Unbreak Me by Lexi Ryan Read Free Book Online

objection isn’t going to stop her now.
    “I think it was that Maggie,” Grandma says with a knowing nod. “She didn’t want to see you marrying her sister.”
    “Grandma.” My voice is hard, making Grandma’s shoulders drop, her face go sad. “Maggie wouldn’t do that,” I say, softer now, because as much as I hate the way she talks about Maggie, I know it’s all out of love for me.
    Grandma shakes her head. “That’s what you said when I told you about the rumors back in high school. Then the truth came out. It always does. Poor Ann Quimby’s whole life was torn apart by the girl.”
    “Mom, she’s the county prosecutor now and has a new husband and children. I think she survived.”
    Gran turns to Cecilia and whispers, “Boy’s got no sense when it comes to that little girl.”
    Cecilia shakes her head and combs her fingers through Grandma’s hair.
    I let out a slow breath. “Grandma, I have my cell. Just give me a call when you’re done.” I head to the door before they have a chance to say anything else about the wedding or Maggie or gossip that should have died years ago.
    When I hit the sidewalk, I’m swarmed by the greetings of the bookstore patrons next door. They’re sitting out on the patio, sipping coffee and sharing “local news,” more easily recognizable as gossip.
    “So sorry to hear about your wedding, Willy,” Mrs. White calls.
    I close my eyes. God damn do I hate when people call me that. “It’s okay,” I assure her, forcing a smile. “What matters is that we have each other. No stink bomb can change that.”
    “Of course it can’t, and Krystal’s mother tells us you’re opening an art gallery in the old Beatlemeyer building.”
    “He is?” the woman across from her croons. “Well, that’s what we need around here. More young people investing in this town. Putting roots down. Good for you, young man. Not like all those snotty college kids running away as soon as they get their degree.”
    “Thank you,” I say. “We’re lucky to be in a position to do it.”
    I excuse myself, but I don’t turn to my car. The Curl Up and Dye sits just three blocks off campus and I need the walk to clear my head.
    New Hope is simultaneously a young and aging community. The largest population is our community of seniors who lived and worked in this little town their whole life. Our second largest population comes from Sinclair, a small liberal arts college that families all over the country spend a small fortune to send their spoiled, privileged children to. In between, there are a few of us staying for jobs at the college or family ties or, in my case, both.
    I can’t leave Grandma. The woman raised me and she doesn’t have anyone else. So I’m here with Krystal, and we are going to make the most of it.
    My steps slow as I approach the county library and my breath catches in my throat.
    At a seat by the window, Maggie sits with her laptop open, headphones on, and a soft smile on her lips. My feet stall under me as she leans toward her screen and her smile grows.
    Suddenly, she turns to the window, and our gazes lock through the glass. Her smile falls away.
    My chest is heavy with regret and longing and…fuck, I’m angry . She’s the one who left. She’s the one who called it off.
    So why does she look at me like I’ve broken her heart?
    ***
    Maggie
     
    I might as well be sixteen again, I’m so obsessed with Infinite Gray.
    I made a little trip to my local library to use their internet access—because Operation New Me means I can’t steal it from my neighbors anymore—and now my hard drive is loaded with the band’s album and a couple dozen half-nude pictures of Asher. The more I listened to the album, the more the memories came back—my ceiling fan spinning above my bed, my heart frozen in my chest, that low, mellow voice crooning from my MP3 player as I did my damndest to sink into my numbness and disintegrate into nothing.
    “Come back and break me, don’t let