Shane

“So, I’m asking, will you trust me, Becca? To love you and be there for you. Fall with me, pretty girl, and I promise to always be there to catch you.” My words hang in the air like the mushroom cloud of a nuclear bomb.

Shit! Why am I pushing her? 

As skittish as she is, cornering her like this is a terrible idea. But when that mask of frustration that she wears like armor falls away, replaced instead by a hopeless sort of brokenness, I realize what I’m doing is necessary if I have any hope of getting through to her.

“I don’t know how. I don’t even know if I can.”

Taking a step forward, I watch her closely. When she doesn’t object, I take another step and then another, until I’m standing in front of her. I know I’m taking a huge risk here, but given this might be my last chance to get her to see what I see, I slowly reach for her face. To my relief, instead of pulling away, she leans into my touch, closing her eyes as that expectant little gasp I can’t get enough of breaks free from between her lips. Her reaction to that simple touch means everything, for it shows that though her mind is conflicted, her body and heart… those parts of her want this. Me. Us.

“I can show you how, pretty girl. That isn’t the problem. The real question is, do you want to try? Do you want to trust in me?”

“More than I should.” Her answer is pained. “But I can’t tell if this is real. If this is some game, a trick or a dare, maybe a bet you made with your friends to get close to the daughter of the town’s pariah. It’s the only explanation for why someone like you would want to get close to me. Anything else feels too close to fate. To a fairytale. And I learned long ago that those aren’t real. At least not for girls like me.”

“This,” I take her hand and place it on my chest, right over my heart. “What I feel for you in here is more real than anything I’ve ever felt in my whole life, Becca. I understand your doubt because for months now, I’ve mulled over those very same feelings, wondering why now. Why, after knowing you for most of my life, why is my attraction to you suddenly so strong? But here’s the thing, wondering doesn’t change that I’m in love with you. Head over heels. Stupidly. Desperately. Insanely in love with you. You’re all I’ve thought about every minute of every day since that morning I ran into you in Mr. Blair’s office. As far as my friends go, they don’t know how I feel about you. Nobody does, not because I’m ashamed, but because I wanted you to be the first to know. And also, because I know you’re scared.”

Taking her hand in both of mine, I brush my lips over her soft skin, then look deep into her eyes. “I can show you how to trust again. I’ll take my time. Take things as slow as you need, so falling with me won’t feel like a drop. I’ll do it so the entire way down, you’ll feel safe. Secure. Protected. All that’s left for you to do is decide. Will you take that leap with me, pretty girl?”

With a loud exhale, she closes her eyes, sending my heart plummeting in anticipation of the rejection that might be coming.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” I ask, my mind slow to process that she’s agreed.

Nodding with tears in her eyes, she repeats, “Yes. Okay.”

After pulling her hands up and placing them around my neck, I lift her off her feet, then bury my face in the crook of her neck and breathe her in. Her scent, the feel of her skin against my own, the weight of her body in my arms, feels like the spray of the ocean against your face on a hot summer day. “You won’t regret this. I swear it, Becca. I promise to always do right by you.”

Afraid to push my luck, I don’t stay much past that. Instead of kissing her mouth the way I want, I drop a tender kiss on her forehead before packing up my school stuff and heading out of her apartment, after getting her to promise that she’ll call and let me hear her voice before we both drift off to sleep. I’m almost skipping with joy as I make my way to my car, which is why I don’t notice the man leaning against the grill of my Mercedes G-Class.

“Montgomery. Fancy seeing you here.”

Pulling up short, I eye my best friend suspiciously. “Nick. What are you doing here?”

“Funny story.” He crosses his arms over his chest. The scowl that’s a normal part of his broody nature looks far more pronounced than usual. “There I am, sneaking past Charles’s study, eager to get the hell out of the house without the bastard seeing me, and what do I hear? Him spewing ultimatums and threats at my sister, vowing to leave her homeless and destitute, all because you’re out here gallivanting and embarrassing both our families.”

“What are you talking about? And get the hell off my car.” I go around to the driver’s side, fully intending to drive away and leave him here to stew in his anger alone.

“I’m talking about you not honoring your promises to me. To my sister. I’m talking about you messing around with some girl, a fucking nobody, out in the open for everyone to see.”

