Страница 10 из 37
“Yeah, no, I heard. You can talk about it again another time when you’re not making her cry. And I’ll give you a clue if you haven’t caught on yet, she’s not crying because she’s happy.”
“You’re really starting to piss me off.”
“Go,” I choked out. “Please, go.”
One of Bryce’s arms left my waist to gesture toward the door. “You heard her.”
“You, Bryce.”
He turned back to me, his eyebrows pinched together. “What?”
“Go. Just . . . please. We’ll talk later.”
“Fine,” he huffed softly and released me. “I’ll call you tomorrow, babe. I know you have a lot to think about.”
I did. I had so much to think about, but not about what he was insinuating.
He left after a long glare directed in Co
“It’s an oatmeal bath to help with the itching,” he answered my unspoken question, and looked at me sadly. Grabbing my left hand, he glanced at it for a brief second before dropping it and stepping away, his head shaking slowly back and forth. “I hope like hell you didn’t say ‘yes’ to him.”
I JOLTED AWAKE and grabbed at my phone, ringing loudly, and almost dropped it in the process of answering it.
“ ’lo?”
“Wake up, bitch! It’s the first of December, Christmas decorating day!”
I groaned and rolled over onto my back. “What time is it, Amber?”
“Who cares, and did you just groan? You don’t groan when there’s anything in your immediate future that has to do with Christmas. Get your ass out of bed. I’m coming to pick you up.”
After Co
When my tears had stopped, an embarrassing amount of time later, I’d called Bryce and more or less told him to screw himself. That I wouldn’t marry him, and I wouldn’t change for anyone, including him. Fu
Bryce had told me to sleep on it.
“Maci!” Amber sang my name, drawing it out.
“You are not a morning person, go back to sleep!”
“Too late, I’m already on my way.”
I started to groan again, but stopped myself. “Okay, I’m up. Pick up coffee and a muffin, and I’ll blast Christmas music while I get ready, that will get me in the mood.”
“Consider it done! See you in twenty-ish.”
I hopped out of bed and ran over to my radio to turn on the Christmas station. Once it was on and the music was loud, I practically bounced around my apartment as I sang along with the songs and rushed to get ready. I checked the weather app on my phone and sighed. It was finally December, and it was still in the mid-sixties. Stupid California weather.
Once I was dressed and ready, I grabbed the box of remaining oatmeal bath packets and walked over to Co
“You ready to get decorations, and Christmas-out our apartments?” Amber said with an excited look on her face as I got into her car.
Taking the pastry bag from her, I pulled a piece off the muffin and popped it in my mouth. “Mmm-hmm!”
“This weather sucks though, huh? It needs to be gloomy or something at least. But, no, it’s bright and su
I smiled to myself. That is why Amber and I were friends. “Oh well, not too much longer and we’ll be in Mammoth.”
“So excited! I can’t wait to see the snow! Well, and stay with your brothers in a cozy cabin.”
I started choking on the muffin and grabbed for my coffee to help it go down. “Seriously, Amber, gross! I’m going to tell my mom you suddenly have the bubonic plague or something, and can’t come with us.”
“Now that’s just not nice.”
“Admit it, you only love me because of my brothers.”
She shrugged and made a face at me. “It’s true.”
I laughed and cautiously put another piece of the muffin in my mouth, speaking around it. “Bitch.”
“Your favorite bitch. And don’t be all lame just because you won’t make a move with the neighbor dude.”
I paused from grabbing my coffee, and laughed sadly. “Yeah, well, like I said . . . that won’t be happening.”
Pulling out my phone, I sent Co
Co
I ARMY-CRAWLED AFTER my nephew and scrambled away when he stopped, and obviously started making good use of his diaper.
“Ugh! Oh my God, that is—” I gagged and brought my shirt up over my mouth and nose. “How do you deal with that?”
My sister laughed loudly and waited until my nephew started crawling again before going to pick him up. “When it’s your kid, it’s different. You do it because it needs to be done.”
“No, no! God, Amy! Wait until I’m out of the room before you start changing him. You trying to kill me or something?”
“Chill, jeez. I still have to get the diaper bag and get him ready.” She walked toward me with little Ben and I practically ran to the kitchen. “It is good to see you though, Co
I raised an eyebrow at her, still keeping my shirt over the bottom half of my face. “I see you every Saturday morning unless I’m working.”
“I know, but ever since that girl who—”
“Amy,” I said her name in warning.
“Ever since that girl who went back to Texas, you haven’t been the same. I don’t know what’s happened to you since you came over last week, but you’re a completely different person. You’re back to my little brother . . . well, almost.”
I shrugged, and let the hand that wasn’t holding my shirt go out before dropping back to my side. “I’m always me.”
“No, and you know what I’m talking about. Just because you think you hide it from me, doesn’t mean I don’t see it. There’s still something today, you’re not completely back yet, but it’s a huge difference.”
I nodded, not knowing what to say. I didn’t know what to think or say about there being that much of a difference when I’d thought I’d been hiding everything from her. She’d spent so much time protecting me from our bastard father when we were little that I’d been trying to protect her from any and everything ever since we’d been adopted from him. Including my own struggles. Amy had known about Cassidy, but she hadn’t known how hard it had been for me after—or apparently she had.
And I didn’t know what to do about the fact that everything she was seeing had everything to do with the girl next door.
The girl I couldn’t feel this way about.