“I’m telling the truth. I might be carefully buried at the bottom of the internet, but I’m there. Me, Dylan, Jem and a lot of missing pieces.”
I fight the tight-chested panic. No, she’s a fan trying to split me up with her favourite star. “This is bullshit!”
The waitress delivering our coffees looks between us curiously as she places the china cups on our table.
“Dylan’s bad news, Sky. He may have cleaned up his act, but any man who can do something so sickening to a woman will never change. Not really.”
“I don’t believe you,” I repeat, standing on wobbling legs. “I don’t want to listen to your lies.”
She doesn’t move, and places her shaking hands on the table. Her nails are chewed. Is she telling the truth? She can’t be. No way. “I’m going! Don’t you dare follow me!” I hiss.
“Ask him or Jem. One of them will tell you the truth.”
In my experience, when people lie, they can’t meet your eyes and Lily is staring straight into mine with eyes full of pain.
I have no more words.
I stumble out of the cafe, into the bright summer sunshine. Jem told me there was a story; a story Dylan refused to tell me. Everything Jem said, all of Dylan’s reactions swim around my mind. No. Not true. Not Dylan, the man who wouldn’t touch me without permission. Nausea grips my stomach, forcing bile upwards - is Lily the reason for his cautious behaviour when we met?
A few hundred metres along the road, I have to stop. I lean against the metal pole of the road sign, tears blurring my vision. What if this is true? I pull out my phone and call Dylan.
*****
Dylan
Sky ends the call and I stand on the balcony of my hotel room, beneath the bright sunshine, as I watch my world cave in.
My shock at her discovery takes away any words of explanation I have. I need to explain so much, but nothing will come out of my mouth except a hollow denial. Sky didn’t demand answers or scream at me, but spoke in a low voice asking for honesty. When I couldn’t reply, she told me that until I can tell her the truth I should stay away from her.
Nothing I could say would undo the damage because who I am is who I’ll always be. My choices shaped me, carved me into the man I am. I can never walk away from the Dylan Morgan I created that night. After all this time, I have my punishment - I’ve lost Sky because she’s discovered I’m not the man she thought she knew. How I ever thought I deserved something as good as life with Sky, I’ll never know.
Jem has what he wants - he’s ruined my chance with Sky, as I ruined his with Lily. His obsession with Lily ripped into our friendship; Lily’s obsession with me tore us apart.
After three years, the ugly has been resurrected. I left it too late to tell Sky the facts when I had so many chances to. An insane part of me planned to ask Lily to explain to Sky what happened, in the hope Sky would understand. Lily’s actions prove she doesn’t forgive me, and that her story hasn’t changed.
I don’t think Sky will accept the truth, and I don’t think the truth is any better than what she thinks of me now.
Coming June 2014
Falling Sky (Blue Phoenix, #2)
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More contemporary romance by Lisa Swallow available now:
The Butterfly Days series
Because of Lucy
Finding Evan
Acknowledgements
I’m not great at these and there are so many people who have helped me with my journey so far I’m sure I’ll miss one of you.
Firstly, my beta readers Louise, Laura, Katie, Selena and Bec - thank you for all your feedback. As always, the book would not be the same without your input.
Also, a thank you to the EWG cultists who critiqued early chapters.
Thank you to the wonderful Becky and Peggy from Hot Tree Editing for their work on polishing my story.
The amazing cover is a collaboration between Najla Qamber Designs and Lindee Robinson Photography. A big thank you goes out to them for creating something so beautiful.
Thank you to Willow’s Formatting for her professional and helpful service.
There are many bloggers and readers who’ve helped me out over the last few months in particular. Tash and Rose from Forever Me Romance have been wonderful in organising the cover reveal and blog blitz. Many other readers and bloggers have helped me pimp out Summer Sky and my other books, in particular Dzintra, Angela, Danielle, Michelle, Heather, Dawn and Karen. There are many authors I could thank too but again I’m scared of leaving people out!
To everyone who has supported me over the last year of craziness by buying, reading or just believing in me when I doubted myself… thank you!
About The Author
Lisa is an author of new adult romance and writes both paranormal and contemporary, often with a side of snark.
In between running a business, looking after her family and writing, Lisa sometimes finds spare time to do other things. This often involves swapping her book worlds for gaming worlds. She even leaves the house occasionally.
Lisa is originally from the UK but moved to Australia in 2001 and now lives in Perth in Western Australia with her husband, three children and dog.
Facebook
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Website
www.lisaswallow.net
Amazon
www.amazon.com/author/lisaswallow
She can be contacted by email at:
[email protected]
Summer Sky: A Blue Phoenix Book Page 24
