Bad Seed

Before I could even process his words, my head was shaking from side to side. He was wrong. There was no way Michael knew I was Joshua’s ex. It wasn’t possible. When we met, he was just a stranger in a café. I was just some girl he saw. He never knew I was connected to his brother. He couldn’t have.

“You’re lying,” I said boldly. “Michael told me he didn’t know who I was. After we had dinner with you, he said he didn’t know.”

“He lied to you,” Joshua said simply. “Michael’s known about you since he and I first met.”

“I don’t believe you,” I said.

“You don’t have to,” Joshua said. A satisfied grin spread across his face. I longed to reach across the table and slap him.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked weakly. “Because I said no? Because I’ve moved on? Because I’m happy without you?”

“No.” The smile fell from his face. “Because it’s the truth, Julie.”

“It’s not.” It couldn’t be. I refused to believe him.

“Look,” Joshua said. “When I said I still love you, I meant it. I love you, Julie. I always have, and I think I probably always will. Nothing can change that.”

“That doesn’t matter anymore,” I snapped. “Not to me.”

“Maybe not,” Joshua said. “But it means I wouldn’t lie to you. I just wouldn’t.”

I stared at him in disbelief. Why was he doing this to me? After he broke my heart, I spent so long just trying to crawl out of my hole. When I finally did, I felt stronger and more like myself. Meeting Michael was a breath of fresh air. It was like the universe had given me a gift. Now, Joshua was hellbent on taking that away from me.

“Michael wouldn’t lie to me,” I said weakly.

“He did.” Joshua’s voice was firm. “When he and I first met, I told him all about you. He knew your name, Julie. First and last. He even told me he looked you up on Facebook, so he knew what you looked like, long before you ever stepped foot in Ennis.”

I shook my head slowly. This was insane.

“No,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” Joshua said softly. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but you should know the truth.”

I couldn’t listen to another word. I jumped out of my chair, leaving my food untouched. Without looking back, I ran out of the restaurant and didn’t stop until I reached my car. I slid myself behind the wheel and cranked the engine. As I sped out of the parking lot, I caught a glimpse of Joshua hurrying outside. I didn’t slow down. I pressed harder on the gas and disappeared around the corner.

My heart was racing in my chest as I hurried toward home. I’d planned to go to Michael’s immediately after my dinner with Joshua. I wanted to see him, to talk to

him, to kiss him. I just wanted to be with him without the memory of his brother hanging over our heads.

Instead, I knew I couldn’t see him. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

As much as I wanted to ignore Joshua’s words, I couldn’t. I knew Joshua almost as well as I knew myself. He wasn’t lying. He was telling me the truth.

My stomach churned painfully as I continued to race toward home. Just a few days ago, my life felt perfect. I had a job, a great house, and a great guy. Everything had finally fallen into place. Now, I couldn’t stop things from spinning out of control.

CHAPTER 22

MICHAEL

Friday was the longest day of my life. I planned to drop by Julie’s house after work that day. Christmas was right around the corner, and I wanted to give her the gift I’d found at Annabelle’s. She still hadn’t called me, so I assumed her article was taking longer than she expected. Still, I couldn’t wait another day to see her. So, when five o’clock hit, I ran out of the office and hurried home to grab Julie’s present.

I took a quick shower and got dressed, hoping Julie would either ask me to stay or want to go out to dinner. Either way, I didn’t care. I just wanted to spend time with her. This week had been terrible. Between the drama with Josh and the distance between Julie and me, I was miserable. Work sucked, too. All I wanted was to bury myself in Julie and let the rest of the world disappear around us. I only hoped she felt the same way.

As I drove through town, I kept a firm hand on the crystal Christmas tree. It was safely tucked away inside its box, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Annabelle said she’d had it for years, so it was old and fragile. The last thing I needed was for it to break before I even made it to Julie’s front door.

I stopped right outside Julie’s house and stared at her front door. We hadn’t seen each other in days. I missed her so much that it made my chest ache with need. I threw open my door and grabbed the tree from the passenger seat. Tucking the box safely under my arm, I jogged up to the front door and rang the bell.

At first, I didn’t hear anything. The lights were on inside, and Julie’s car was parked in the driveway, so I knew she was home. I waited a minute before I rang the bell again. Still, I heard nothing. I frowned and took a step closer to the door. I peered through the window, trying to see if there was movement inside. I couldn’t see anything, so I stepped back and knocked hard.