I Never Let You Go (I Never 3)

“Nah, I’ve got him. No need to disturb him. It was kind of my fault that he woke up after Kels had gotten him back to sleep.”

“I don’t even wanna know. So how was your night? I hear you were out with Lauren’s brother.”

“Yeah. It was good.” Until I was left confused in the middle of Ky’s front yard.

“Then why does your face tell me otherwise?” Chase’s left eyebrow quirks.

“I kind of ran into Lauren…”

“Like ran into her or physically ran into her like you did the last time.” He laughs.

I throw my head back against the couch, groaning. “I’m never telling my sister anything ever again.”

“Dude, you should know by now that we keep no secrets. The vow of the ring.” He holds up his left hand, wiggling his ring finger. “Anyways, continue.”

“I followed Kyler back to his house to get a bottle of rum he brought back from his honeymoon, and Lauren was there. In what I’m guessing is the new Lauren Lawson form, she ran out of there faster than I could talk, but this time it was different. I ran after her to talk to her, and she let me hold her for a moment. And for just a moment, I had…” I pause while I look for the word. “Hope.”

“Well, you want my advice?” Chase leans over, resting his arms on his knees.

“If I say no, you’re still going to give it to me anyway, aren’t you?” I joke.

He nods. “Pretty much.” I extend my hand for him to continue. “Just give her time.”

“That’s it? Give her time?” I question, and he nods. “Coming from you? The man who, after rear-ending my sister and wouldn’t leave her alone like a borderline stalker, says I should just give her time.”

“Dude, it wasn’t that bad. Plus, you know how stubborn your sister is. It took forever for me to get her to agree on a date. She thought I just pitied her for the accident.”

He’s right—it wasn’t that bad. Looking back on it now, I guess it was romantic, but back then, set in my cynical assholish ways, I thought it was kind of weird. Then again, while Chase found out places where my sister was going, I just happened to be in the same places as Lauren, so that has to be some sort of fate talking, right? Same place, same time, meant-to-be stuff.

“Do as I say, not as I do, jackass.” He laughs and takes one last sip of beer before putting the empty bottle on the coffee table and wiping his hands on his shorts. “Now give me my little man. You’ve held him long enough.” He carefully scoops Liam out of my arms, and he snuggles into his dad’s chest.

I stretch my arm out and massage the muscle that was cramping. It was worth it though.

We sit in silence for the rest of the episode. Chase gets up to put Liam to bed, and I clean up a little bit. I’m placing the empty bottles in the recycling bin in the kitchen when Chase walks in.

“So, I know I’m more of an outsider looking in since I came around after you two split, but in all the years I’ve been around, you’ve never been stuck on a girl like you are now. Hell, I can’t even recall a time when you brought a girl home with you.”

I shrug off the facts he’s spitting out; I can’t deny it. Of course I dated in the past ten years. I’m a man who has needs, but no one has ever made me feel the way Lauren did, the way she still does.

He continues when I stay silent. “What is it about this girl?”

I lean back against the counter, propping my foot up against the door, and run my hands through my hair.

“It was my fault. I was an asshole by pushing her away. Next thing I knew, that was the end of it. I guess I never really got over it. I may have acted like I moved on, yet my heart never really did. When you and Kels called to tell me about Dad, the first person I thought of was Lauren. I wished she was there next to me, helping me through it.” I spin and grip the counter, needing a moment to compose myself. The pain still clear in my voice. After a few breaths, I look back up at Chase, who gives a brief smile understanding. “Life is too short. My dad once told me to fight for her and to make her mine again. I thought I had all the time in the world, but losing him showed me we don’t. That girl has had my heart since I was sixteen, and I’ll be damned if I let her give it back to me.”

Chase listens as I talk, taking it all in. He steps up to me and slaps my shoulder. “Well then, Finn, give her time, but don’t give up. She’s held your heart this long, and if I had to guess from what you told me earlier, I think maybe there’s a chance you still have hers.”

God, I hope so.

I’m rolling the trash can to the end of the driveway when my brother’s black Toyota Tundra pulls up. I wipe the hair out of my face.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask as he gets out of the truck, and I notice that he is alone. “Where’s Dani?”

“Well, hello to you too. I see how it is. You just love me for my wife.” He laughs, pulling me into a hug.

“Yeah, well, what can I say? I like her more.”

“Punk,” he mutters under his breath.