Chapter 30 (1/2)

“I know . . . I know. Fuck, don’t you think I know that?”

He sighs. “Well, seeing as you showed up here to ask for help, I’d say you get how messed up this whole situation is.”

“So what do you think I should do? Not as her friend, but as my . . . you know, my father’s stepson?”

“You mean stepbrother? Your stepbrother.” He smiles. I roll my eyes and he laughs. “Well, has she talked to you at all?” he asks.

“Yeah . . . I actually went to Seattle last night, and she let me stay with her,” I tell him.

“She what?” He is clearly surprised.

“Yeah, she was drunk. I mean really drunk, and she practically made me fuck her.” I notice his sour expression at my choice of words. “Sorry . . . she made me sleep with her. Well not made me, because I wanted to, I mean how could I say no . . . she’s just . . .” Why am I even telling him this?

He waves his hands in the air. “Okay! Okay! I get it, jeez.”

“So anyway, then this morning I said some shit that I shouldn’t have said because she told me she kissed someone else.”

“Tessa kissed someone?” he asks, disbelief clear in his voice.

“Yeah . . . some guy at a fucking nightclub.” I groan. I don’t want to think about that again.

“Wow. She really is pissed at you,” he says.

“I. Know.”

“What did you say to her this morning?”

“I told her that I fucked Molly yesterday,” I admit.

“Did you? You know . . . have sex with Molly?”

“No, God no.” I shake my head.

What the hell is going on here that I am having some twisted heart-to-heart with Landon, of all people?

“Then why did you say that you did?”

“Because she angered me.” I shrug. “She kissed someone else.”

“Okay . . . so you said that you slept with Molly, who you know Tess despises, just to hurt her?”

“Yeah . . .”

“Good idea.” He rolls his eyes.

I wave his snarky movement away with a strong hand. “Do you think she loves me?” I ask, because I have to know.

Landon snaps his head up, suddenly serious. “I don’t know . . .” He’s a terrible liar.

“Tell me. You know her better than anyone, except me.”

“She loves you. But because of how you betrayed her, she’s convinced that you never loved her,” Landon explains.

It breaks my heart all over again. And I can’t believe I’m asking for his help, but I need it. “What can I do? Will you help me?”