“What happened? Please, let me help you.”
“Fate must have a sick sense of humor. We were the only two people from our school in the summer program so we gravitated toward each other. He was always so sweet. And charming. Half the time I knew he was full of shit but it didn’t matter because he was funny and down-to earth. I always thought he was just some spoiled rich kid with his nose stuck up in the air. But he wasn’t. He wasn’t fake or phony. He was real – all the time, about everything. Or so I thought.”
“He’s breaking your heart,” I guessed. I was tempted to track him down and kick him in the nuts.
“It’s silly really and my fault. He never promised me anything. He just always made me feel special. And for the first time I wanted to be special for someone other than me. I wanted to be special for him. I cared about what he thought.”
I tried to hide my surprise but I knew my face said it all. For her that was big. Willow was a take me or leave me kind of girl.
“One day I even tried to be normal. I dressed like a square to please or impress him – I don’t know. We were going to hang out and he showed up dressed like I would dress.” She let out a small laugh, her cries finally subsiding. “He looked ridiculously beautiful and proud and I loved him for it. That was the day I gave myself to him.”
“Why were you crying just now?”
“I threatened to get a restraining order if he didn’t stay away from me.” I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “He got upset. Really upset. He said it wasn’t fair to try and force him to stay away just because I couldn’t.”
“I get that he is supposed to be engaged with Rosalyn but why were you fighting him before you found out?”
“You know Charles is my adopted father and Buddy’s real father?” I nodded. “My mom doesn’t like to talk about it but my birth father is some rich guy who she fell in love with. Well they were supposed to get married but his family didn’t approve of her. Apparently he was already engaged to someone else. My mom didn’t say much about her just that she came from a rich family also.”
“This is sounding familiar,” I stated dryly.
“Yeah, that’s why I freaked out Saturday– for once I had to admit that my mother was right and it hurt like hell to hear that he’d been playing me.”
Guilt ate at me the more I listened to her because I knew of Keiran and Dash’s plan and in a way I took part in it by saying nothing. At the time I thought it was the right thing to do but now…
I took a deep breath and steeled myself for what I had to do. “Willow, Keiran set Dash up with you so that he could use you to blackmail me. I knew about it but I couldn’t tell you because if I did he would tell Dash to break your heart.” The words rushed out of my mouth before I could think it over.
She shook her head and released a humorless laugh. “He succeeded. My heart is broken.”
“I am so sorry, Willow. I should have told you sooner. Please forgive me.”
“Yes, you should have,” she affirmed. “But I don’t blame you.” I hugged her to me and surprisingly she hugged me back.
“So why get involved with him?”