I Didn't Belong to You 3: It Didn't Matter To Me
Lauren's life takes an unexpected turn when her high school crush, Michael, reappears, transformed and irresistible. As they navigate their rekindled passion, secrets and past traumas threaten to unravel their budding relationship. With friends and family complicating matters, Lauren must decide if love is worth the risk. Will she and Michael overcome their obstacles, or will their pasts pull them apart?
Chapter 1
Book 3: It Didn’t Matter to Me
LAUREN
Phew! That was close.
Why can’t Finn look at me this way?
Oh my lord, they are coming this way.
Humph!
That will never happen.
Okay, I didn’t know what was going on. The girls and I had been having fun in a lingerie store one minute, and the next, Juliet had turned pale as a ghost.
And now, she was in Travis’s arms.
Were they lovers?
Great. If that was the case, I was the only one who was single.
I looked at Jamie, who was standing beside her husband—the man I had dreamed of for so long. I was trying to forget about him. After I learned that they had gotten married, it had taken me a while to accept it.
But I saw now that what they had was true love.
I wanted this. I wanted the kind of love that Kristen and Will shared. I wanted what Finn and Jamie had found. I want someone to hold me the way Travis was holding Juliet.
“He put a mark on my woman, and you expect me to back the fuck down?” Travis’s words interrupted my thoughts.
Was this why Juliet seemed so shaken up? She had never said anything. I wondered why.
“Please, Travis, do this for me,” she tried to reason with him.
Travis looked around him and then back at Juliet. “Fine!” He seemed angry, which was understandable.
Juliet wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you.”
He kissed the top of her head, caressing her hair. “You have to promise me you won’t let him approach you in the future, and if he fucking does, call me, or I won’t be able to leave you alone anymore.
“I’m relieved that your brother’s staying with you, that you aren’t alone in your apartment.”
That’s right—Juliet had told me that Michael had moved in with her when he came back.
“Can we please change the subject? I don’t want to think about him anymore,” Juliet pleaded.
Travis rubbed her arms. “Okay. We’ll discuss this another time.”
“No, no, no! Not so fast,” Jamie said lightly.
“Since when has this been going on?” Kristen pointed at Travis and Juliet.
That was exactly what I wanted to know as well.
Suddenly, I spotted a man approaching us. He had red hair, just like Juliet, and was so handsome, with a body to die for. I wondered who he was.
“Hey, sis,” Michael greeted Juliet.
Why did I feel so nervous all of a sudden?
That was easier said than done.
“Michael? What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?” His sister seemed surprised to see him as well.
Travis wrapped an arm around Juliet’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to the side of her face.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, I imagined Michael holding me that way.
“Your boy here called to invite me to your little get-together,” he answered.
Juliet turned her head to look at Travis. “You did?”
He shrugged. “He’s your brother. Besides, I didn’t want Lauren to feel like the third wheel.”
I felt so embarrassed right now. Why would he say something like that?
I raised my eyebrows, feigning surprise. “Michael, is that you?”
He chuckled, looking at me. “Hey, Lauren. It’s good to see you again.”
I had never noticed before how beautiful his brown eyes were.
No, no, no! I was finally making progress with my feelings toward Finn. I would certainly not start with Juliet’s little brother.
