That Second Chance (Getting Lucky #1)(94)

Ring. Ring. Ring. Knock. Knock . . . “Who’s there? Oh, look, it’s your fun-loving brother, Brig. Open the door for a good time.”

“Go away,” I groan. If he rings the doorbell one more time, I’m going to open the door just to punch him in the face.

“But I have ice cream.”

“I’m not a woman.”

“You sure as hell are acting like a moody bitch.” He grumbles something I can’t hear. “You know, I spent a long time trying to pick out the perfect flavor. It would be really rude not to open the door and at least share a scoop with me.”

“Leave, Brig.”

“Fine,” he answers indignantly. “Your loss.” He taps on the door. “And for your information, it was rocky road.”

Fuck . . . rocky road is damn good ice cream, but not good enough to deal with Brig.



Knock. Knock.

I wait for a ring or something obnoxious to be said, but I hear nothing.

That means it’s Rogan.

“Not in the mood, man,” I shout.

“Thank Christ,” he replies through the door. “Jen made me.”

“Figured.”

“Okay, well, text if you need more beer.”

“Thanks, man.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE





GRIFFIN


One week.

One fucking week without Ren, and I’ve truly lost my mind.

I haven’t slept.

I haven’t eaten.

The only reason I’ve showered is for sanitary purposes while working at the shop.

But shaving? Yeah, not happening. And my hair? A goddamn mess.

I’ve heard it all from my family. What a fool I am. How I’m letting go of a good woman, a woman who makes me happy. How I’m an asshole for making Ren fall for me when I knew I was going to pull away.

Yeah, that last one still haunts me.

I made her cry. I fucking broke her heart. I saw it in her eyes when I said we couldn’t be together, that I couldn’t see her hurt. She was right: I’m hurting her anyway.

Christ.

What a fucked-up mess.

I adjust my baseball cap and head into Oliver’s General Store to pick up something to drink, a.k.a. beer. Beer is my only friend right now. Depressing but true. I’ve banished everyone from my life, even my family. The only time I see them is in the shop, and I barely speak to them; I just go through the motions. Mom and Dad tried to have a talk with me the other night, but I turned them away. They weren’t happy about it, not even a little.

But at this point, I don’t give a fuck who’s mad at me—with the exception of one person.

There’s only one person I care about, one person I can’t get out of my head, one person I want nothing more than to pull into my arms and apologize to like a mad motherfucker.

Thankfully Oliver’s isn’t too busy, so I make my way toward the back where the beer is, passing by the aisle with mac and cheese. Shit, I should probably eat something, and mac and cheese isn’t too much work. I scan the boxes, finding the Velveeta, and grab a box. There—I’m feeding myself. Progress. I’ve started to move toward the back when I bump into someone.

I look up to apologize, and my voice catches in my throat when I see Ren. Her hair is pulled back, her bruise almost gone, the scar above her eyebrow much smaller.

She’s about to apologize when she recognizes me. Her eyes widen, and she stumbles backward.

I grip her arm before she tumbles into a display of Triscuits. “Careful.” I steady her.

Once on solid ground, she pulls her arm away and adjusts the strap of her purse on her shoulder.

This was bound to happen at some point. We live in a small town where everything is walking distance. We were going to run into each other; I’m just surprised it took us this long. Full disclosure: I’ve been skipping out on Snow Roast coffee and heading straight to the Lobster Landing earlier than normal.

I just don’t think I’m ready for this yet—to see her.

To remember how beautiful she is.

To see the pain in her eyes.

To hear the anger in her voice.

To be consumed by her scent all over again.

It’s weakening me, breaking down my defenses.

I’m desperate for her.

I want her to hold my hand. I want to be her man. I want to take her into my arms and know that nothing is ever going to happen to her, that she’s going to be mine forever.

“Excuse me,” she says, breaking me out of my thoughts. She attempts to move past me, all emotion gone from her face, a blank stare in her eyes.

“Ren . . . I . . .”

She shakes her head. “Don’t, Griffin. Don’t apologize. It will just make it worse.”

“But I am sorry.” I reach out to touch her face, but she steps back.

“I need to go. I can’t do this here with you.”

“Ren.”

She stops and takes a deep breath before facing me again. “Did you change your mind? Do you all of a sudden have the courage to be with me?”

My jaw moves back and forth, the answer stuck in my throat.

“That’s what I thought. Just leave me alone, Griffin. Please, if you had any sort of feelings for me, just leave me alone.”