Page 93 of Backup Plan

She clears her throat. “We’re not…I mean, we’re not really living together. You know? I was just staying here, and being in close proximity, it sort of morphed into more.”

Her words are the first jab. She still sees this as temporary. The backup plan…not the plan. A convenient place to stay to get her out of her ex’s home.

I push away the pain of her words. “But if you move to San Diego…” I trail off. “We should tell Everleigh, Pen. Once this goes to trial, it’s going to come out publicly.”

She draws in a sharp breath. “I’m not going to let the court’s timeline bully me into making confessions before I’m ready to make them.”

“Why aren’t you ready to tell her?” I ask. I’m trying to be thoughtful, trying to cover all the bases, but that’s not how she takes it. At all.

“Why the sudden pressure?” she spits at me.

“Sorry?”

“We can’t let him win, Liam. He got in your head, and I won’t allow him to win.”

“This isn’t about Brent. I mean, not really. Not at the core. It’s about the two of us being honest with my sister. I feel like I’m lying to everyone except Madden about the truth, and for a long time, I was the glue that held my family together. I guess I just want to be honest with them about you and me.”

She lets out a strangled sound, and I’m worried I’m pushing her too hard. “We have time before the trial.”

It makes me question why she’s not ready. Is it something I should discuss with her new legal team?

Is it because this isn’t serious to her? Is it because it doesn’t mean to her what it means to me?

That’s the only assumption I can be left with, but at the same time, I don’t want to push her. Her last words were spoken with finality. She’s exhausted. Facing Brent is always emotionally draining, and I don’t want to contribute more to that.

And so I let it go…even as it eats away at me. Even as it digs and claws at me.

I sleep on it, assuming I’ll feel differently in the light of day the next morning.

But I don’t. If anything, that feeling that us being together is only going to hurt her in the long run ate away even more at me overnight, and when I wake up, the truth feels like it’s surrounding me.

I want to just stay in my room until they’re gone, but I don’t. I force myself out of bed. I hug her kids goodbye as she wiggles her fingers at me and drives the boys to school.

I hit the gym, thinking through all of this, and I text Penny as I head back to my place.

Me: Can you come home for lunch? I need to talk to you.

Penny: Is everything okay?

I’m not sure how to respond to that.

No. Nothing is okay, and as I think about what I want to say to her, it feels like nothing will ever be okay ever again.

Me: I’ve just been thinking about our conversation from last night and feel like we left some things unfinished.

Penny: I do, too. Okay. Want me to bring anything?

Me: No, Dolores left some meals for us, so I’ll just heat something up.

Penny: Okay. I have a meeting until noon but will come straight after that.

I wish I could muster up something witty to say about how I’ll have her coming…but I can’t seem to find it in me to make jokes right now.

And I don’t want to make promises I don’t intend to keep.

I don’t reply, instead opting for a shower when I arrive home. Once noon hits, I stare at the clock.

It feels like the minutes tick backward as I wait for her to walk in. My heart thunders more loudly, and my pulse races faster with each passing second.