I didn’t have time to explain all the ways I had messed up tonight.“Tell me where she went, Webber. Now,” I all but shouted at him.
Kyle looked taken aback. “She left, man. With Skylar. You can probably catch her in the parking lot.”
She wasn’t in the parking lot. I got in my car and drove to her house. I knocked on the door, and when Whitney answered, I knew I didn’t have a chance in hell of seeing Meg.
“Go away, Adam,” Whitney ordered, her face stony. Whitney was scary when she wanted to be. I learned at an early age not to cross her.
“I need to speak to Meg,” I pleaded.
“You’ve done enough damage tonight. Just go. Maybe she’ll talk to you later.” Then she closed the door in my face.
I stood there for a few minutes, thinking about knocking again. Maybe I’d get Mrs. Galloway. I’d explain myself, beg her to see Meg.
But Whitney was right. I had done enough damage for one night.I’d fix it in the morning.
Meg would forgive me.
She always did.
“Whitney never told me you came by,” Meg said after a beat.
“She was pretty pissed at me. I’m not surprised she never told you.” This was harder than I thought it would be. Digging up the past was never an easy process.
“She had no right to keep it from me, though,” Meg murmured, seeming lost in thought.
“I tried talking to you so many times after that. Don’t you remember the football game? And before prom?” I asked.
Meg shot me a look that wasn’t friendly. “I remember you and Chelsea walking around school like the damn king and queen. I remember how you never looked at me when you passed. How it felt as if I didn’t exist.”
I took her hand again. “Fucking hell, Meg, I was miserable. I missed you so much. But you were so angry at me. You told Kyle that he hated me—”
“Of course he told you that. Nothing has ever been private with Webber.” Meg rolled her eyes.
“I thought the best thing was to give you space. That maybe you’d be okay if I left you alone. I had no idea that you’d leave and never speak to me again.”
Meg chewed her lower lip. “You married her.”
Always, always back to this.
I closed my eyes briefly, wishing I could change the words I had to say. “Yes, I married her. But I wished I hadn’t. It was the biggest mistake of my life. Because the girl she showed me, in the beginning, wasn’t the woman she really was. I let myself be tied to a toxic relationship for far too long. But I swear to you, Meg, it was you I thought about. Every. Single. Day.”
A tear slipped down her cheek, and I wiped it away, my thumb caressing her skin. “It’s you and me, Galloway. It always has been.”
“I’ve been an idiot too,” she said softly.
“No, I’m the idiot in this equation,” I argued.
Meg gave me a watery smile. “Always defending me.” Her eyes were tender, and I knew we had gotten somewhere better. “But I let my pride waste years we could have been together.”
Together.
She said together.
“Well, let’s not waste any more time,” I urged, pulling her into my lap.
Her face was still grave. “I’m going back to New York, Adam.”
“Why can’t you stay here? Your mom’s here. Whitney’s here now. Our friends are here.” I kissed the hollow of her throat. “I’m here.”
“My life is in New York,” she argued, but it was feeble.
“Your life is here. With me.” I kissed her slowly. Sweetly.
I kissed her in a way that meant forever. This wasn’t about sex. This wasn’t about lust. This was about love.
One that was twenty-eight years in the making.
**
She followed me back to my house. We went inside and kicked off our shoes. Meg dropped her bag on the table beside the door, her keys in the stone dish. I noticed how she moved about the space as if she lived there. Maybe soon she would be.
But one thing at a time.
“Want to order something to eat? I could go for a pizza,” I suggested, turning on the kitchen light. We stayed close together as if inches between us were too much.
Meg made a face. “No pizza. What about Thai food?”
I pulled her close to me, her head dropping to my chest. “Thai sounds good. Do you want to call in an order? The menu is in the drawer over there.” I kissed her forehead. “I’m going to go and change out of my work clothes.”
I started to leave the kitchen, glancing out the window towards Mrs. Hamilton’s house. It was almost eight o’clock. I was startled to see her house dark. Normally, at this time, whether the sun was still in the sky or not, she’d have most lights blazing.