Always You(52)

As we walked away, I spotted Paige staring at us from the other end of the gardens. I slowed to a stop, my heart beating furiously.

“Can you give me a moment?” I said to Dalton. I needed to do this. I needed closure.

“Sure,” Dalton replied, taken aback. He glanced around and spotted Paige, his body tensing. “What are you doing?” he asked uncertainly, his hand gripping my arm.

“Something I should have done a long time ago,” I murmured. As he let me go, I walked over to her. She eyed me coolly, her lip turned up as I approached her. If she felt bad or embarrassed about what she had done, she didn’t show it.

“I want to ask you something,” I said, looking her in the eye. All the hell she had put me though and it came down to this: me finally confronting her.

“What?” she sneered in disgust. Her chin rose, like even talking to me was below her. She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and waited.

“I want to know what your problem is. Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?”

Paige laughed and shook her head. “See, you never did get it. You come in here, the little niece of the headmistress, acting like you’re so much better than everyone else with your perfect little life.” She pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing in on me. “I don’t need a reason to hate you, Wrenn. I just do.”

I began to laugh. She stared at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was. For so long I had let her get under my skin, and now I couldn’t give less of a shit about her. The response she had just given me confirmed what I already knew: she was a selfish little brat.

“Do you know why I came here?” I asked her. I didn’t wait for an answer. “Because my entire family died in a car accident. I lost my mother, my father, and my brother, Paige. Do you think I asked for this? Do you think I wanted to invade your little world?” I asked, spreading my hands. “My perfect little life ended a long time ago.”

Her mouth fell open as her blue eyes filled with shame. She actually looked sorry. I almost laughed. The bitch actually had the balls to feel sorry for me.

God, that made me want to slap her.

“My God, Wrenn, I didn’t know—”

“Of course you didn’t, Paige,” I cut in. “You never gave me a chance. All you did was make my life hell, and the lives of others. Do you think any of this matters? In ten years, where will you be? Still judging people on the very little you know about them?”

She didn’t respond. Instead, she dropped her gaze and waited for me to finish.

“Do me a favor and learn from this, because often what seems perfect really isn’t.” I turned and stalked off before she could reply, flipping my hair over my shoulder.

Damn, that felt good.

***

“Are you sure we’re not going to be...interrupted?” Dalton mumbled, kissing my neck. I nodded. Layna and Dan would be tied up with school-related graduation things for at least the next two hours.

Then, we were having dinner. The four of us—something that made me completely anxious. Since the truth about us had come out, I hadn’t had the pleasure of being in the same room as Dalton and my family, so I had no idea what to expect.

Up on my toes, I curled my arms around his neck, tilting his lips down to meet mine, loving the feel of his hand on the curve of my back. Reaching for his hand, I led him to the bed, curling up with his arms around me. I didn’t need sex to feel close to him. Just having him next to me was enough.

***

Well, this was awkward.

Dalton, Dan, and I sat at the table as Layna carried over the roast that had been slow cooking all day. The table was full of fresh rolls, beans, roast vegetables, and other foods, the smell of which were making my mouth water.

We sat in silence. And not the good kind, either. It was that weird, eerie silence where you rack your brain trying to think of some amazing conversation starter. I came up with nothing. I glanced at Dalton, silently willing him to say something. He shrugged helplessly.

Fuck.

“So, I’m finally free.” It was the first thing that popped into my head. “No more school work. Not until college starts, anyway,” I added. Okay, now I was just rambling, but it was better than the alternative.

“How does it feel?” asked Dan, relieved a topic had been put forward.

“Good. Kind of scary, but a good kind of scary.” I felt Dalton squeeze my knee under the table. I put my hand on top of his and smiled at him, tensing as his hand wandered further up my thigh. My body tingled, his touch arousing me even in the presence of my family. I shot him a look. He winked at me, hiding a smile.

“So Boston University here you come, huh?” Dalton grinned at me, his hand still stroking my thigh.

“And how about you, Dalton? What are your plans now that the school year is over?” Dan asked pointedly.

Dalton glanced at me. “Well, Wrenn doesn’t know this yet, but I’ve applied and been accepted into study elementary teaching at BU.”

I turned to him and gaped. What? He would be at BU with me?

“Really?” I squealed. I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, throwing my arms around him. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled, flashing me a smile. “I know we haven’t talked much about the future, and I wouldn’t accept the offer without talking to you first, but this is something I really want to do.”