Not the One Read online

  She looked away, nodding thoughtfully. “Yeah, lots of writing and then I’d go to events with Montgomery. But mostly writing.”

  He nodded, his face turning into a scowl when she mentioned Montgomery’s name. “I’ve read all the books.”

  Her eyes widened, her heart stopping in her chest. “You have?”

  “Yup. They’re good.”

  Montgomery never read her books, and knowing that Theo had set her body on fire. “Oh. Thank you.”

  “Do you like your room?”

  She swallowed hard. “I love it.”

  “I do too, it’s my best room. Everyone loves it.”

  “You did that?”

  “I did.”

  She just gazed up at him, rendered speechless as his eyes sparkled in the lights. When the song changed to “Losing Sleep” by Chris Young, everyone broke into their own little couples, dancing and being close with the person they were with. Theo and Gen just stayed in place by the corner of the dance floor, staring into each other’s eyes. When he cleared his throat, she held her breath as he said, “I won’t apologize for what I did earlier. I needed to kiss you, Genevieve Stone, but I will apologize for putting you in an uncomfortable position with Montgomery and all.”

  Her heart jumped in her throat. “Did you mean it?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry, but not for kissing you—”

  “No, not that,” she said, cutting him off. “About still loving me.”

  The passion in his eyes intensified, if that was even possible, burning into hers. “I said it, didn’t I?” he asked, those blue eyes flashing with promise. “When I say something, I mean it.”

  Her eyes burned with tears as she slowly shook her head in confusion. “What does that even mean, Theo?”

  “It means I’m still very much in love with you.”

  She pushed him away, anger taking over as she shook her head. “Ten years, Theo! Ten.”

  “And I never stopped thinking of you and only you.”

  “Then why didn’t you come after me? You had plenty of chances!”

  He stepped toward her, his eyes intent on hers as he yelled, “Because I wasn’t good enough for you. I wasn’t rich enough. I was just some poor, bastard-ass kid. I wanted to be more. I wanted to be worthy of a woman as smart as you. As talented as you.”

  “That’s not fair. You don’t get to decide that! That’s my decision. I cried for you, my heart was broken when you told me you weren’t the one for me.”

  “I lied!”

  She threw her hands up. “Well, the damage is done, isn’t it? Ten years, we spent apart, and now you think we’re just gonna jump back in? Is that what you want?”

  “I want a fucking chance. Is that too much to ask for?”

  “Was it too much to ask for when I needed some closure?”

  He put his hand on his hip. “Because I didn’t want you to have it. I wanted you to want me until I was able to give you the world.”

  “You were my world!” she yelled, ignoring the fact that everyone was staring at them. Her heart was almost coming out of her chest as she glared up at him. “I had it all. For years. And I kept coming back, looking for you, but you hid like a coward.”

  “And I’m sorry for that, but I wasn’t ready,” he said simply, and that’s when the tears started to fall down her cheeks.

  “Well, now I’m not. Great job, Theo.”

  With that, she left, with no clue how she’d ended up fighting with Theo at a party in the middle of the town square.

  First, she’d puked on him, which got the town talking, and now, she’d fought with him.

  No wonder Spring Grove never forgot Genevieve Stone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Travis spat, blood spewing from his mouth into the grass. His face was bruised, and blood was coming from his nose. As Ashley moved closer, he looked away, running his hands down his face and then his pants to get rid of the blood.

  Matt must have found out.

  “Trav?”

  “Go away, Ash.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  But she could see he wasn’t. Sitting on the bench beside him, she reached out, trying to move his hand, but he flinched away, making her jump. “Let me see.”

  “No.”

  “Travis, let me help you. What happened?”

  “You know what happened,” he growled. “I told Matt.”

  Her stomach dropped. “You did what?”

  “I told him.”

  “Why on earth would you do that? I told you I would.”

  He shook his head, blood flowing from his nose and onto the grass. “I needed to. He’s my best friend.”

  “He’s my brother.”

  “I don’t care. I wanted to do it.”

  “Why?”

  He inhaled a jagged breath, his whole body following the motion. When he finally turned, tears rushed to her eyes at the carnage that was his face. His nose was broken for sure, and he had a black eye and a busted chin. Crying out, she went to reach for him, but he stopped her. “We can’t.”

  Her heart stopped. “What?”

  “He said no. He said he’d kill me if I kept seeing you.”

  “No? What? Fuck him. It’s my life. I want to be with you, Travis.”

  But he shook his head. “I’m not good enough.”

  “You are!” she cried, reaching for him and taking his hands. This time, he didn’t fight. “Fuck what he said. You are mine. I love you, Travis. Do you love me?”

  “I do.”

  “Then fuck what he thinks,” she insisted, but he was shaking his head.

  “You deserve someone good. Someone with a decent job, someone who can take care of you in ways I can’t—”

  “I want you.”

  Gen paused, reading what she had just written. It was good, not her best, but then she had locked herself in her room for the last three days. Only going down for snacks, and only when she knew Theo wasn’t there. She found where he had parked his big ole green truck, so as soon as it left was when she’d go get food. It was pathetic and she knew she needed to face him, but his words were still rattling her.

  Ten years. And he still loved her? Did she still love him? Seeing him blew her away. Knowing Theo was here, had been in this town as much as she had, shook her. Kissing him destroyed her. And dancing with him that night, being in his arms, looking up into his eyes, shit, it completed her. But she didn’t know this man. She knew the boy. Oh, she could sing songs about crazy Theo Hudson at twenty, but who he was now, she wasn’t sure.

  And then there was Montgomery. She felt things weren’t truly finished with him. She felt she needed to call and at least try to talk to him, explain herself, but there was radio silence on his end. Her mom was, of course, supportive. But she was also very upset since, apparently, Verna was trying to make Gen’s father pay for the deposits that Verna had made. It was a mess and already the talk of the country club. While Gen knew she needed to go back to get her stuff and figure things out, she didn’t want to. A part of her wanted to take Mont up on his offer to send her belongings here, but Lord, that would be such a cowardly thing to do. She should face him. Even though she didn’t want to.

  She wasn’t sure how this all got so screwed up, but she knew it was her fault. Theo was right—hell, her mom was right when she said that Gen was running. When her mom showed her those pictures from the Blu, Gen was immediately gone. It was her way out, and as much as that was shitty, she didn’t care. She was suffocating in DC, faking it. At least here, she was someone completely different. She was herself, she was alive, and she wasn’t sure that was something she could give up. Not after having a taste of it again.

  Closing her eyes, she let out a long breath and smiled.

  This place was more her home than anywhere else was.

  And she didn’t feel the least bit guilty about that.

  Looking out the window, she saw that it was a bright and airy summer day. She wanted so desperat