Breaking Stars (The Celebrity 2)

Everyone there seemed so entitled and lived a life that I felt almost shouldn’t be real. Should people really be that privileged while the rest of us worked our asses off every day to make ends meet? Those elitists lived their lives, getting the world handed to them day after day, not sparing a single thought for what the rest of us had to do just to survive. Why did people who already had so much get rewarded with more when so many others had so little?

Paige and I weren’t just from two different worlds; we were from two different galaxies. I would do well to remember that.

“Well, thank God you won’t have to deal with me for very long. Once you leave here you can go back to Hollywood and forget you ever met me. Your life can go back to normal and you can pretend I don’t exist.” She clearly needed the same reminder that I’d just been given. Our worlds couldn’t be more different, and she had to have realized that. She would be going back home soon, leaving me and this town behind.

Paige moved her hand in front of her beautiful face, and I thought I saw tears glistening in her eyes. I knew I was acting like a complete dick, but I needed to keep up the charade. If Paige saw through me, I’d be done for. If she called me out, I’d beg for her forgiveness on my knees if that was what she needed. I wanted her, but I knew I couldn’t have her. This conflict was tearing me up inside. Or maybe it was the beer.

“You don’t actually believe that, do you? You think for one second that I’d just forget you?” she asked me. Her voice almost caused me to break my resolve.

“It doesn’t matter.” I reached for my hat and pulled it off. I needed to keep my hands occupied so they didn’t reach out for her and blow it all to hell.

“It matters to me.” She squeezed my leg and I ran my fingers through my hair, tempted to yank on it.

“Get in the truck, we’re going home.”

She didn’t move. She just sat there like a defiant little princess. “Goddamn it, Paige, get in the truck!”

“No,” she said firmly, her gorgeous face scrunched up in a scowl that didn’t suit her one bit.

Frustrated, I shook my head and looked away. “Stop it, Paige.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop acting like we’re in some movie that has a happy ending. We’re not. And it doesn’t.” We both needed that reminder. At least, I sure as shit did.

Paige finally moved to climb into the cab, her face filled with hurt. I wanted to apologize to her, but couldn’t find the strength or the words. We drove back to Mama’s house in complete silence; I’d even turned off the radio. I couldn’t handle country music lyrics right now.

When I pulled in front of the house, Paige opened the door and jumped out before I turned off the ignition. As I watched, she raced through the screen door and didn’t look back. She wanted nothing to do with me, and I didn’t blame her.

• • •

The next morning I arrived at the shop to find some deliveries waiting for me at the back door. After unpacking the supplies and parts

, I got a call saying that Paige’s new tire would be arriving around three. I pretended to be nonchalant about the delivery, but I was half-tempted to tell them to hold off and deliver it, say…never.

When her tire arrived, I sighed before rolling it into the garage, frowning at it while Buster whined in the background. Debating about whether I should hide it or put it on her car, I finally decided to do my job and put it on. That didn’t mean I had to tell her that her car was fixed, but at least it would be ready for her when she was ready to go.

I jacked up the BMW and removed the ruined old tire. While I was there, I figured I’d better check the brake pads, rotors, and other parts connected to the wheel. Once I decided that everything looked fine, I put on the new tire, tightening the lug nuts and making sure everything was in working order. After sliding out from the car, I lowered it to the ground and wondered for a moment if I should hide it. I had a tarp I could throw over it so no one would know it was ready.

Shaking the crazy thought from my head, I swallowed hard as my chest ached at the sight of her perfectly drivable car. A car that she could get in right now if she wanted and drive away from here—and me—forever.

Shit.

I wasn’t ready for her to leave my life yet. No matter how much I fought her or myself on it, I didn’t want her to go. I’d tried to push her away, tried to keep myself from her, but it wasn’t what I wanted. Nothing about Paige being away from me was even remotely close to what I wanted.

What I did want was that perfect little mouth against mine, that bikini-clad body in the swimming hole with me, and every single thing that Paige would let me have. But how could I tell her that after the way I acted last night? When it came to this girl, I acted like a complete asshole ninety percent of the time. The other ten percent I acted like a pure idiot.

I didn’t know what to do, so in typical asshole fashion, I decided I’d head over to the bar after dropping Buster off at Mama’s. I’d drown my sorrows in some good old-fashioned moonshine.

A One-Bar Town

Paige

After last night, I knew things had changed between Tatum and me. I had convinced myself that we were making progress and that his defensive wall was lowering, but then Brina opened her big drunken mouth and made him worse than he was before, if that was even possible.

Side note: It was.

When I walked into the living room, I heard Mrs. Montgomery on the phone with someone. “Oh yes. You’ve raised a wonderful daughter. She’s such a joy. You too. I’ll go get her.” She turned to yell for me, and I smiled knowing my mom was on the phone.