“Watch your fucking mouth.” I circle back. Grabbing him by the lapel of his leather jacket, I slam him hard against the side of my Mercedes. “Don’t you ever talk about her like that. What I do and who I do it with is none of your goddamn business.”

“It is when it’s my sister whose life is on the line.” He shoves me away.

With hands fisted at my sides, it takes all my self-control to keep from lunging at him. “The reason she’s in that position in the first place is because of you, Nick. Or did you forget? It’s because you refuse to fall in line that your father is holding our futures—hers and mine—hostage. You want to blame someone for your sister’s predicament? Look in the fucking mirror.”

I expect him to come back at me hard, but instead, his shoulders slump. “You’re right. It is my fault.” Turning his back on me with his hands on his hips, he takes a few steps before turning to face me. “But you know why I had to do it, why I can’t go through with the sham of a life he’s proposed for me. You said you understood—”

“I do understand, Nick, but—

“And I don’t remember anyone twisting your arm when you agreed to always take care of Amanda. You swore she’d be okay. Said you had no problem following through with the life Charles and your father have planned for you.”

“Because at the time I didn’t, Nick. But that was two years ago. We were 16 years old when I made that promise. Back then, I had no concept of the life sentence I was committing to.”

“So that’s all she is to you? A life sentence? After all the years you were together. I turned a blind eye to the fact you were fucking my sister—"

Slamming him back against the car, I growl in his face. “Keep your voice down. I loved your sister, dumbass. For years I loved her until the day I realized what I felt for her wasn’t much different from the love I feel for the rest of you assholes. Our parents pushed us together from the time we were little, easing the way, and encouraging us to be together until it felt like it was meant to be. Being with each other was the right thing, the easy thing. What our parents wanted most of all, and though I wish it wasn’t so, pleasing them has always been high on my list of priorities.”

Letting him go, I step back, running a hand through my hair as I try to figure out how the hell we ended up here. Of all my friends, Nick is the most like me. We’re both bound to legacies we never wanted, trapped by the expectations of men who’ve set the bar so high, there’s no way we could ever reach it. The difference is, I still have hope I can work with my parents to redefine my destiny and find a path that is my own. But Nick? He’s essentially given up. He’s determined to never become his father, and in his mind, that means renouncing everything connected with Charles Kline—his influence, the family business, even the money. 

“I still love your sister, Nick. As a friend. Just like I love you and Con. But it’s not enough. Not for her or me. We were never in love. Not really.”

“That’s not how it is for her. She is in love with you.”

“Listen to me Nick, she’s not! She only thinks we belong together because it’s what your father wants. He’s convinced her that marrying me is the only way to secure her position in your family. It’s why I ended things between us. I wanted to give us both a chance to experience other things. Other people. I already had an inkling there was so much more waiting for me out in the real world, and I was right. With enough time, I know she’ll come to the same conclusion.” 

“When you broke up, I understood your reasons, Shane. That’s why I backed your play 100%. Because I agree, these next few years are probably the last chance you both have to live for yourselves. But the problem is, you never officially closed that door and told her it’s really over. Then you left her to bear the responsibility of keeping up the illusion of your relationship for the sake of our parents. You broke things off with her, but like a coward, you never told them. And that’s what makes what you’re doing so much worse. Being seen at another girl’s house? Spending time with this girl out in the open, in front of the entire town? You’re crossing a line here. You’re flaunting your budding relationship not just in front of my sister but right in Charles Kline’s face. It’s one thing to have secret indiscretions—those he’d be okay with—but to do what you’re doing so publicly, without caring who you hurt or how it might look? Come on, Shane. Use your fucking head.”

“You’re thinking he’ll retaliate.”

“Shane, my father might not have much love for my sister, but he’ll view any slight against her as a personal affront to him. Don’t test it. You’ve seen what he did to me, his own son. Imagine the lengths he would go to make an example out of you.”

“He wouldn’t dare go up against a Montgomery,” I warn, my voice firm.

“Maybe not. But what about her?” Nick gestures toward Becca’s apartment. “He’s watching, Shane. Whether he’s keeping tabs on her or on you, one thing is certain. She’s now in his crosshairs. And that’s all thanks to you.”

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Author’s Note:

In this scene, we learn a bit more about the Kline's and Montgomery's, as well as the expectations they've set for their children.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. Are you surprised by all that Nick revealed?  What do you think of Nick's accusations against Shane? 

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