Read Just a Little (5-8) for Free Online Page B

love, okay? I needed someone to snap you back. You were an emotional wreck, disoriented. You and Luke had so much in common. I thought he could help you.”
    “Well, he didn’t help me,” I stared at my lap. I did my best to restrain the tears that were stinging my eyes, but with Charlie sitting so close to comfort me, I couldn’t hold it back any longer.
    “And that right there—those tears, Julie—is exactly why I regret introducing the two of you.” Charlie rested his hand on my back. “I should’ve known better.” I cried harder, and Charlie tightened his grip on me. “I don’t understand what happened, Julie. Two months ago, you were ready to give up everything for him. What changed? What did he do?”
    “Why do you assume he did something?” I asked through tears. “How do you know it wasn’t my fault?”
    “Okay, what did you do?”
    “I don’t know,” I threw my head in his lap. For the next ten minutes, my tears soaked his pants legs. He held me, rocking me back and forth. I was the daughter he never had—and probably never wanted because of episodes just like this—but he coddled me anyway.
    “I, uh…” Charlie drifted off into a slur. He sat me up and turned to me, keeping a firm grasp on my hands. “I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but you need to talk to him.”
    “I can’t; I told him to leave me alone.”
    “Julie,” he said, “there are many things I’ve come to believe in my lifetime, and a few of those things I’ve come to know for certain. And, well, Trigger’s as stubborn as they come. If you’re waiting on your knight in shining armor to come to his senses, scale the tower walls and rescue you, you’ll go to your grave waiting.”
    “But—”
    “Luke will protect you when you’re in need. He’d die to keep you safe, Julie; I don’t think you need reminding of that. But he will always , and I mean always , operate as a bodyguard, not a prince.” He pointed to his head. “Luke’s not programmed to chase. He doesn’t play games.”
    “If that’s what you think, then you don’t know Luke at all.”
    “Why’s that?”
    “Because you say he doesn’t play games, but if you knew half the things I know—”
    “Things you know?” he asked. “Or things you think you know?”
    I looked down at my feet again. At that moment, Charlie reached over and took my necklace in his fingers.
    “You had your chance to take the easy route, Julie. You had a man throwing himself at you, waiting for you. He would’ve chased you, yes. He would’ve been your prince. He wouldn’t have let you slip away knowing he still had options. He would’ve stopped at nothing to make you happy.” He finally dropped my necklace and it landed softly against my skin. “You didn’t choose Derek; you chose Luke. And choosing Luke came with its own set of struggles, Julie. I warned you about that. I tried to warn you away from it. But you wanted him, and you refused to listen to reason.”
    “I didn’t think he’d break my heart.”
    “You need to understand what kind of man you ran after.” He swallowed hard and sat straighter. “When Trigger’s told to stand down, he stands down. He’s not going to chase you, no matter how long you wait. If you want to be with him, you have to go after him. You have to initiate that first move. That’s the only way this relationship will ever work.”
     
    Friday, March 01
    “Hello?”
    The sound of his voice startled me.
    It shouldn’t have; I called him . Isn’t that what people are supposed to do, answer their calls?
    “Hello?” he asked again. “Julie? Are you there?”
    “Luke,” I cleared my throat, “sorry, I was just going to leave a message. I didn’t think you’d answer.”
    The line went quiet, but I could still hear the faint sound of his breathing on the other end.
    “I won’t keep you,” I finally said. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
    “Can we meet somewhere?” he asked. His voice carried the