36
JOHNNY
Aweek goes by in a blur of pretending things are fine. At least with Claire and me, they’re absolutely golden. Our dirty laundry has been aired, and there are no more secrets between us, threatening to rip us apart.
To the outside world, we seem like an adorable couple, when in reality, we’re constantly looking over our shoulders, wondering when the shit will hit the fan.
We’re in it together, though, and that’s all that matters.
Franklin has resumed his normal behavior toward me, demanding my services at whatever point he deems necessary. There haven't been any setups or beatings, just me delivering random packages across the city and bringing home more cash to add to the stockpile I'm hoarding—my contingency plan if anything goes wrong.
Only now that Claire is involved, I’m not so sure how that will play out.
She's managed to help me bring all of my grades up to solid Bs, all while maintaining her perfect straight-A record. She's freaking amazing, if you ask me. I'm not sure I could have ever asked for a better partner in this fucked-up life of mine. And that's why I have the cheesiest date planned for her birthday tomorrow.
Her birthday that she has no idea I know about.
Luckily for me, her wallet was sitting out on the counter a few days ago, and I did a double-take when I noticed the date being so damn close.
I’m not at all surprised she didn’t tell me, since she goes out of her way to not draw attention to herself. She deserves that attention though, and I refuse to sit back and not give it to her.
Plus, I’m really banking on the possibility of tomorrow night doubling as a celebration, considering the court date for Billy’s custody hearing was officially moved up.
Everything is finally starting to fall into place exactly how I planned. There’s this beaming bright light at the end of the tunnel, and I cannot freaking wait to jump through it with Claire at my side and Billy safe with his aunt.
There’s some preliminary stuff that Isabella asked me to show up early for, so I’ll be there most of the day, which will only make my evening with Claire that much sweeter.
I grab Claire’s notebook from the dining room table to go over some last-minute English homework while she’s in the shower. A few papers slip out, and I kneel down to gather them up and stuff them back inside.
I don’t mean to, but my eyes skim over the contents of one, stopping my heart completely.
It’s a scholarship award letter. From a school nowhere fucking close to here. In her hometown, actually. I shift my attention to the top of the page and notice the date is marked from last week. She’s had this that long and hasn’t said a word to me about it?
I let out a breath and glance down the hallway and toward the bedroom we share. I thought all of our secrets were out in the open, why would Claire hide this from me?
The only thing that I can assume is that she’s going to take it but she doesn’t know how to tell me? Does that mean she’s leaving? Was thatherplan all along? Was our relationship some means to an end, something to occupy her time while she was stuck out on the West Coast?
Suddenly, my entire world comes caving in. I’m finally at the finish line with this Billy situation, except when I cross it, I’ll be doing it alone? I guess that’s how I imagined it from the start, but Claire was what gave me hope that I would actually make it through.
I hear the water valve shut off in the bathroom, so I quickly shove the paper into the notebook and set it back onto the table. I don’t want to play pretend, not with her, but for now, until she decides to tell me, that’s what I’ll have to do. There must be some reasonable explanation for keeping this to herself. After everything we’ve been through, I have to at least give her the benefit of the doubt.
Even if it does kill me to think she might leave.
Claire’s best interest has always been a priority to me, and if her returning to the East Coast to finish her college career is what she believes is best for her, I have to allow that to happen. I won’t control her the same way Griffin did. Never in a million years will I do what he did.
I found Claire in the wild, and I will do everything I can to help her remain that way.
She pokes her head around the corner. “Hey.” Her hair is dripping, and she’s in nothing but a towel.
I swallow down the butterflies that appear with just one look. “Hey.”
Claire raises an eyebrow, a devious grin on her beautiful face. “We have time.”
I glance at the clock on the far wall and then back at her. “Yeah, we do.”
Now, though, with that secret letter, I’m worried it’s limited.
I jump up from the couch and rush over to her, pushing my negative thoughts away. I won’t dare ruin whatever moments I have left with her, because even if this is it, these few months have been the best thing to ever happen to me.