Crazy Stupid Love (Crazy Love #1)(10)

“Because everyone thinks they know what I want; what’s best for me. Even you. You have spent the last three years trying to make me your perfect girl. That’s not me. I’m not the daughter my parents’ see me as, and I am not the kind of woman that you are going to be happy with.”

“I was happy with you,” he interjects.

“But that wasn’t me. Don’t you get it? That was the me I wanted you to see. The me my parents’ made me feel forced to be. I don’t want to be that person anymore. And you deserve to be with someone who will be honest with you and who wants the same things you want.” I reach out and rest my hand on his forearm, but he flinches away from the contact.

“Who is he?” His face instantly hardens.

“What?” I ask, confused by the sudden change in his demeanor.

“The guy you’re screwing; who is he?”

“I’m not screwing anyone,” I say, a bit taken aback by his words.

“Yeah right, Kimber. You don’t just decide to be someone else. People change other people. Someone is clearly changing you. So who is he?”

“I’m changing me,” I state forcefully. “Only me. I am finally becoming the person I have always been. For the first time in my life, I’m free. I’m free from judgment, free from disappointing everyone around me, free from you and from my parents’.”

“I don’t understand why you can’t do all of this with me?” His voice returns to the smooth proper tone he uses when he’s trying to impress someone.

“Because you are not the solution, Garrett. You’re part of the problem,” I say, finally telling him what I should have when I ended things between us two months ago.

“So three years...three years meant nothing to you?” His anger returns.

“Of course, it did. You are a part of so many of my firsts. I will also value the time we spent together, Garrett, always. But our time together is over now. We don’t want the same things in life. We’re not the same people we were three years ago.”

“I can’t just let you go. We are meant to be together, Kim. You know it as much as I do; you’re just scared.”

“It’s Kimber, not Kim and no, I’m not scared. I don’t want to be with you, Garrett.”

“I won’t let you go just like that,” he states, matter of fact. “I will wait as long as it takes for the girl I know is in there; the girl who loves me too.”

“Well then, you’re going to be waiting for a very long time because that girl is gone, and she’s never coming back.”

“I don’t know what to do without you.” He breathes, his demeanor shifting.

“You’ll figure it out. I know you will,” I say, pushing up on my tiptoes to lay a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Goodbye, Garrett,” I say, pulling away.

I give him one last small smile before turning and walking away, leaving him standing in the middle of the sidewalk. It takes everything I have not to turn around, but at the end of the day I know I need to hold strong.

Garrett is no longer a part of my life and the clearer I make that, the better he’s going to be in the end for it. There’s no sense in giving him false hope, no matter how bad I feel for hurting him.

Garrett is my past.

I am my future.

What I can make of that is still yet to be seen.





Chapter Four


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Decklan

“Well, how did it go?” Gavin looks up at me from behind the bar the moment I step inside.

“How the f*ck do you think it went?” I snap, throwing my keys and sunglasses down on the bar before sliding onto one of the stools.

I throw a nod to two customers that are seated at the end of the bar drinking beer before turning back to Gavin just as he steps up directly across the bar from me.

“Whiskey?” he questions, already grabbing a glass and the bottle before I even have a chance to answer.

“Why the f*ck not?” I let out a loud exhale, relaxing back into the stool.

“Why are you here anyways?” I observe, scouring the bar for signs of Jules, who typically bartends Sunday through Wednesday.

“I was bored, thought I’d give Jules the night off.” He shrugs, setting the full glass of whiskey in front of me.

I’ll never understand why Gavin spends his spare time working the bar. He claims it helps distract him and clear his head when things are bothering him.

“Everything cool with you?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

“Truthfully, I just wanted a reason to avoid having to go to my aunt Lenora’s birthday party. Perfect excuse.” He smiles and gestures around the bar.

“What would old Lenora think if she knew you volunteered to work to avoid going to see her?” I joke.

“Considering that crazy old bat always confuses me for my numb nuts cousin, I don’t think she’ll notice. The cover is in case my pesky sister decides to come snooping.” He snorts, turning when one of the men at the end of the bar signals for another beer.

He’s right about one thing: Mia is definitely one that would double check his alibi. Being seven years older than Gavin, she has always mothered him in a way. It’s only gotten worse since she’s popped out two kids of her own.