Because if I say nothing, that means I’m not denying it.
And I can’t lie to myself anymore.
Mom smiles, voice warm, filled with certainty.“Just be happy, sweetheart.”
I glance over my shoulder at Joel, his soulful green eyes watching me like I’m the key to his own personal universe.
And for the first time in years, I wonder if I could let myself be.
CHAPTER26
Joel
The door clicks shut behind us.
Anna moves like she’s escaping a crime scene—which to be fair, wasn’t far off.
Ethan made that pretty clear.
I want to talk—clear the air, but she heads straight to the kitchen sink to stare out the window that looks over her backyard.
She goes straight to pretending nothingremotelyunusual happened today.
I follow her, heart still hammering, breath still uneven.We didn’t speak in the car because this is something we need to talk about face to face.I need to see her eyes—her micro expressions.Her body language.
This day—this entire fucking day—has been too much.My skin feels too tight.My body to big.Something has to give.
And yet…
She’s acting like that kiss didn’t just flip our whole world upside down.
Not just hers—ours.
No.
I won’t let her do this.
I won’t let her shut it down and shut me out.
Not this time.
As I approach, she makes to leave, but I catch her wrist before she can put any more space between us.
She stiffens, her jaw setting, her eyes shifting back to her backyard through the small kitchen window like it’s a portal to another world.One she can escape into if she glares at it long enough.
I don’t pull her back, don’t grip too hard.Just enough so she knows—I’m not letting this go.
“Anna,” I say, voice low, rougher than I intend.“Talk to me.”
She doesn’t face me or turn around.
Her other hand is braced on the counter like she needs it to stay upright.
“Joel, don’t.”Her voice is quiet, laced with something I really hope isn’t regret.
I step closer.“Don’t what?”
She lets out a sharp breath, shaking her head.“Just…don’t.”