Letting You Go (Stone Lake 1)

“I had fun,” she responds, and I can almost hear the smile in her voice.

“I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go with me tomorrow to the dock? We could meet and…”

“The dock?”

“Yeah. Do you fish?”

“Well, duh,” she laughs.

“So, what do you think?”

“Where do I meet you? I don’t drive yet. I need to, but Dad’s working all the time and Mom gets nervous. Jules said she’d teach me, but… Have you seen her drive?”

“Yeah, Babe. I can teach you if you want.”

“You will?”

“Definitely.”

“I’d really like that, Gavin.”

“We’ll start tomorrow,” I promise, deciding as long as she’s happy that I’d agree to almost anything.

“I can’t believe you’d do that.”

“Do you think your girl will cover for you?”

“Jules?”

“Yeah. Do you think she’d agree to cover for you with your parents?”

“I’m sure she would, but she doesn’t have to. My parents will be fine if I tell them I’m going out with you. They will probably just want to meet you first.”

I ignore the panic that makes me feel. I know that Luna thinks her parents will welcome me with open arms. She doesn’t see me as less, but I know without even thinking about it that her parents will for sure.

“How about we keep the fact that we’re dating just between us right now?” I suggest, hating that I do it, but feeling like I need to, all the same.

“But… are we dating, Gavin?”

“Yeah. I just… I don’t want anyone to know, until I can prove that I deserve you, Luna.”

“Gavin, you don’t need—”

“You don’t trust me. You can’t deny that. A couple hours of us dancing and talking to each other, hasn’t erased six months for you.”

“I just don’t understand why you told—”

“I didn’t tell them anything, Luna.”

“But everyone was talking about it and even your friend Wally—”

“I know you don’t have a reason to believe me, Luna, but I didn’t say anything.”

“Then, who did?”

I take an aggravated breath. I don’t know how to answer that. If I tell her the truth, I don’t think she’d believe me. She’s friends with Atticus, she hasn’t seen how he really is. She has no idea the kind of bastard he can be.

“I’m not sure,” I lie.

Luna remains silent and I’m scared that I’m losing my shot and I don’t want that. Luna cares for me and she definitely deserves better.

But the simple truth is, I want her.

“Just give me a chance, Luna. No one but us will know we’re even talking to each other. Give me a chance to prove to you that you can trust me.”

It seems like forever before she answers and each passing second is painful.

“Pick me up at Jules’ house around one tomorrow. Is that okay?”

“It’s perfect. I can’t wait to see you again, Moonbeam.”

“That’s a silly nickname,” she gripes but I can hear the humor behind her complaint.

“It fits you. I’ll see you tomorrow, Baby.”

“See you tomorrow, Gavin.”

I hold the phone until she hangs up, and I don’t even realize right then that I’m smiling.

But I am.

Chapter Seventeen

Luna

“I can’t believe you’re agreeing to meet that dick-weed,” Jules huffs.

“Jules, I like him.”

“Luna, he hurt you. Please tell me you haven’t forgotten that.”

“I haven’t, but he says he didn’t do it.”

“Bullshit. If it wasn’t him then who else would it have been?”

“I don’t know, but he really seemed sincere, Jules.”

“You’re just blinded. I don’t like this Luna. I don’t like it at all.”

I frown. We’re sitting on the steps of her front porch waiting for Gavin. I’m wearing a pair of cut offs and my favorite pink tank. I’ve got my bikini on underneath. I don’t know if I’ll need it, but I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. Jules is definitely not happy that I’m meeting Gavin, but that was to be expected. Not many people know how truly hurt I was by Gavin. I didn’t let anyone see except Jules. Mom knew I was hurt, she didn’t know the details and I didn’t volunteer them. But, for the most part, I kept my pain to myself.

Jules is my best friend and no matter what we have each other’s backs. That’s the rule and I’m grateful—even if right now it’s annoying.

“So noted.”

“Bitch,” she mutters, smiling at me and I smile back at her.

“Jules?”

“What?” she snaps, clearly telling me she’s still upset.

“I really, really like Gavin.”

“Luna, you think lions are pretty too, but you still wouldn’t get in a cage with one.”

“I don’t think Gavin wants to eat me alive, Jules.”

“He’ll break your heart again.”

“Jules—”

“And then I’ll have to kill him, which means I’ll go to jail and even though my parents kind of think that is going to happen anyway, it will break their hearts and I’ll have to go potty in a cell with other women and that will break my heart. Not to mention I won’t be able to wear makeup and—”