I Never Let You Go (I Never 3)

Kelsey: I just saw Lauren leave the office upset. Did you do something to hurt her?

Kelsey: Damnit Griffin, I need you to be near your phone.

Kelsey: I don’t know what happened, but Lauren spoke to your assistant, and something must have gone down. I swear to God if you fuck this up again with her, I will kill you myself.

Woah, what? I’ve been gone not even forty-eight hours. What that the fuck happened? I decide to listen to Lauren’s voicemail.

“I’m done playing this hot-and-cold routine with you, Griffin Reynolds. Fuck! I told myself I wasn’t going to do this. I was supposed to have been done crying over you on the flight back from Seattle.” Lauren begins to break down. “Why wasn’t I enough. Why couldn’t I be enough for you? I thought we were happy, but it was clearly all an act. I was doing just fine moving on before you bombarded yourself back into my life when you came back here. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Well, enjoy Seattle and your new life. I guess I was never meant to be a part of your life. Goodbye, Finn.”

“We are now boarding flight 531 to Philadelphia.” I choose not to call Kelsey back, and I am still trying to wrap my head around Lauren’s words. What does she mean why wasn’t she enough? Of course, she was enough—she still is. And what does she mean on the flight back to Seattle? When the hell was she in Seattle?

I try calling Lauren back, but it goes straight to voicemail.

“Lo, I’m so sorry.” I sigh heavily, running my fingers through my hair. “I don’t know what it is I’m even apologizing for, but damn it, I’m sorry. I’m sorry whatever I did or said for you to think you aren’t enough, because baby, you are enough. You’ve always been the one for me. Look, I’m on my way home, and as soon as I land, I’m coming for you. I love you—always have, always will.”

I disconnect the call. Fuck. I need to talk to her. I need to see her.

I have to think quick on my feet as I stand in line with my boarding pass in hand. I open a new message to Kyler and pray.

Me: I need to talk to your sister. Ky, it’s important. Do you know where she will be tonight? I’m about to board my plane from Seattle back home. Let me know asap.

It feels like an eternity as I wait for a response. Had she talked to him? Does he know what’s going on? Does he hate me? I know the Lawson kids are close, but I just don’t know.

I’m sitting in my seat, and the flight attendant has already asked me once to put my electronics up in preparation for takeoff. I’m about to give up when my phone finally buzzes.

Kyler: That was kind of a weird message. Not sure what’s going on with you guys, but we are all going out to Lucky’s tonight for karaoke. Feel free to join us.

I exhale and relax into my seat as we prepare for takeoff. It’s time to finally start fighting for what I should have never let go—Lauren.

I enter the front door to Lucky’s bar, and it’s not hard to spot the giant crowd that is Lauren and her family. I make my way to her table and recognize Kate, Kyler, Dani, her brother, and his wife, but there is another couple I don’t know. It seems I interrupted a friends’ night out, but if she is pissed, I can at least say I had an invitation from her brother. I know she can’t stay mad at him, never could.

“It might be date night for you guys, but I’m as single as a nun in a whore house,” I overhear Lauren say as I step up behind her chair. There’s a bitterness to her voice that I don’t like.

“What about a whore house?” I chime in, and I instantly notice the tension that fills Lauren’s shoulders. While it wasn’t the warm welcome I was expecting, it feels like when I approached her at Ky’s wedding. What the hell happened from the time I left her on her front porch till now?

“Finn,” Kyler shouts across the table, “pull up a chair.” I glance over and see Lauren watching my every move. I settle my chair in the empty seat next to Lauren and a guy I don’t recognize.

As I take my seat, I introduce myself to the unknown couple. “Hey, I’m Finn.”

The guy nods. “Ryan, and this is my wife, Cami.” I shake both of their hands. From the corner of my eye, I see Lauren still staring at me.

I lean closer to her, our bodies almost touching. “See something you like, Lo?” I see a fire ignite in her eyes, turning the usual honey brown to nearly golden.

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do.” I catch a whiff of her fruity scent as she reaches over me for the tray of shots her sister had just laid down on the table. “I’ll take one of those.”

“Ugh, Laur, you don’t wanna do that.” Kate looks at her sister and possibly is thinking the same thing I am—Lauren Lawson doesn’t do shots.

She ends up grabbing two of them and downs one before even asking what’s in them.

“Fuck!” She winces but still looks beautiful.

“Well, I’m glad I got extra.” Kate passes out shots to the crowd.

“It’s cool, guys, do your tequila shots in front

of the preggos. When these monsters are born, it is on,” Dani jokes with her hands resting on her belly. I still can’t believe Kyler is going to be a dad and to twins at that.

“You said it, sister.” Haylee raises her water glass to Dani and cheers.