But that girl didn’t know who she was. And this girl—this woman—does. So I look him over brazenly, taking in the breadth of his shoulders, the corded muscles of his arms, the way his L.A. Demons shirt stretches across his chest, and, finally, the subtle wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. “So do you.” I tap my glass to his, but I don’t take another drink. Despite Teagan’s good intentions, I need to keep my wits about me today.

And for the last two months, I’ve anticipated his return with a mix of dread and curiosity. I feel more than a little guilty about the number of times his impending return has intruded in my thoughts during my scarce alone time with secret kind-of-boyfriend, George. I wonder if I would’ve even gone home with George that first time if I hadn’t learned Easton was coming.

And I can’t help but be grateful that I did. It’s better that I’m not single.

I place my champagne flute on the counter and trade it for a mug full of coffee.

When it comes to Easton Connor, I cannot be trusted.

Easton

Seeing Shayleigh Jackson for the first time in almost seven years is like an iron fist to the solar plexus. I’d be a liar if I said I hadn’t thought about her in our time apart, and an even bigger liar if I denied doing a little Internet stalking to prepare for this meeting today. Her Facebook account’s locked down tighter than Fort Knox, so I couldn’t get much there aside from her profile picture and a handful of pics both she and Carter are tagged in. Instagram and Twitter were no more fruitful.

This profile is private.

I’m sure I’m being defensive, but it felt like those words were directed at me. Like she’s kept everything private just to shut me out. I’m not entirely paranoid. She’s done worse to keep me away.

Luckily for me, there’s still Google. The Starling University website didn’t disappoint. She’s a lecturer there, teaching classes in postmodern fiction and contemporary women’s lit. According to her bio, she’s working on a dissertation on the intersection of pop music and contemporary American women’s poetry, which sounds so much like Shay that I had to smile. Life is full of shitty surprises, but I’m glad some things stay the same.