struggle with letting my strength slip in front of them.

The jackass walking into my apartment right now is the only person I show that vulnerability to.

Still not speaking to Cash, I nod, gesturing for him to follow me to my bedroom. I’d rather not have this argument out in the common area, just in case my roommates come home.

I sit on the edge of my unmade bed, the sheets rumpled from our previous night together. He closes my door, but keeps his distance.

“Start talking,” I demand.

“It’s not what you think,” Cash says adamantly, his sad eyes meeting mine.

“Bullshit,” I grit out, eyes burning with emotion.

He shakes his head. “I promise you, Bellamy. There’s more to it you don’t understand. I’ve been trying to work it out so it didn’t affect you.”

“Well, explain it to me, because I’d say that plan went to shit tonight, didn’t it?

” I stand up, walking toward him, finally letting my anger and hurt show.

I pound my fist against his chest. “Because tonight, seeing you with her...” My lips twist as I look away from him, not wanting to cry again.

Not in front of him. “Tonight didn’t just affect me, it almost killed me, Cash. ”

“Bellamy,” he whispers, grabbing my fist. My body wants to melt into his touch, but instead, I push out of his hold.

“No, Cash.” I shake my head, creating more space between us again.

I steady my breathing before spilling my truth, “After I convinced myself Tori was just trying to cause issues for you by being there, I allowed myself to actually feel like yours, like we were a normal couple, and I was sitting with my boyfriend’s mom at his match. ”

“I want that more than you know.” The pained expression as he speaks doesn’t make me feel as good as I’d hoped, I’m still furious.

“Yeah, it really looked like that when you came out of the locker room and went to her first. Let her put her hateful lips on your skin. Why do you keep letting her back in?”

“Because she…” He swallows, moving to sit down on my bed. “Please sit. I promise I’ll explain everything.”

“Start talking, Cash,” I demand again, still standing, folding my arms over my chest. The last thing I want to do is comply with him.

“Like I told you already, for the first couple years, I really tried. I was caught up in how much she wanted me that it was almost like it manipulated me into thinking I was genuinely into her too. I had accepted that I would always love you, but I could like her too. But by the end of sophomore year, something changed, and I realized for one, I didn’t even really know Tori, and for two, I wasn’t so sure I really wanted to. ”

His demeanor and my curiosity have me deciding to give in and sit on the other side of my bed with him.

Cash shifts his body to face me. “Then, it was like, once my blinders were off, I saw so many things. I realized the small amount I did know about her, I didn’t like…

at all. We had already gone through so many ups and downs that one night we got into it, and I broke up with her.

I guess she thought it would be like the past, but it wasn’t. I was done.”

I can tell it’s because he’s nervous about what he’s going to tell me next.

“She decided she wanted me back, and she was in utter disbelief when I didn’t accept her with open arms.” He shakes his head. “I remember being so relieved.”

For the first time since he started, I can’t help but ask, “So what changed your mind?”

His brown eyes meet mine. “You.”

My eyebrows pull together, and I point to my chest in confusion. “Me?”

He nods. “Do you remember that random summer day she showed up at the ranch, asking for me?

Recalling that summer, I quickly remember it, because it caused a jealousy to burn down deep in my gut.

“Yes, I remember. What about it?”

“Do you recall what we did after in the barn?”

I’m already pulling up the memory before he even finishes his sentence. I’ve played that out so many times. I can only get myself to nod.

“Well, apparently, she actually did go drop something off at Gigi’s that day, and on her way back, she stopped by the barn. According to her, she knew we were fooling around by the sounds she heard when she walked in. She always suspected there was something between us.”