Lying Hearts (Small Town Lies 1)

“This is not a good idea,” Ethan said from beside me.

He was probably right, but I had to try, and if I was going to go down, I was going to go down trying.

And when I stood next to her and saw the soft blue-grey color in her hand, I could only manage to say the first thing that came to mind.

“That’s a nice color, Moon.”

And just like that, her bright smile vanished, quicker than a blink of an eye, and once again, I was the boy in high school, but she was the one holding all the cards.

Chapter Five

Luna

Moon.

I didn’t just hear that.

I didn’t just hear Easton’s voice from right beside me. I was afraid to look to my left. My mind had to be playing tricks on me. I shook my head and slid my eyes over to my father. The way his eyes were narrowed and his jaw was clenched, my assumption had to be right.

It was Easton.

There was only one person my father hated in this town, and it was the boy that made me cry in high school. The boy that shattered my heart before I knew what it was truly capable of.

“We were just leaving,” Ethan said.

I knew the brothers hadn’t told Easton we still communicated and hung out. It was a big secret, and I wasn’t sure how they kept it from him, but I refused to give it away now.

“Luna, please, I just want to talk,” Easton pleaded. His voice had gotten incredibly deeper, darker. Like a voice that could be recorded reading a book and send you right to sleep, having the sweetest dreams.

“Boy, she doesn’t want to talk to you. I’m surprised you still feel like that’s an option after what you did.” My dad gripped my arm and shoved me behind his back. “My little girl is not your walking mat. You’ve done your damage. Get the hell out of her life, Easton.”

“Mr. Nightingale, I just want a moment to talk to her, to explain, to apologize.”

I kept my gaze in the middle of my father’s back, trying to find the courage to look around him and get a glimpse at the man who— if I was honest with myself— still had my heart. I was scared though. I was scared that if I saw his face, I’d either smack his cheek or forgive him by throwing my arms around his neck and just forget everything.

But…

I couldn’t.

Ethan stood next to my father, and I glanced up, seeing his brown eyes staring down at me with concern. It hit me right then and there that I was being a coward. I needed to face Easton, and I couldn’t have everyone protecting me. This was my battle.

“It’s fine,” I whispered to Ethan and my dad.

“Luna,” Ethan said my name in a way that told me that I didn’t have to do this.

I knew that.

But enough time had gone by. I couldn’t be scared to face Easton anymore.

I had to do this myself, for me, and if I didn’t, I’d regret it. I was starting a new life, and in order to do that, I had to put Easton Moore behind me.

Forever.

I laid a hand on Ethan’s chest then stepped between him and my dad, slithering between the two as if they were guards.

Now or never, Luna.

I stood my ground and lifted my chin and stared into the bluest eyes I had ever seen, the same eyes that made me fall in love for the first time. “Can we have some privacy?” I said over my shoulder to the two men that I knew always had my back.