Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Because I thought we were forever.
“It was never going to work between us, anyways,” he continued. “You want the things I can’t give you.”
Like his love.
“The things you won’t give me,” I snapped.
“Same thing.” He shrugged again. “I’m not capable of it.”
Seeing him like this sent ice trickling down my spine. This was how he talked to Reed. How he used to talk to Reed, at least.
“You have every reason to go, Callie.” He finally lifted his gaze to mine, and I thought there was a flash of pain there for a second, but it was gone in a heartbeat. “And I can’t give you a reason to stay.”
“You care about me,” I argued, putting myself in front of him. “I know you care about me!”
He sidestepped. “Look, it’s been fun, and you’re a great woman—”
“Fuck that!” My heart screamed, agony pumping through me with every beat. “I love you, Weston. I am in love with you! That’s worth fighting for!”
His gaze met mine. “But I never said I was in love with you, did I?”
I inhaled sharply. There was no lie in those cool brown eyes. “No,” I whispered, the word like acid on my tongue. “You never said that.” Could I really have been so blind? Was I so deeply in love with this man that I’d made more of his touch, his mannerisms, his consideration than I should have? “You made it clear to Reed that you are never going to love me. And I’ve been so stupid, so foolish, to think that I could change your mind, that I could win your heart. But that’s the thing about you. You have no problem risking your life on the regular, but you draw the line at your heart.”
He nodded once. “Right. I’m going to pack a bag and head out for a few days. I really, truly hope you’re not here when I get back.” He didn’t so much as wait for a response before walking away.
“And what if I’m still here? What if I don’t go?” I knew how to get him to stay. All I had to tell him was that I needed him, and he’d never go. But if he didn’t need me, what the hell was the point of all of this?
“Then I’ll find somewhere else to stay,” he said over his shoulder.
“But there is nowhere else,” I snapped. “Remember? That’s why we’re both here in the first place.”
“I still have a room with Reed and Ava.” He trudged up the stairs.
Holy shit. The man would rather go live in a house he hated than be with me? How had things gone so wrong in twenty-four hours?
You blamed him for Sutton’s accident.
No. That wasn’t it. Weston wasn’t a quitter. If he wanted to stay, to fight for us, he would.
Fifteen minutes later, he was gone.
“You’re sure you have everything you need?” Ava asked, her voice practically dripping with sympathy through the phone.
“Yep,” I answered, yanking a Pop-Tart from the box and ripping open the wrapper. Who needed healthy breakfasts when you had brown sugar and cinnamon? “I bought some rucksacks from the outdoor store downtown, and everything personal is almost boxed up for storage.”
The rest I’d left for Weston, who’d been true to his word and hadn’t been home in three days.
“How do you feel? At least a little excited?”
Heartbroken. Angry. Betrayed. Confused. Right back to heartbroken. I seemed to be following a pattern every few hours. Heartbroken was winning.
“I honestly don’t know.” My shoulders sagged, and I dropped the Pop-Tart onto its wrapper on the counter. Sutton and I had a week before we were set to leave, and yet I knew Weston wouldn’t want to say goodbye. When he was done, he was done, and it was more than clear he was finished with me.
“You sure you don’t want me to come over? I can be there in a few minutes. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“No. You’re way too busy.” I shook my head. “Just tell me now.”
“I think Weston’s…gone. Reed told him he could leave,” Ava whispered.
“What?” I stood up straight.
“I shouldn’t say anything, but I overheard Reed on the phone this morning. He told Weston that he’s glad he got away from the mountain, that he’ll find someone else to run the heli-skiing operation if that was what he wanted. That he wasn’t going to force him to stay again.”
“Weston’s gone? Reed gave him an out?” My heart thundered in my ears. Guess I’d been right about the goodbyes. Weston had only been here because Reed had said he’d needed him, and if that need was gone…
“Yeah. He said that Weston got them off the ground, and he shouldn’t feel like he’s chained to his hangar.”
“And he’s already gone?” I asked.
“I…” She took a deep breath. “I saw the new hire forms for another guide for the heli-skiing department. He started today. But I haven’t had a chance to ask Reed about it yet. He’s been in meetings all day, so I don’t know for certain.”