“Okay. Bye.” I head out the door and drive home.

One look in the mirror of the Jeep confirms I do, in fact, look terrible. The omnipresent circles under my eyes are exacerbated by my puffy eyes and tearstained cheeks. I rub at my face with a napkin I found in the center console, then head inside.

Sloane is sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping from a mug of what smells like coffee. She takes in my appearance silently. “No Logan?”

I shake my head, almost tempted to laugh. Last night’s drama feels like a lifetime ago after this morning.

“You never showed up last night. And Gray left without flirting with a single girl on his one night back.”

I lift one shoulder, then finally drop it. I’m too drained to deny it or share details.

Sloane smirks. “I knew you were full of shit when you said you were over him.”

I laugh, then sigh. “He’s…he makes me forget there are other people walking around in the world, you know?”

She shakes her head. “No, I don’t. I’ve never been in love.”

“He’s going to break my heart.” I sound confident—because I am. Things between me and Gray have a high percentage of not working out the way I want them to.

Sloane gives me a small, knowing smile, recognizing the same truth. “I’ll help you pick up the pieces.”

I hug her. “Thank you.”

“Is he huge?” she asks. “I mean, he seems like he would be huge.”

I chuckle before I pull away. “I don’t have anything to compare it to.”

Sloane’s eyes widen. “You and Logan never…”

I shake my head.

“Wow. I just assumed…”

“I know. But, no, we didn’t. I just didn’t—”

“You didn’t forget there were other people on the planet.”

“I didn’t forget about anything.”

“He left?”

“Yeah.” My voice is quiet. “I’m sorry about not telling you.”

“It’s okay. I get it. Frankly, I’m shocked. And proud.”

I offer a small smile. “Yeah, I kind of figured you would be. I’ll tell you everything later, I promise.”

Sloane nods. “I’m holding you to that.”

I fill a glass with water to rehydrate after my crying jag and then I head to shower and sleep.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I don’t hear from Gray for a full week after his departure. I spend the stretch of time stressing and second-guessing. Working and worrying. By the time he finally calls, I’ve worked myself up into a mess. I’m in my bedroom, getting ready for bed, when the phone rings. I fall onto my bed and babble for the first ten minutes, barely letting him get a word in.