Spin My Love (My Love #1)(11)

“You just came from there,” I argue, pushing away my embarrassment.

The man is being ridiculous right now. I’m so confused. I must have been just another number to him. A number he probably doesn’t even remember.

Great. Someone please kill me now.

I hop into the car, and stiffen when Tane leans in to kiss me on the cheek. I pull away from his touch and I see him frown, but he says nothing as he shuts the door. He mimes for me to lock the door, and I do with a frown. Since when does he care so much about my welfare? I mean he used to when we were younger, but this is the new Tane. And the new Tane is a selfish jerk. Right?

At least, that’s what I try to tell myself.

*****

Tane

She drives away, and I follow her.

I want her so f*cking much.

Little Giselle, the most special girl I have ever met. There has always been something about her. But do I think I’m ready for a commitment?

For Giselle, I could be.

She doesn’t have to know about the things I’ve done, the person I became after I left Perth. I wasn’t in a good place then. While Giselle isn’t the type to judge, or at least, she wasn’t, I still don’t want her thinking of me like that. My past needs to stay buried in the past.

When I was at Gage and Levi’s earlier, they mentioned a few things about Giselle. The things she’s been through, being a single mother. But they said she never complains. She loves Parker unconditionally, just like my mother did me.

I always thought Giselle would be an amazing mother. She’s selfless, nurturing, and gentle. She’s a beautiful person, inside and out.

And I want her.

I follow her to Gage’s and wish I could join her there. Instead, I wait for her to get safely inside and then drive to my beach house. My backyard is literally the ocean. Gage, Levi, and I grew up surfing together and spending every spare minute we could by the beach. I bought this place with that in mind. However, none of us loved surfing more than Levi. He is amazing at it, too; he was asked to compete professionally before I left. I wonder what happened with that.

I park my Land Rover Discovery and jump out, not exactly looking forward to being alone. I like to keep myself busy, keep my mind occupied. It’s when I let my mind wander that I think of other things. Of my past. I don’t need that shit.

I lock the front door behind me and head straight into the bathroom for a long, steaming-hot shower. Over the years, I’ve thought about Giselle a lot. Was she happy? What was she doing? Did she miss me? I didn’t expect our reunion to be like this. But I don’t really know what I expected. I turned my back on my old life, and that included her. I’m a f*ck-up, in more ways than one. I’ve always loved her. We’ve been in each other’s lives since I can remember. All my fond childhood memories have her in them. I always hoped we’d end up together. And I want to make that happen.

I realise that her and Parker are a package deal, and that’s okay with me. He’s a part of her. I don’t know how good of a father figure I could be, but I’d be willing to try.

Do I deserve a chance at happiness?

After I’m dressed in a pair of shorts, I jump into my ridiculously large bed and pick up the book by my nightstand. Books are my new means of escape. They are also something for me to do when I can’t sleep, which is happening more often than not. They don’t turn me into someone else; they don’t hurt anyone I care about.

I turn to the right page and continue where I left off.





Chapter Five

Giselle

I tuck Parker into his bed and kiss him on the forehead. My mind is racing. I have no idea what to think about Tane or the way he was acting towards me tonight, making me believe that he might be interested in me. The thought makes me laugh, and it’s not a pleasant sound. After spending the evening with Gage and Levi—who couldn’t stop talking about how amazing Tane is, and what the three of them have been up to lately—I can’t help but think about him. My mind goes back to the day Tane left. It was the day after his high school graduation.

“Where are you going, Tane?” I ask him, eyeing his backpack and forlorn expression.

“I need to leave, Giselle. I can’t be here anymore,” he says softly, his eyes roaming over my face as if memorizing it.

“Your mum …”

“I can’t talk about her Giselle. It … hurts,” he whispers, now looking at the ground.

“You can’t just leave me … I mean, us,” I rectify.

“I’ll be back for you, I promise,” he says intensely.

“What does that even mean?” I snap. He ignores my question, instead stepping forward and kissing me on my lips. The kiss lingers. I want to push him away, but I can’t. Instead I pull him into me and cling on for dear life. He gently removes my hands from the grip they have on his grey jumper, slowly pushing my fingers so they are no longer clenched, then pulls back his mouth.

My fingers touch my lips.

One more longing look.

I love you, he mouths.

And then he leaves.

I open my laptop and type his name into the search engine. I browse a few articles raving about Tane’s talent before I check out a few images. I see pictures of him with many different women, also pictures of him out and about in all corners of the globe. He really is into that party lifestyle. One picture of him kissing a stunning blonde has me shutting the laptop closed a little too hard.