Legacy by M.A. Foster

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Dylan

With Mac’s officially under construction, I’ve been working out of my apartment. We’re looking at eight months to a year before Legacy opens. Without a business to run, I’ve got too much free time on my hands, so I’ve been focusing on spending more time with my family. I guess you could say I’m making up for lost time. Double dates with Cole and Harper, taco nights at Vanessa’s, trips to the park with Willow, lunches with Mac and Mimi, attending Aiden’s practices and games.

I’m currently stretched out on the sofa, scrolling through Netflix, looking for something to watch. Katie sits on the opposite end, pencil in hand, focused on her sketch pad.

I poke her in the thigh with my big toe. “What are you drawing?”

She lifts the pad and turns it toward me. Flowers.

“What’s that for?”

“I was thinking maybe a tattoo.”

Tossing the remote on the coffee table, I push up to a sitting position and hold out my hand. “May I see it?” She hands over the pad. “What kind of flower is this?”

“It’s a peony.”

The flowers are very feminine and different from the typical rose I’ve seen on so many women around town. A tattoo would look hot on her flawless, pale skin.

“Where do you want it?”

Using her left hand, she runs a finger across the top of her right shoulder. “I’d like it to start here—” She trails her finger down the sleeve of her shirt where her scar sits beneath. “—and stop here.”

“Scars can be tricky to tattoo over. Take your arm out and let me see something.” I love that she no longer flinches at the mention of her scar. Maybe this tattoo is what she needs to help her heal. It definitely helped me.

I hold the sketch next to her arm. “I think it would look hot. I can take you to my guy and let him take a look. How old is the scar?”

She pushes her arm back through the sleeve of her thin sweater and takes the pad from my hand. “It will be four years in August,” she rushes out in a low voice as she continues sketching.

August?What are the chances?

My stomach knots. “Was the accident here or in New York?”

She swallows hard, keeping her attention on the drawing even though the pencil hasn’t moved. “Here,” she whispers as her breathing picks up.

“Katie.”

“Dylan, please don’t.” Her voice cracks, and the pale skin of her chest and neck is covered with red splotches.

“I’m not asking for details of your accident,” I say sternly. “I just need to know one thing.” She says nothing, so I continue. “Were you in the same accident as Jade?”

I wait with bated breath, and after a moment, she nods. A wave of emotions crashes over me, and I latch on to the most familiar one. Anger. My heart slams in my chest as the roaring sound of my pulse fills my ears.

I stand from the couch and pin her with a glare. “You knew?” I yell.

Her head whips up at the anger in my voice, her mouth dropping open in shock.

“Did you know this whole time?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “Vanessa told me at the barbecue.”

“What else did she tell you?” I ask coldly.

She blinks but says nothing.

“Did she tell you about Jade?”

“Yes,” she whispers.

I throw my arms out to my side. “You didn’t think it was important enough to talk about it with me?”

“Judging by your reaction, I’d say it’s still too soon,” she says, her voice flat.

“This isn’t about me. This is about you.” I shove a hand through my hair. The anger I felt has morphed into hurt. “You knew if I opened up to you about Jade, then I’d expect the same from you. We agreed. But if you can’t share the painful pieces of your past with me, then what are we even doing?” I shake my head. “It took me years to get over Jade. To move on. Only to find myself back in the same situation. I can’t deal with all the secrets.”

If I hadn’t been staring her in the eyes, I wouldn’t have seen the exact moment I went too far.

She closes her eyes, a pained expression on her beautiful face, and draws in a deep breath. Standing from the sofa, she walks over to the table to pack up her laptop, iPad, and files, shoving them into her bag before pulling it over her shoulder. Then she moves over to the door, slips her feet into her shoes, grabs her purse and phone off the table, and walks out.

* * *

“Where’s Katie?” Harper asks, dropping down beside me on the bleachers.

“She’s not coming.” I look over to see she’s alone. “Where is everyone?”

“Willow wanted french fries.” She waves a hand. “Why isn’t Katie coming? Is everything okay?” She tilts her head, obviously concerned.

I turn my attention to the field where Aiden is warming up. “She’s not speaking to me at the moment.”

Two days. That’s how long it’s been since she walked out of my apartment. I still can’t believe I treated her like that. I can’t believe I said those things to her. I’m such an asshole.

I waited an hour before I called. She didn’t answer. I texted. She didn’t reply. I drove to her loft and knocked on the door. She didn’t answer. I even tried the code on her door. She’d changed it.

Vanessa came to my apartment yesterday to pick up the rest of Katie’s stuff. She was so pissed at me; she wouldn’t even look me in the eye. I apologized, but she brushed it off. She said if I had any questions or concerns regarding the Legacy project, I could reach Katie through email.

Harper groans. “What did you do?”

“I found out she was in the same accident as Jade and that she knew. I lost it.”

“Dylan.” Harper gasps, and I turn to meet her wide-eyed gaze. “What did you say to her?”

My brows dip. “You knew?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “Why does it matter if she knew?”

“Because it was something I wanted to share with her. It just—” I drop my head in my hands. “It just hit too close to the chest, I guess. No offense, but your sister and all her lies kinda fucked me up. I have trust issues.”

“Well, no offense, but Katie is not Jade. You have no idea what she lost that day.”

“And you do?”

She nods slowly. “You’re not the only one with ghosts, Dylan.”

“Dilly, wanna fwench fwy?” Willow calls out as Cole and my parents approach the bleachers.

“Where’s Katie?” my mom asks.

“Where’s Kadee?” Willow parrots.

“Girls’ night,” Harper chirps, and I send her a silent thank-you.

* * *

The door swings open, and Katie stands there, her expression a mask of indifference, and it makes my fucking chest hurt.

“You hurt my feelings.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“That was a shitty thing for me to say, and I’m sorry. It came from a painful place, but you didn’t deserve that.”

“I know where it came from, Dylan. I wish Vanessa hadn’t told me about Jade. I wanted to hear it from you when we were both ready.”

I rub the back of my neck. “Jade… she….”

“Hurt you.”

“Yeah. Something like that.” I nod. “I’m sorry for being an asshole. You know how I feel about you. It’s just… you were being cagey about the accident. It hit a nerve, and I reacted. I don’t like liars, and I don’t like games.”

“I didn’t lie to you, Dylan,” she says softly. “Just like you didn’t lie to me when you told me Jade’s tragic story but left out the part that she was your girlfriend.”

“I didn’t lie. She… I just….” How did this get so fucking messy?

“Wasn’t ready to talk about it?” She gives me a sad smile. “If anyone understands, I do. It’s not easy to open up about the most painful parts of our life. Not when they still feel so fresh. You weren’t ready, and neither was I.”

“I didn’t mean to push you away.”

“I know.” She lowers her gaze.

“So where do we go from here?” I ask.

“I think we need to slow down. Two people who have been hurt the way we have should’ve eased into this. I knew we were moving too fast, but I couldn’t stop it. You made me feel good. Happy.”

“I can still make you happy.”

“You can also break my heart.” Her eyes fill with tears.

“This is never going to work if you cut and run every time we have an argument.” I shove my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching for her. “Couples argue, and then they make up.”

“That wasn’t an argument.”

I drop my head and blow out a breath. She’s not the only one feeling hurt. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’ll never lose me.”

I lift my head and offer her a tight smile. “It sure as fuck feels like it.”

“Dylan, it’s not—”

“What do you want, Katie?”

“I want you to give me some space.”

“Okay.” I nod once, before leaning in and kissing the corner of her mouth. Then I turn, and walk away.