That maybe love wasn’t enough.
A car rumbled outside alerting us to Celeste’s arrival.
“She got here quick,” I grumbled.
I’d wanted to be the one to take Harleigh back, but she’d insisted that Celeste come. To protect me? To avoid the giant fucking elephant in the room? I didn’t know. But it irritated me that I wasn’t the one driving her home.
“We should go,” Harleigh said, trying to pull out of my embrace. I tugged her back to me though, pulling her between my legs.
“You sure you’re good?” I cupped the back of her neck and searched her eyes.
She nodded. “Thank you for coming for me and for—”
“Harleigh? Nix?” Celeste’s voice echoed through the building.
“In here,” Harleigh called, and I bristled, a spike of jealousy shooting through me.
This was our space. Ours. I wasn’t sure I wanted to share it with anyone. Least of all Celeste.
“Oh my God,” she said, coming inside. “This is… so freaking cute.” But the second her gaze landed on her sister, the blood drained from her cheeks. “Oh, Harleigh.”
Celeste pulled Harleigh into her arms and out of mine. I ran a hand down my face, trying to rein in the urge to pull her back. To wrap my arm around her and dismiss Celeste.
Harleigh needed friends. She needed people in her life. People who could be there when I couldn’t and Celeste was family. Even if it turned me inside out that I had to rely on others to do what I couldn’t, I had to try to accept that.
“I’m okay,” Harleigh said, stepping out of Celeste’s embrace.
“I’ve been so worried. When Max called—”
“He called you?” Harleigh balked.
“Weird, right? I don’t know what you did to him.” Celeste looked at me. “But it’s like he’s had a personality transplant.”
I shrugged. “So long as he’s on our side, he’s good with me.”
She studied me and murmured, “Interesting. You ready to go?” Celeste laced her arm through Harleigh’s.
“Yeah.” Bewitching green eyes settled on me. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Listen, you don’t have to come to the game. There’s no pressure.”
“I’ll be there.” Something flickered across her face.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Harleigh smiled, and this time it wasn’t shy or uncertain, but full of determination.
Of fight.
My girl was still in there, fighting, pushing herself.
“Bye, Nix,” she whispered.
“Bye, B.”
I watched as she and Celeste left. She didn’t spare me a second glance back and it wrecked something inside me. But then she burst into the room and flung her arms around my neck, kissing the shit out of me.
“I love you, Phoenix Wilder,” she breathed. “Always.”
My heart swelled so big I thought it might explode right out of my chest.
I gripped her tight, burying my face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in.
I love you too, Harleigh Wren Maguire.
Always.