My Beautiful Neighbor (The Greene Family Book 1) by Piper Rayne (phonics reading books TXT) 📕

knew I was going to bail.” He shakes his head as we come to the clearing of the lake.

“I don’t understand. I get that neither of us wanted a relationship, but after the feelings developed, we didn’t really have a choice.”

He stares out at the lake. “My mom drowned in this lake.”

My eyes close. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know. Everyone is. I was twelve, and my dad had us all at football practice. Chevelle was home with my mom. She thought we were all outside having fun skating on the lake and she snuck out. She was always chasing us around, wanting to play with her older brothers. Mom ran out to get her when she realized she was gone, and when she got here, Chevelle was standing in the middle of the frozen lake. We’d just returned from football and saw my mom running to the lake. She yelled to my dad and we all followed.”

I take his hand. “You don’t have to tell me this. It’s okay.”

He looks at me, tears glistening in his eyes. “I do. Because I love you and I want you to know why I struggled to accept my feelings.” His Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows. “Mom got across the ice and told Chevelle to come back to my dad. As soon as my sister was safe… that’s when the ice splintered. By the time my dad got to her, it was too late.”

I tighten my grip. “Oh, Cade.”

He nods. “It was so long ago.” He blinks and his eyes start to clear as he widens them and sniffs to stop the tears from falling. “I’m scared. I’m scared that if I admit these feelings I have for you and let myself sink into them, there’s a chance that I could lose you. I don’t want to feel that kind of pain again.”

I walk into his arms and hold him tightly. This was Marla’s cryptic message. I knew it had to do with his mom, but it’s amazing how it all fits now that I have all the pieces.

“I’m sorry, Presley. For putting you through all that. I never planned on falling in love with you, but I did, and I’d be a fucking fool to let you go. I finally realized that it doesn’t hurt any less losing you this way than if we were together and something happened.” He takes me by the shoulders and pushes me out of his embrace so that he can meet my gaze. “If you want to go home to Connecticut, I understand. I embarrassed you, and I promise to make it up to you. If there’s still a chance… I can’t go tonight, but I’ll square things away here and meet you there. That is, if you’ll have me.”

I place my hands on his stubbled cheeks. “I’ve got a tougher skin than you give me credit for. I’m not going anywhere. I like Sunrise Bay.”

“But Nikki said—”

I shake my head. “Nope.”

“So you’re staying?”

I nod.

“Can you forgive me?” He looks as if he’s holding his breath, waiting for my response.

“All I ever wanted was for you to be honest with me. I understand you’re scared. I am too. But we can navigate through all of it together. You just have to let me in.”

“You’re in. You’re already in my heart. I’m not sure I could keep you out no matter how hard I tried.”

I rest my chin on his chest, looking up at him. “Then let’s do this.”

“Rules?” he asks. His hand slides around my neck, his fingers threading through my hair.

I shake my head. “No rules this time.”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

He dips his head but pauses right before his lips touch mine. “And don’t feel like you have to say you love me back. I’ll totally wait.”

“Once you set everyone in Sunrise Bay straight and declare your love for me, I’ll get back to you on the I love you thing. Maybe you can put up a banner downtown or something.”

He laughs, tilting his head back.

I grab his shirt and pull him toward me. “I love you too.”

His lips fall to mine, and for the first time, all the pieces of my life fit together perfectly. I know it’s a fleeting feeling and our road will be bumpy, but as I told him, as long as we’re on the ride together, that’s good enough for me.

One year later

“I’m not so sure about this,” I say to Clara. I’m just being honest—I don’t know if Presley will be cool wearing this ring.

“Believe me, she’ll love it. And hello, it’s been a year. No more dragging your feet, Cade Greene.”

I hold up my hands. “Hey, I’ve been all in.”

And I have been. I’ll be the first to admit it took me forever to realize that losing Presley would hurt no matter if I let her slip away now or in fifty years. If I didn’t want to love someone, I never should’ve picked her for a friends with benefits arrangement. It was a losing bet from the get-go.

I ended up moving out of my childhood home, and Presley and I bought a small house on the outskirts of downtown together, close to my parents and close to our businesses. It’s actually cheesy how we walk to work together when it’s nice, and sometimes on slow days, we walk home for lunch. Wink, wink, if you get what I mean.

“I’m so happy for you guys,” Clara says.

Watching not only my own relationship with Presley grow but watching her relationship with Clara grow into a true friendship and sisterhood this past year has been everything. I think it’s something they both needed. But still, I’m not sure I can trust Clara on this.

I look at the ring again. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime question. If I fuck this up, it’s all she’ll remember.”

“You’re not going to mess it up. Look at this place.” She gestures to the ground beyond the deck.

A path of tea lights in luminary bags lead