Dirty Addiction (Dirty 2)

“I figured, since you aren’t wearing a ring and you finally got the balls to tell me that you weren’t marrying him, no matter what, that it meant you told him no.”

I nervously twist my strands of hair in front of my body.

“Kinsley?”

“I haven’t answered him yet. I tried to earlier, but he wouldn’t let me.”

“Then, answer me this. How do you feel about that boy?”

“What do you mean?”

He rolls his eyes at me. “Do you love him? And don’t you dare lie to me. I’ve been through enough these last few days. You wouldn’t want to give me another heart attack because you lied to me.”

I shake my head at his dramatics. I don’t know how to answer him because I’m not sure how I feel.

“Maybe. I don’t know,” I say, getting up from the bed and pacing the room.

He doesn’t rush me or ask me any further questions. He just watches me pace and encourages me with his patience to tell him.

“He makes me feel warm when he’s around me. I ache when he’s gone.”

I walk to the other side of the room.

“He charming, intelligent, strong. He’s taken care of me more than he should.”

I pace again.

“He was willing to marry me for no other reason than because he felt he made a promise to my father.”

I pace again.

“He’s decisive and opinionated and so controlling that it pisses me off.”

I pace.

“He’s serious. He hardly ever laughs. It’s annoying really.”

I pace.

“He sucks at blackjack and poker. He sucks at all card games really.”

I stop.

“You love him,” he says.

I shrug as tears well in my eyes. “It doesn’t matter if I love him. It only matters if he loves me.”

And I already know the answer. He doesn’t.

Granddad holds his arms out to me. I walk over to his bedside and curl up like a child would in her mother’s lap. I let the tears fall as he gently rubs my back until no more tears can fall.

“I’m going to tell you a story that I promised I never would.”

I hiccup.

He smiles and kisses the top of my head. “It was three years ago. Your father had fallen ill.”

I sit up before turning to look at him. “What do you mean, my father was ill?”