“I don’t think he was supposed to. I don’t think anyone was supposed to know yet.”
“But he did tell you, because he can’t help himself when it comes to you.” Mace leans in and tucks my hair behind my ear. “Not that I can blame him.”
He lowers his head and slants his lips across mine. I’m so stunned I have no idea what to do. His tongue pushes into my mouth, and he tastes like bourbon. His hands cup my face and mine find their way to his chest, to push him away, but they don’t, they ball in the worn fabric of his T-shirt. Maybe it’s because my heart just shattered into a million pieces. Maybe it’s because I’m hurt and want to hurt Gabe back. Or maybe it’s because I need to feel something real, something tangible so I know this isn’t all some fucking horrible dream.
The door opens and I jerk away, pressing my fingertips to my lips as I stare at Mace.
“Oh,” Annie says with a gleeful lilt. “That was fast. I didn’t realize you two were. Well ... I have to say this is a relief. Here I thought you were trying to steal my boyfriend.”
I glance at them, feeling Gabe’s stare burning holes into me. The set of his shoulders are tight, and I meet his gaze, but balk at the anger I see there.
“I ... that was ...” I glance back at Mace.
“A mistake. It’s okay. You can say it, Lo,” Mace says.
I am too tired, and too heart sore to really dive into this, but there’s something about Mace’s tone that breaks my heart. “Mace.”
“I’m going to bed,” Gabe says.
“Me too,” Mace agrees. “You know I got plenty of room in my bed if you decide you wanna explore this a little more, Lo.”
Gabe takes the stairs two at a time and Annie follows with a tinkling wave. “Good night, lovers.”
I close my eyes and sigh. “I don’t really know what just happened.”
“We kissed. It’s okay, you drank a lot tonight, so you likely won’t remember it in the morning anyway, but I will.”
“Mace, I’m sober.”
“Yeah, me too,” he slurs and then he falls into me.
I struggle under his weight, and finally gain enough inertia to deposit him back on the couch. I glance down at his sleeping form, take the bottle of bourbon from the coffee table, and drink it straight from the lip as I climb the stairs to my room.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lo
The ride back to Venice is strained. Despite carrying on like a toddler after being told “no”, Annie drives herself back to LA, but Gabe, Tommy, Mace and I all ride together.In silence.Tommy’s the only one in a halfway decent mood, so I let him sit shotgun beside Gabe because I don’t know how to talk to him this morning. I feel like a switch was flipped the second he told me about the baby, and now I don’t know how to behave around him. Unfortunately, letting Tommy take the front seat means I’m forced to sit beside Mace. I don’t know how much he remembers of last night. A part of me thinks maybe I dreamed it, but I know that’s just wishful thinking.
Thankfully, Mace appears to be too hungover for conversation, and he pulls on a ball cap and his sunglasses and proceeds to fall asleep in the cramped backseat. His knee touches mine as he relaxes, and I don’t bother to move, because there just isn’t room. I stare out the window and avoid meeting Gabe’s eye in his rear-view mirror. Eventually, the quiet and the motion of the car lulls me to sleep.
“Lo, wake up.”
I smile up at Gabe and close my eyes. “Good morning.”
He laughs. “Morning. You want something from In-N-Out?”
“Oh my god, yes!” I sit up and glance at the empty car. “Where are the others?”
“Inside.”
“Are you still mad at me?”
“Yeah,” he answers truthfully and then shakes his head. “I don’t know. Yeah. I’m fucking pissed. I mean, Mace?”
“I didn’t kiss him.”
“Well, you sure as hell didn’t push him away.”