Page 135 of The Complete Truth Duet
Catalina sucked in a deep breath. “You’re right.”
Drew scoffed. “No, she’s not right. She’s the antithesis of right. She’s so obviously wrong, right won’t even claim her anymore. She’s beyond—”
“Enough,” Penn growled. “Right. Wrong. Purple. Banana. It doesn’t fucking matter tonight. It’s late. We all need to get some rest. First thing in the morning, we can regroup and figure out the details. But, for now, I need sleep. Catalina, you’re in the spare. Drew, you’ve got the couch. Cora, you’re with me.”
I laughed, loud and genuine, complete with folding an arm over my stomach and doubling over. “Oh, God, that was funny.” I pointed at Penn. “Nice touch there at the end.”
He arched an eyebrow, his face stoic as ever. “Who’s joking? Let’s go. You can be pissed all you want, but—”
All humor dissipated. “Do not finish that statement. Do not think for one second that you are going to tell me what I’m going to do. You will lose. Every single time. I’m a big girl, with big-girl feelings and a big-girl brain. I can decide where I want to sleep, and tonight, after the day I’ve had, that is not with you.”
His eyes flashed dark, but then, just as quickly, they cut over my shoulder. “All I meant—”
“Oh, I know what you meant. No need to explain. You don’t need time—I got it. But I do. And that does not involve crawling into your bed. So, tonight, Isabel can sleep with her mom, I’ll sleep with River and Savannah, and you and Drew can play rock-paper-scissors for the master for all I care.”
His lips thinned. “It’s only one queen bed, Cora. You’ll wake up with bruises you sleep in there with the two of them.”
I shrugged. “Better on the outside than allowing you to put any more on my inside.”
He frowned—gorgeous and frustrated.
I held his stare—pinchy-faced and perturbed.
Eventually, he gave up, planting a hand on his hip as he turned his glare on the floor. “Christ, you are stubborn.”
“Not a revelation.” I walked over to Catalina and gave her arm a squeeze. “You gonna be able to sleep tonight?”
She smiled, her whole beautiful face warming. “Probably not, but I’m exhausted.”
“Me too.”
We started down the hall, leaving the guys alone in the living room. Neither of us had anything to sleep in, but all we really needed were the three girls in the bedroom and a deadbolt on the front door.
Story of my life.
Just before I opened Savannah’s bedroom door, I peeked over my shoulder at Penn. He was standing at the mouth of the hall, his smoldering gaze locked on my back. Yeah, I’d escaped sleeping in his bed that night, but I had no idea how much longer that would last. I wanted to be with him—desperately and deeply. But I also needed space to decide if that was even a plausible idea anymore.
He’d lied to me more times than I could count.
But even through the paralyzing betrayal, I could understand why he’d thought that was best.
Unlike most of the men in my life, he’d done it to help me. To help River.
Even to help Savannah.
But whatever his explanation, he’d still done it. He’d still underestimated me. He’d still decided what he had thought was best for me, without so much as a conversation. And he’d done it in such a way that left me even more broken than I had been in the first place. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to let that bitterness go.
I finally had a voice.
I finally had opinions.
I finally had choices.
I’d be damned if I’d let anyone take those away from me again.
Drew walked over to him, cradling his fist in the palm of his hand. “I need to go down and smoke. Let’s do best two out of three?”
Penn never tore his gaze off mine as he replied, “Get the hell out of my face with that bullshit. I’m not fucking playing rock-paper-scissors with you.”
I bit my lip to stifle a smile. However, when Penn’s eyes lit and his lips tipped skyward, I assumed I’d failed.
Though, after rushing into Savannah’s room without so much as knocking, I succeeded at hiding the schoolgirl sigh.
Cora
Penn had been right. The three of us sleeping in one bed had been a war zone. I had a bruise on my ribs from River’s elbow and one on my thigh from Savannah’s heel. Why I’d thought it would be a good idea for me to sleep in the middle, I’d never know. At the time, I’d wanted to be close to both of them. In hindsight, Penn’s bed probably would have been safer—at least physically.
Mentally, I hadn’t been able to shut down that night. There was too much to think about. But after spending the day supplied with an elephant’s dose of adrenaline, my body was down for the count. I’d done that thing where I’d tossed and turned, convinced I couldn’t fall asleep, but somehow, the hours passed in a span of minutes.
