Page 87 of Let Me Love You

“Well, you weren’t answering.”

She points at her ears. “I was listenin’ to an audiobook. What’s up?”

“We need to talk.”

“Sorry, I don’t think this is the place for that.”

I roll my eyes at her attempt to mock what I said earlier. “Don’t be like that.”

Everleigh crosses her arms, blocking me from entering. “Fine, then what do you want?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and inhale. “How am I supposed to be with you and hide it from your brother? Or worse, tell him and he kicks my ass, then fires me? What good am I if I’m jobless, with no future, and dependent on you?”

She drops her arms, and her eyes soften. “Your job and living arrangements don’t make you who you are—your kind heart and genuineness are what make you the Archer I’ve fallen for. Tyler will get over it. And if he doesn’t, find another job. I’m not saying it’d be easy to be together, but don’t make excuses because you’re scared.”

“I am fuckin’ scared,” I admit. “I’d hate to lose either of you, and you asking me to risk it all puts a ton of pressure on me to make it work. I know how I feel about you and what we could have, but I can’t promise I’ll be what or who you need.”

“I don’t wanna have to convince you that it’d be worth trying. Either you want this or you don’t.”

“It’s not that easy because all I can think of is what if there’s a fallout? What if it ends badly?”

“Okay, and what if it doesn’t? Honest question, how will you feel when I meet someone else? You’re gonna just sleep across the living room while another man fucks my brains out? I’m not sure about you, but I couldn’t stand seeing you with another woman. That’s how I know you’re worth the risk. We make it work or we fall apart, but at least we can say we tried.”

“Goddammit, Everleigh.” I blow out an angered breath, feeling the need to punch something. “Don’t put that image in my head because the thought of another man touching you makes me livid.”

I scrub my hands through my hair, frustration swirling through me, then continue, “I have no idea who’s following us. It could be someone from my past who’s trying to hurt me, which means you could get hurt too. I can’t protect you if I’m not thinking straight, and trust me, it’s nearly impossible when I’m close to you. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because I was careless.”

Everleigh closes the gap between us and lifts on her tiptoes, placing a palm on my cheek. Slowly, she presses her lips to mine, and we’re glued together for a solid minute.

“Alright, you’ve made your decision then. I’m not gonna beg. I’d rather you be on the same page, but since you aren’t, I won’t push further. I’ll keep my distance.”

She moves past me before I can stop her or respond. I hate that it’s come to this, especially after an amazing weekend with my family, but I guess it was inevitable. We needed to talk about our feelings and unconventional sleeping arrangement. I just hadn’t expected it to be like this.

Later that evening, Everleigh takes a bath, and I get a call from an unknown number. Deciding to answer, I pick it up. “Hello?”

“Is this Archer Boone?” a woman asks.

“Depends who wants to know.”

“Are you the man who took away the only important person in my life? My brother.”

“Is this Krystal?” I growl.

“You better be on the lookout because I’m coming for who you love, so you’ll know exactly how I felt when I lost Chad. You got that, Archer Boone?”

Before I can respond, the call ends.

What the fuck? Now I’m even more pissed.

I’m undoubtedly convinced she’s the one who’s been following us. Krystal could’ve put together how close Everleigh and I are by watching us, but her threats could also be referring to Annie.

How the hell am I supposed to protect my sister from miles away while keeping Everleigh and myself safe?

I contemplate telling Everleigh, but emotions are already so high that I decide against it. She’s constantly looking over her shoulder, and the last thing she needs is to be paranoid about a crazy chick who’s seeking revenge. Even though she’s convinced the SUV is following her, I have a feeling Krystal hired some PI to keep an eye on me. Could’ve been who was peeping outside of Everleigh’s window that night as well. The thought drives me mad.

The only solution I have is to tell Tyler the truth about the Escalade and Krystal, and then move. The longer I stay, the more I put Everleigh at risk. If she wants to throw me a birthday party, then I’ll wait until after. One last goodbye, then I’ll walk away for her sake.

After hours of my thoughts getting the best of me, I call it a night. As I lay in bed, without Everleigh clinging to me, I wonder if I’m capable of leaving. A part of me thinks I should, sooner rather than later, and then another part doesn’t want Krystal to win. If she found me here, who’s to say she wouldn’t if I were somewhere else? I can’t live my life in fear.