✨EXCERPT:FORMULA FREEDOM by @sawyerbennett123 releasing 8/26!
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“Finding out he was cheating almost felt like relief. Like I finally had an excuse strong enough to leave without the guilt.”
A wave of shame burns through me, but Reid squeezes my hand, warm and steady. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You were surviving.”
“You’re free now, Lara.”
I nod, breathing through the tightness in my chest.
A small smile plays on his lips. “Remember when survival was just trying not to get dunked off a surfboard?”
I snort. “Or trying not to get caught when we snuck in after curfew.”
“Pretty sure our parents knew,” he says, mock serious.
“Yeah, we weren’t that sneaky,” I reply, grinning.
We lapse into easy laughter, the tension finally breaking, and for a moment, it’s like we’re fifteen again, sprawled on the beach after hours in the waves, the world no bigger than the stretch of coastline between our houses.
The moment fades into a warm, quiet hush. I glance over and find him watching me—his expression relaxed but his eyes carrying something deeper.
Not just fondness. Memory.
Maybe even regret.
My heart stutters, just once, because I know this feeling. The way the air stills between two people who know there’s more under the surface. We’ve been circling it all day. All night. And now, it’s right there. Unspoken and waiting.
“Earlier… you said Lance accused you of being pissed that he got me and you didn’t.”
Reid’s expression tightens, just for a moment.
“Was he right?” I ask softly. “Were you pissed?”
He gives a small huff of amusement and looks away for a beat, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean… maybe after that first kiss when we were fifteen, yeah—I was a little pissed.”
I blink. “Pissed… that Lance interrupted?”
“Pissed that I listened to him,” Reid says, voice lower now. “That I let him make me think wanting you was wrong. Like we were just supposed to be some kind of trio forever and I wasn’t allowed to see you differently.” He glances over at me, his gaze steady. “That kiss wasn’t nothing to me, Lara. It never was.”
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