“Jesus. Chill, man. It’s just me.” I whip around to Levi. “Damn, what has you so jumpy?”
“Uh…nothing. All good. Just looking to grab a drink. Great party. Oh, and congrats. You two are perfect together.”
Levi’s brows shoot up into his forehead. What did I say? “Did you just say something nice about Hannah and me?” His hand sticks out, trying to touch my forehead, but I slap it away.
“No. Well…yeah. Maybe. It’s just nice to see how happy you two are. When you find the one, it’s magical. The smiles meant just for you. The inside jokes. The cute little—”
I cut myself off. What the hell is wrong with me? Levi looks at me as if I’ve just grown two heads. “Or whatever. I’m only here for the burgers. I’ll catch ya later.” I walk off, silently smacking myself. What in the utter fuck was that? It’s settled. Bridget has completely broken me.
I grab a beer, disappointed when I don’t find Bridget. A lap around the pool and grill area, and still nothing. I start to panic that she changed her mind and didn’t show up when I spot her. She’s back by the huge oak tree, swinging on the manmade swing.
“Okay, shit…” Sweat pools on my palms. I move in her direction, my legs weighing a million pounds. Each step, my heart pounds. I fear I’m going to pass out before I even make it to her. “Get it together. You can do this.”
She seems to be lost in thought, gazing into the distance. Her shoulders are slightly slumped, and I hate the way her lips aren’t formed into that playful smile I’m obsessed with. She doesn’t hear me when I reach her.
“Bridget.”
Her head pops up, her eyes wide in shock. “Go away. I have nothing to say to you.” She stands, and I move, blocking her exit.
“Please, just talk to me—”
“No. Get out of my way.”
I grab her wrist before she can flee. “Bridget, for fuck’s sake. Please, I’m begging you. You have no idea how fucked up I’ve been since you left.”
She tears her arm out of my grip. “How fucked up you’ve been? What about me? How about what I’ve been going through after learning I was just a game for you—”
“You’ve never been a game—”
“Save it. I learned my lesson with you. And I won’t be making that mistake again.”
She tries to leave, but I block her once more. “That’s not fair. What you heard wasn’t true. I wasn’t toying with you. I fucking panicked! How about you were supposed to love me? You didn’t even give me the chance to explain. You jumped ship the second you could. Believed what you wanted. I did what I had to do for us to work out.”
Her laugh is anything but humorous. “Oh, give me a break. Are you seriously turning this on me?”
“No! I know I shouldn’t have said what I said, but I did. It’s not true, and I’m begging you to just stop being so upset about it.”
A fire suddenly explodes in her eyes. A look I’ve never seen before. Shit. I’m messing this all up. “Bridget, listen—”
“No, you listen, you heartless asshole. For one—I’m not upset. I’m grateful. You showed me who you really were. And now that I see the real you, I know to run.”
“Oh, and who’s that? The guy who’s shown you nothing but respect? Fucking loves you? Maybe you should stop for one second and realize what would have happened if Kip found you in my bed. You think life would have been hunky dory? Wrong, Angel. He would have wiped the floor with me and dragged you out. Probably told your parents, as well as his. I would have been banned from all things Matthews and my friendship with Kip would be done. If you thought for a second this whole sweet, innocent way of yours was going to save us, you were—”
Her tiny palm slaps across my face, and I slowly raise my hand to my cheek. I’m no stranger to being sideswiped by a disgruntled chick, but this time is different. It carried meaning.
“I hate you,” she says, her lower lip quivering.
“And I love you—”
“What’s going on here?” Hannah storms up, her eyes shooting fire at me. She turns to her cousin. “Bridge, are you okay?”
“Fine.”
Her response drips with lies. Hannah turns back to me. “I think you should leave.”
“I think you should mind your own business. This has nothing to do with you, Hannah.”
She marches up to me and shoves her hands into my chest. “This has everything to do with me. You lied to me. You told me your intentions were innocent—then you did exactly what you do best. You hurt her. How could you? She’s family.”
“Again, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”