Page 30 of Broken Saint
With a soft smile playing on my lips and warm fuzzies in my belly, I lower my cell to my lap.
“West wants me to stay for the weekend,” I confess as we pull up in front of Letty and Kane’s house.
“I hope you told him yes,” she says before killing the engine and pushing the door open.
“Uh…”
“The answer is yes, Ella. You’re not going back to Texas. Not until you have a plan.”
“But I have a life there, a job, a?—”
Letty glares at me, silently asking,do you?
“Okay fine, the only thing I have there to go back for is Mom.”
“Quit your job, El. Move here. Our guest room is yours until you figure everything out. You deserve to be surrounded by people who love you, your friends.”
“But—”
“No buts. Just…think about it.” She slams the door closed, and Peyton quickly follows, leaving me in silence for a beat.
Could I do it? Could I leave my miserable life behind and start over?
8
COLTON
“At what point did you decide that blindsiding me with that was a good fucking idea?” I bark at Kane as the three of us finally get done with the media and escape to the locker room.
“Thought it would be a nice surprise. Didn’t expect you to turn into a little bitch over it.”
“It’s just Ella, man,” Luc says, stepping up beside me. “What’s the big deal?”
There is no big deal. Or at least, there shouldn’t be.
Luca’s right. It is just Ella.
The problem, though, is that she’s never beenjustElla.
She’s the only one who’s ever gotten under my skin and in my head.
And she’s probably the last thing I need in my life right now while my head is all fucked up.
I’ve no idea what’s made me reminisce over these past few weeks. Yeah, she’s always been in my thoughts, but nothing like recently. Maybe I just drowned her out with others. And as soon as I’ve stopped, there she is, taunting me with my mistakes and forcing me to think about what could have been.
It couldn’t, though.
Me and her. It never would have worked.
I’d have fucked it up. I’d have hurt her, and in turn, I’d have hated myself for it.
I’ve seen the pain relationships can cause. I’ve seen firsthand how it can rip people apart. And I want no part in doing that to someone I care about. Least of all, someone as sweet, caring, and loyal as Ella.
No. What I did was right.
We had our last time together and we both agreed that was it. That she was going to take off after graduation and embark on the life she deserved. And that was the last time we spoke.
I’ve heard snippets about her life from the others, but I’ve forced myself to stay off her socials, and I never ask about her.