Replace Me (Kin #2)(55)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I tried to regain composure over myself, instead of being a babbling baby, but he was breaking my heart. This wasn’t how I’d played things out in my head. I wanted to be with Joey, but it wasn’t going to happen unless we were living on the same continent. It seemed as if we were doomed before ever having a chance at a real relationship.

I sobbed, so hard that he sat down on the edge of the bed and started rubbing my legs. “Don’t cry, baby. Please don’t cry.”

“I can’t help it. I want this with you. No other man has ever made me feel the way that you do. You’re acting like you’d rather walk away from this, than try to make things work. My heart is breaking. I came all this way for you, because I loved you so much that I was willing to cross the ocean to bring you home to me. Now, you tell me that can’t happen. How am I supposed to feel? How am I supposed to look you in the eyes when I know that we have to say goodbye to each other? I’m sorry, Joey. I’m not like you. I can’t do it without hurting.”

The room was quiet aside from my weeping. I wanted him to reach out and tell me things would be okay, but Joey didn’t move. He laid down beside me and covered his face with his hands. Not that I was watching him anyway. My eyes were too filled with tears to be able to pay any attention to him.

We both lay there, side by side, with nothing left to say to each other. I’d come and experienced just a taste of what it would be like to have his heart and have given him mine, but that was all it could be. Before things got worse for both of us, I was going to have to get up and leave. I couldn’t be that close to him and not want more. I think he knew it too, since he was keeping his distance.

Without waiting for him to question me, I headed into the bathroom to shower. When I was done, I’d say my goodbyes and walk out of his life.

Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten involved so soon after Shayne. Maybe I should have let him be and not chased him down. I felt worse than when we were apart before and this time, it would be because it was what he wanted.

Chapter 26

Shayne

I didn’t wait very long to call Megan. I didn’t just like her because she reminded me of Lacey. I liked her because she hated me and the challenge kept me invested.

It was a little after nine in the evening and I knew she’d still be awake. Who went to bed that early at our age? Finally after it rang four times, she answered.

“Hello?”

“Megan, it’s me, Shayne.”

“Yeah, I saw your name. Are you going to make me regret telling you to call me? I mean, I thought you’d at least have the decency to wait a few days.”

“No. I just wanted to say that it was great to see you earlier today, that’s all.” I waited for her to respond and wondered if she’d hung up.

“I don’t know about nice, but it was something.”

“I’ll cut to the chase, Megan. You’re interesting and I like talkin’ to you. I want to take you out to dinner, as friends of course.”

“Didn’t I just say that we could be long-distance friends? I never agreed to a date.”

“Not a date. Just two people having conversation over dinner.” I waited for her to reply and the silence meant she was thinking it over.

“I will meet you at a restaurant, a well lit one, with plenty of people in it.”

“Jesus, I don’t murder people.”

“Shayne, let’s be clear about one thing. You will never get me into your bed, backseat, or anywhere else for that matter. I have no interest in sleeping with you, not now and not ever. I only agreed to be your friend, because I felt sorry for you.”

“I will text you the details of where to meet. I know how you feel about me, Megan. You’ve made it very clear.”

“Goodnight Shayne.”

“Goodnight.”

Ashley smiled at me from the other side of the couch. She had her whole hand in a bag of popcorn and threw a piece at me. “She’s goin’ to cut off your dick if you try to get it near her, you know that right?”

I shrugged. “I plan on bein’ nice and havin’ a plutonic meal with her. Hopefully she can’t reach it from under the table.”

Ash laughed. “Are you sayin’ it’s small?”

I threw the popcorn back at her. “Don’t even play. You know I will whip that shit out right now and show you.”

She covered her face. “Eww. Take that somewhere else.”

Before I could say anything, She shot up straight and grabbed her stomach. I was immediately at her side. “What’s wrong?”

She grabbed my hand and put it on her belly. “Feel.”

I could barely feel little taps against my hand. Then they finally stopped. We looked at each other, but I didn’t remove my hand. “How long have you been feelin’ that?”

“A few days, I guess. I thought I had gas or somethin’. One of those books said it was called flutterin’. I laid in bed last night feelin’ them. That’s when I knew what I had to do.”

I looked at her with worry in my eyes. “What do you have to do?”

“I need to devote my whole life to these two. It’s time I stopped worryin’ about myself and started living for them.” She smiled and looked down at her belly.

I kissed her cheek, catching her off guard. “You’re goin’ to do great, Ash.”

“I hope so.”

We stayed up watching a movie. Ashley was probably thinking about the twins, while I was focused on how I was going to get back into Megan’s good graces. This was definitely going to be my hardest challenge. Since I’d slept with her sister, she wasn’t going to let me touch her, at all.

When I got into my room, I lay there staring at the ceiling, thinkin’ about Lacey. I don’t understand why my mind kept going back to her, because she was obviously happy in Joey’s bed. Just picturing them together made me cringe. I hated that he’d won her heart and promised myself that I would kick his ass one day, if he hurt her.

By midnight, I’d already looked up a few places to eat and shot Megan a text message. It was late and I was sure she was asleep, but I needed the distraction. Getting her to like me was going to be it.

Anything was better than sitting around thinking about the girl that I let get away.

Lacey

I don’t know how long I’d been crying. Joey continued to hold me and I did manage to sleep in between the sobbing. It wasn’t like he was being mean to me. The man didn’t know how to be a boyfriend. He’d slept with women with no strings since puberty. How could I be angry when he honestly was confused himself?