Never to Keep (Accepting Fate #1) by Aimie Grey Page A

okay so far, but she hasn’t been given any homework yet. It’s only the third day.” I stuffed my face with the last bite of my dry cheeseburger.
    “What do you think of her teacher?” he asked. I was grateful my full mouth gave me a minute to think.
    “He didn’t seem very prepared. I don’t think he read her file before back-to-school night. I emailed the guidance counselor yesterday to make sure they knew about her accommodations.”
    “Let me know if you want me to go down there and talk to him. Peyton has a hard enough time; the last thing she needs is an apathetic teacher.”
    Ethan getting into a confrontation with Mr. Ramsay—Sawyer—was the last thing I wanted. “I will. I think it’ll be okay, though.” I wiped my mouth and tossed the napkin onto my tray. “We should probably get down to the ER. I can’t afford to miss any more hours this week if I’m going to finish the program on time.”
    “You’ll be fine. You have a few months to get all of your hours in.”
    “I know. I just don’t want to have to get stuck trying to squeeze them all in at the end.”
    “You need to stop worrying. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”
    I admired his confidence. I wish I had some of my own. “I’m not so sure about that. I’ve been having some incredibly strange luck lately. I wish I could say it was all good.”
    “Everything happens for a reason. What you think is bad luck, might be the universe’s way of giving you what you need.”
    “Since when are you so spiritual?” I asked.
    “Since I foolishly let you go and haven’t been able to win you back. I have to believe there is a reason for it, or I’d go insane.”
    I needed to go at this from a different angle. “I know you love me, just like I love you…but are you in love with me?”
    “What’s the difference?” he asked.
    “If you don’t know, then you probably aren’t. Sometimes, I wonder if we ever were truly in love with each other. We were apart most of the time we were a couple. I would think if we were truly in love, we would have made more of an effort to be together.”
    “All I know is that I want to be with you.” His eyes were sadder than I’d ever seen them.
    Ethan really was a wonderful man. He always had my back, even when he didn’t agree with me. He would do anything for Peyton and me. I had no doubt he would lay down his life for us. He may have caused my greatest heartbreak, but I knew it was his greatest regret. I wished I still loved him the way he deserved to be loved. We could have a happy life together if I did.
    “I know.” I had no words to help him understand how I felt. I gathered my trash and stood from the table. “We’d better get to work.”

CHAPTER TWELVE
    Madison
    Saturday was my favorite day of the week. Peyton and I loved our weekly trip to the city to visit Olivia. We usually sang along with the radio and played word games during the hour-long drive. This week, however, Peyton was in an inquisitive mood.
    “What’s my abuela like?” she asked.
    “You know her. You video chat with her all the time.”
    “I know, but it’s not the same. I wish she would move here with us.”
    “She loves you very much, and she wishes she could be here.” I decided to indulge Peyton with facts I’d shared with her dozens of times before. It always made her feel better to hear them. “She likes to cook and sew. She also loves to dance,” I answered. Peyton was quiet with thought.
    “Why did she go back to Spain?” she asked.
    “Because her mommy was sick, and she needed to take care of her.” My mother left for Spain right after I turned eighteen. She took care of my grandmother until she passed. When Mami was ready to come home to the States, she ran into issues with finances.
    “What about Grandpa?” This was the first time she’d asked me about my father, although I was sure Ryan had talked about him before. “How did he and Abuela meet?”
    “Your grandpa was a