Read Online Bellissimo Rilascio (Beautiful Release): The Family Series #3 by Leigh Ann Lunsford - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Leigh Ann Lunsford
Tags: General Fiction
Ads: Link
diminish what Dakota and I had because I learned a lot from it. No matter what’s been said or done, he will always hold a place in my heart. Heath understood that. He told me he knew Dakota would always hold a place, and he was okay with that as long as the rest was his. Again, he said no pressure . But I never ran from Heath; I went through the motions of acting like I was shielding myself, but he never made me feel like I had to. I felt settled but exhilarated with him. The butterflies and excitement never wavered. The calmness that flowed through me each time I was with him was still strong. It was everlasting, and I believed in it, but somehow I managed to reject it simultaneously. See, I’m fucked up.”
“No, Bianca, you aren’t. You’re human. So what does all of that tell you?”
“I fucked up. I let him go of him instead of letting him in. But he was in; I just never let him know it. I allowed him to believe the worst because it was easier than admitting the opposite. That I love him.”
“You can tell him whenever you’re ready. I’m not telling you that will fix everything or you will end up together, but it will help you move forward.”
“What if it’s not that easy?”
“What if it is?” Touché, Doc.
Chapter Ten
Dakota
Work.
Sleep.
Repeat.
That’s what I’ve done for six months since leaving my home, my friends . . . my heart. Each day gets easier, and that doesn’t sit right with me. It should be harder to be gone each day, and I feel guilty for mending when I exacted so much misery. The fact that a certain neighbor is helping alleviate some of my guilt doesn’t make it better. Lisa has turned out to be . . . unexpected. After dancing around each other for a few weeks, learning a lot about her from the paper-thin walls we share was amusing to say the least; I’ve come to crave Thursday Wine Nights with her and Maura. They’re enlightening and show me a different side of Lisa than I get from our occasional chats and shared meals. All platonic.
I raise my hand to knock, but the door opens before my fist makes contact. Maura is peering at me with her signature smirk that seems to be constantly on show when I’m in her presence. “You’re not the pizza delivery guy,” she states.
“Uh, not the last time I checked.”
“Hell, if you were it would be like every cheesy porno flick come to life. I’d let you give me your sausage any day of the week.”
“Maura!” Lisa comes flying from the other room, her cheeks flaming. Her comments don’t bother me in the least; it’s kind of amusing and makes me think of Bianca. My heart doesn’t seize when I think of her this time. Progress.
“I’m not here delivering pizza . . . or anything else, just stopping by to see my neighbor and ask her if she wants to have dinner with me tomorrow night?” That took some balls on my part. I debated whether I was ready to leave my past behind me, and if I was willing to start something, anything really, with someone else, but something drew me to this girl. She has charmed me. We’ve done the quick take-out here and there, but nothing as intimate as a Friday night dinner. A date.
I still don’t have answers. I don’t know if I can leave my past in Miami. Buried and closed. I don’t think Bianca or the love I feel for her is something I will ever be truly ready to forget, but I haven’t heard from her in six months, and even with Bronson updating me, I feel the connection severing. It was once a connection I relied on, strived for, and nourished the best way I knew how. When she’s ready to reach out, I’ll be here, and we can take it from there. I watch Lisa’s eyes grow in shock, and I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. I don’t want to hurt another person, but she intrigues me.
“She says yes,” Maura answers.
“She hasn’t said anything, Maura.” I pointedly look at Lisa and allow her to accept or
“No, Bianca, you aren’t. You’re human. So what does all of that tell you?”
“I fucked up. I let him go of him instead of letting him in. But he was in; I just never let him know it. I allowed him to believe the worst because it was easier than admitting the opposite. That I love him.”
“You can tell him whenever you’re ready. I’m not telling you that will fix everything or you will end up together, but it will help you move forward.”
“What if it’s not that easy?”
“What if it is?” Touché, Doc.
Chapter Ten
Dakota
Work.
Sleep.
Repeat.
That’s what I’ve done for six months since leaving my home, my friends . . . my heart. Each day gets easier, and that doesn’t sit right with me. It should be harder to be gone each day, and I feel guilty for mending when I exacted so much misery. The fact that a certain neighbor is helping alleviate some of my guilt doesn’t make it better. Lisa has turned out to be . . . unexpected. After dancing around each other for a few weeks, learning a lot about her from the paper-thin walls we share was amusing to say the least; I’ve come to crave Thursday Wine Nights with her and Maura. They’re enlightening and show me a different side of Lisa than I get from our occasional chats and shared meals. All platonic.
I raise my hand to knock, but the door opens before my fist makes contact. Maura is peering at me with her signature smirk that seems to be constantly on show when I’m in her presence. “You’re not the pizza delivery guy,” she states.
“Uh, not the last time I checked.”
“Hell, if you were it would be like every cheesy porno flick come to life. I’d let you give me your sausage any day of the week.”
“Maura!” Lisa comes flying from the other room, her cheeks flaming. Her comments don’t bother me in the least; it’s kind of amusing and makes me think of Bianca. My heart doesn’t seize when I think of her this time. Progress.
“I’m not here delivering pizza . . . or anything else, just stopping by to see my neighbor and ask her if she wants to have dinner with me tomorrow night?” That took some balls on my part. I debated whether I was ready to leave my past behind me, and if I was willing to start something, anything really, with someone else, but something drew me to this girl. She has charmed me. We’ve done the quick take-out here and there, but nothing as intimate as a Friday night dinner. A date.
I still don’t have answers. I don’t know if I can leave my past in Miami. Buried and closed. I don’t think Bianca or the love I feel for her is something I will ever be truly ready to forget, but I haven’t heard from her in six months, and even with Bronson updating me, I feel the connection severing. It was once a connection I relied on, strived for, and nourished the best way I knew how. When she’s ready to reach out, I’ll be here, and we can take it from there. I watch Lisa’s eyes grow in shock, and I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. I don’t want to hurt another person, but she intrigues me.
“She says yes,” Maura answers.
“She hasn’t said anything, Maura.” I pointedly look at Lisa and allow her to accept or
Similar Books
