Never Been Ready (Ready #2)(29)

"Hey, Matt. How are you? It's been a while," Garrett responded, clearly not as excited as his friend was about the reunion.

"Damn straight, dude. Last time I saw you was at our high school graduation. You and Mia were smiling for photos, getting ready to leave for college. Hey, how's she doing by the way?"

Garrett looked ashen as he glanced down at his hands, suddenly very interested in his palms. "I wouldn't know. Never saw her after that day."

"What? Are you f**king kidding me? You guys were, like, practically already married in high school. You're telling me you let a hot piece of ass like that walk away?"

The last part was slurred, a by-product of the four empty glasses sitting in front of the guy, I was guessing.

Garrett's hands fisted together, and he was on his feet in an instant, towering over the drunken idiot. "Listen, Matt, we were never buddies, so I don't really give a shit what you think. But you are going to drop this. Right. Fucking. Now."

Not bothering to wait for an answer, Garrett stormed out of the bar, leaving Logan and me in stunned silence.

"What the f**k was that all about?" I asked, hoping Logan could fill me in on all the drama I'd just witnessed. I thought chicks only had nights like these.

"No clue. Absolutely no clue. Clare mentioned he'd dated someone in high school, but the way she made it sound, it was just a typical teenage crush."

"There was nothing typical about that," I said.

"No joke. I better go after him before he punches his hand into a wall or something."

"No, let me. You're too close to the situation. He won't want to be around you, man."

Logan nodded, and I walked out of the bar in search of his brother-in law. I found Garrett around the corner, stalking angrily back and forth in an alleyway.

"Hey," I said cautiously, "you want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Fair enough."

We stood in that alleyway for a while as he tried to calm his rage. I hung around, making sure he didn't do anything stupid. I knew what punching a brick wall felt like, having done so after Heather had left me, and it wasn't worth it.

"Can I give you some advice?" Garrett said, breaking the silence.

I nodded, not really sure what kind of advice someone almost ten years younger could possibly give me.

"I've known Leah almost my entire life. She had a rough upbringing. Growing up was no picnic for her. She might seem tough on the outside, but deep inside, she's just as insecure and unstable as the rest of us. She hides it behind sweet talk and offhanded comments, but she just wants what we all do in life."

"And what's that?" I asked.

"To be loved. She gives her whole heart to everything she does and everyone she lets into her world. She's the most selfless person I've ever met. If there is ever anything anyone needs, you can bet your ass, Leah is there, helping. But when she's hurting, she retreats —"

"And says she's fine as she pushes you out the door?" I finished his thought.

"Exactly."

"I've gotta go," I said suddenly, knowing where I needed to be.

"Good answer."

~Leah~

Not even a night with Pretty Woman could budge my gloominess. After an hour of not being able to pay attention, I turned off the TV and stared at a blank spot on the wall instead.

She was dead. My mother was dead. I didn't know how to deal with that news. Did I mourn? Was I supposed to even care? She'd left me when I was seven. Should I care that she'd died over eighteen years ago?

Eighteen years...she'd been gone. My mother had died when I was ten, and I hadn't even known. Someone had obviously had a funeral for her since there was a headstone for her. The headstone almost made me laugh. Did someone think it was some sick joke? Loving mother and a date was all it said. Loving mothers did not walk out on their families. Loving mothers did not leave their children without ever looking back.

Was there something wrong with me? Had she looked at me, all those years ago, and decided I wasn't worth it?

Wetness splattered against my arm as I curled into a tight ball on the sofa, and I reached up, touching my cheek, to realize I was crying.

Great, f**king great.

The realization of tears apparently signaled more because it was like a dam broke, and I began sobbing uncontrollably. I didn't know why I was crying. For her...for me maybe...for the loss of what could have been if she'd just stayed.

In between my heaving sobs, I heard the front door open, and Declan suddenly appeared, sitting down next to me and pulling me tightly into his arms.

"What are you doing here?" I asked between sobs and really unattractive hiccups.

"What I should have done earlier —stayed with you while you grieved. No one should have to endure pain alone, Leah."

That sent me into another round of tears, hearing him be so kind and gentle. It was a completely different side to the bad boy I'd met months before. There were so many pieces to the Declan puzzle. I didn't know why I was surprised. The Leah puzzle was a masterpiece that required expert-level skill. It was no wonder not a single person had attempted to solve it yet.

I didn't know how long he held me, but he never complained. He just sat there with me curled in his lap like a child while I mourned the loss of a woman I both loved and hated. When I finally quieted down, he carried me to my room and gently laid me on my bed. He removed my slippers and covered me in a blanket.