Emerge (Evolve Series #1)(50)

moving on, for now. I don’t want to pressure her into shutting down on me, but I’m not done with the issue.

And then I go for it; I ask her to tell me more about Evan. I’m not sure I can hear her talk about him, but I have to know

precisely what I’m up against.

When she talks of him, there’s such love and respect in her eyes. She truly cares about this guy. She honestly shudders at the

thought of hurting him; he’s one lucky son of a bitch. But then a tear rolls down her face when she tells me again about not

talking to him and she’s afraid they even lost the friendship, and I want to hurt him now—he made her cry. I wonder if she’s not

in love with him, but rather simply loves him. I’m sad she’s hurting, but this gives me another flash of hope.

The next thing she says makes me happy to be alive. “And then there’s, well....”

“What else, Laney?”

“I barely know you, but I enjoy being around you and I’m not sure it’s as innocent as I tell myself it is, or if that’s okay. I

almost feel guilty, like I’m doing something wrong to Evan, but I’m not really. Do you understand at all?”

I’ve never even close to loved anyone other than family, but God knows I like hearing her say she’s feeling something about me,

whatever it is.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she whispers, looking down. “I should have corrected you before; I’m not a liar.”

“I know you’re not, Laney, and I already knew.” Her head comes up, eyes wide. “You did?”

I nod. She doesn’t realize she’s been honest with me all along really. I’d asked her about Evan while we danced, and she’d

answered that he was her best friend before even thinking. Her omission tonight had been about self-preservation, not deceit. “How

did you feel about other breakups? Was it this bad?” I ask her.

“I’ve never had any other breakups. Evan’s the only boyfriend I’ve ever had, and I didn’t have him very long.”

I can’t stop my jaw from dropping open. Where is this town she comes from that’s obviously filled with the dumbest bastards on

the planet? How do you not scoop up Laney? “Laney, how old are you?”

“I’ll be 19 on the 23rd, why?”

I file her birthday in my mental cabinet; the 23rd of this month? That doesn’t give me very long to orchestrate something

spectacular, which is exactly what I plan to do. “I’m just trying to figure out how a breathtaking, funny, witty, kind 19 year

old has only had one boyfriend.”

She looks down; my compliment embarrasses her and that little tongue pops out to skim her lips. “Thank you, Dane, that’s so

sweet. And, well, your question...can we do that another night? I don’t have any more big sharing sessions left in me tonight.”

She gives me a sweet smile, her eyes begging me to drop it.

It dawns on me that Laney is literally starting over. Her be-all permanent fixtures are gone. No Evan, no Dad, new ball team, co-ed

dorm; she’s as brave as she is beautiful. Part of her wants it, the new experiences; I can see it in her eyes. But the other part

is terrified; and this fierce loyalty to Evan and what she believes to be the behavior that most honors him is a constant torment

for her.

She breaks my thoughts when she asks me, barely audibly, “are you scared off yet?”

If she only knew all the demons I haven’t even begun to hint at, she wouldn’t even ask.

I pull her in for a hug and place a gentle kiss on her head before I know I’m doing it. I want to take care of this girl, hold

her, and make everything better. I want to be the reason she laughs, smiles, gasps; what is she doing to me? “You don’t scare me,

Laney. You amaze me, you intrigue me.” I let my lips graze her temple. “You captivate me.” I land soft kiss closer to her ear.

“You entice me, you excite me...but you don’t scare me, and I hope I never scare you.”

Her eyes grow wide, her breathing speeds...and then she deflects. “Oh, please,” she scoffs, brushing off the gravity of the

moment, right before the she-devil splashes me! This, of course, launches a full blown water war that keeps us laughing and

touching for a while.

At around 4am, I wrap her in a towel and lead the way to the guest room, getting some of my clothes for her to sleep in. The

thought of her in my clothes makes me feel, well, happy. I understand her so much better after all our talk tonight. She’s going

through a lot, dealing with many new feelings...but she’d admitted right out loud, she’s 100% single.

It’s been the best night of my life. Game on, Evan.





Chapter Twenty-Five


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BRING IT PONG

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Laney

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I manage to not drop out or run home and finally enjoyed a lunch with Zach in The Rotunda, the school cafeteria/lounge, for the

first time on Friday. Bennett and I still plan to attend his game and we make plans to do something after, but not too late since I