Every Kiss(65)

Is she freaking serious? Regardless of the fact that I secretly think her ridiculous plan is genius, Wes wouldn’t ever agree to it. He got what he wanted from me, and he’s probably gone back to screwing Allison every time he gets the urge, so he has absolutely no use for me anymore. He never disagreed with me when I called him a coward, and I think that’s because he knows it.

“You know what, Makenna? Fine. I’ll give you the damn two days, but only because I can’t wait to prove how wrong you are yet again. And if he doesn’t agree to it, then that will prove that you’re wrong, too. Either way, I’ll win, and believe me, I can’t wait to tell you exactly what I think about it.”

A smug grin forms on her lips. “Oh, I can’t wait either. Stay here just a second, and I’ll find out his answer.”

“Good. Hurry back, so I can start tearing into you. It may take a while.”

To think that the two of them actually think that this would actually work. It’s ridiculous. If they knew the whole story, then maybe they wouldn’t be so confident. Wes will never agree to this nonsense.

Makenna pops her head back in the door. “Wes agreed to forty-eight hours.”

“You’re kidding.” God, I want to smack that stupid smile off her face.

“Nope. Not at all. Don’t get me wrong, Shane says he argued with him, just like you did with me, but he still agreed. Kind of telling, isn’t it?”

“No, that just tells me that he didn’t want to be the ass that said ‘no.’ That way, neither of you could say that he never gave it a chance. Neither of you could say he didn’t try to do the right thing and work it out with me.”

Makenna leans against the wall and taps a finger on her chin. “So you know you just admitted that something happened between you, right? You finally admit that it wasn’t just a one night thing and you both casually went your separate ways with no hard feelings.”

Damn it. She got me. “Okay. Yes, there’s more to that story. Happy?”

“No, I’m not. I hate seeing you unhappy. I don’t know what feelings there are, but I know they’re there. That’s the reason for the two days. Work your shit out, Callie, and move on from this. If it’s just a matter of you having the opportunity to say your piece, then do it. If it’s something more than that, talk to him and figure out this mess. I knew it was a pretty bold move, but this is what I wanted to give you for your birthday—opportunity. So take it, use it wisely, and stop being so pissed off.”

I nod once, finally allowing my eyes to meet hers. I don’t know when she grew some balls, but I’m actually kind of proud of her. “Okay.”

“Good. Shane and I are going out to the beach for a while, so you guys can join us or stay in here and start hashing it out. The choice is yours.” She walks out, leaving me standing in the middle of the room. I’m speechless. It’s about damn time I rubbed off on her, but it’s just my luck that she’s using my own tactics against me.

I wait a while after I hear Shane and Makenna leave the house, interested to see if the coward comes up to talk to me, but as suspected, he doesn’t. So I’m going to show him that I’m not scared to face him. He agreed to stay here for two days, and we’re supposed to talk all of this out, so damn it, I’m going to prove to him that I’m not the one running from it.

Twisting the knob, I tug on the door, but there’s a little more resistance than I expect. There’s also a hand on the other side of the knob that I didn’t expect to see. Hmm, he actually came up here. Probably just trying to stroke his own ego by proving me wrong.

“So you’re stuck with me for a couple of days, huh?” Wes pushes the door open enough to lean into the jamb. “Why did you agree to it?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Were you counting on me saying ‘no’ so you’d get out of it, looking like the good guy?”

“No. I just figured you wouldn’t do it. You’ve made it clear exactly what you think of me, and I was surprised to find out you told Makenna you’d give them the weekend to prove they’re right.”

Turning on my heel, I walk through the open balcony doors and look out at where the horizon meets the ocean. “Wes, you made it clear what you thought of me the morning that you disappeared. We’re even.”

“You really want to jump into all of it right now?” he asks, appearing beside me. “You called me a damn coward, so I’m going to set you straight. I’m not afraid to tell you exactly what happened between us, Callie. I’ve been honest with you from the minute I met you. Not once did I think you were some prize I had to win. I have no idea what gave you that impression. Yes, I ran, but hell, I told you I was going to. I warned you that, the minute I felt something for you, I’d be gone. And for some reason, when it happens exactly like that, I’m somehow a coward for not being upfront with you. Explain to me how being honest makes me a coward.”