Replace Me (Kin #2)(48)
Author: Jennifer Foor

We pulled up at the diner about forty minutes later. After walking in and getting a table, I waited for Joey’s mother to come and wait on us. She was standing up at the bar, hugging a blonde that was crying. At first I didn’t recognize who it was, until she turned around. Lacey stood there, with Joey’s mom. She was sobbing and had makeup running down her face.

I couldn’t help myself. I got up and walked over to them. “Lace, are you alright?”

Lacey

Of all the people that I wanted to see, I had run into Shayne and Ashley. I’d driven all this way in tears. Joey was gone and I had to talk to him. I was desperate.

Miss Viv. walked away so we could talk.

“What are you doing here, Shayne?”

“You first. What’s goin’ on?”

I started crying so hard I didn’t know if he could understand what I was saying. “Joey’s gone and it’s all my fault. I ruined everything. I didn’t know, Shayne. I swear, I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t know what?”

“Everyone thinks he left because of me. I walked out on him and told him we couldn’t be together. I didn’t know his feelings were real. Now he’s gone.”

Shayne pulled me into his arms and I refused to pull away. I needed the comfort out of some desperate attempt to have someone understand me. “Please don’t cry, Lace. It’s goin’ to be okay.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not. I love him. I’m sorry. I know it isn’t something you want to hear from me, but it’s true. I fought it, I really did. I just can’t anymore. I can’t imagine never seeing him again.”

“Shh, we’ll get in touch with him. I’ll talk to him. It’s goin’ to be fine.”

I shook my head again and finally pulled away. “I’m not calling him, Shayne. I’m going to Italy. I’ve got to see him. He needs to hear it in person.”

“Don’t be silly. You can’t fly halfway across the world. Just call him.”

He wasn’t getting it and neither had Joey’s mom. Nobody could understand that my irrational, desperate thinking wasn’t going to go away until I was on a plane, going after the man that I needed to be with. Nothing else mattered. I didn’t care about finishing school, telling my parents, hanging out with my friends. All I cared about was finding Joey, before it was too late, before he’d moved on and found someone to replace me.

“His mom is giving me the address. Sky’s been trying to book my flight for the past hour. I’m going and you’re not going to stop me.”

“It’s too dangerous. Bad things happen to women traveling alone.” Shayne wouldn’t shut up.

Another voice shocked me. “Go with her, Shayne. Make sure she gets there in one piece.” Ashley stood a couple feet from me. She had her hand on her stomach and I thought about the twins she was carrying. So much had happened between me and Shayne and he was still trying to protect me. It didn’t make sense, but my options had run out.

“I will be fine. Once I get to the airport, I’ll take a cab to his apartment. His mom says it’s a good neighborhood and I should be fine, even if I have to wait. She said there’s a coffee shop right across from his place.”

Shayne reached out and took my hand. “I’m sorry for my part in all of this, Lacey. If I would have just let you go, none of this would have happened. I just wanted you to be happy. It sucks that it can’t be with me, but I get it. Just know that I’ll always care bout you.”

Hearing him say it, made me finally feel at peace. Shayne was letting me go and a huge weight lifted off of me. “You were my first love, Shayne.”

He kissed my hand. “I know. Maybe if I wasn’t such a prick, things could have ended up differently.”

“Maybe.”

“Call me when you get back, Lace. I’d like to know you’re alright.”

“I will.”

Shayne and Ashley sat back down at their table while I waited for Joey’s mom. The woman was so desperate to get her son back that she didn’t even argue with me about my decision. The guilt was horrible when I thought about being the reason that she was so sad. My plan had to work. Even if he didn’t love me, maybe he’d still consider coming back for his family. Either way, I couldn’t live another day without knowing the truth.

I walked out to my car with Joey’s information and saw Shayne heading towards me. I turned around and tried to be humble, instead of breaking down again. “I’m fine, I promise.”

“Do you know your flight information?”

“I know I’m flying out of Dulles. The earliest was a redeye to Rome. Sky hasn’t called me back with the exact details.”

“How are you gettin’ there?”

I appreciated him caring, but I was fully capable of getting to an airport alone. “I’m driving. I’ve been there before to drop my dad off when he went on a hunting excursion. It’s no big deal.”

“I don’t want you parking in the middle of the night, all alone. I’m drivin’ you. How about I take Ashley home and meet you at your parents. It’s on the way to the airport anyway. We can get back on route fifty and take it all the way to ninety-five.”

I thought about driving alone in my condition. “I can’t ask you to drive me to go see the other guy. It’s not right.”

“I’m offerin’. That’s different. Besides, I insist.”

“Fine, I’ll text you my flight info. I need to be there two hours in advance, just in case.”

Shayne agreed to wait for my text and headed over to his own vehicle. Once I hit the main highway, I cried the whole way back to my parents. I’d been miserable since I walked out of his door that night, but this was torture. All I wanted to do was feel his arms wrapping around me. I wanted to hear him telling me that I was different. This time, I wanted to believe him. He needed to know that I’d been fighting my feelings for him since that first night.

My text from Sky made me cringe when I saw how much a plane ticket was going to cost me. Twelve hundred dollars later, I was booked on a nonstop flight. With less than four hours until take off, I called Shayne to let him know.

This was really happening. I was doing something crazy and I wasn’t coming back until Joey knew that I wanted him.

Chapter 23

Shayne

I dropped Ashley off and headed toward Lacey even before she’d text me the information. After stopping by to grab some antacids for my upset stomach, I arrived shortly after. She carried one bag out to the car and I put it in the back for her. Once we were both inside the vehicle, I felt like I was going to suffocate.