Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 108165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Am I okay?” Frankie slides the muffin pans into the oven.
“You’re baking. That’s a good sign.”
She closes the oven and leans against the counter, gripping the edge. A sad attempt at a smile plays along her lips for all of two seconds before it falls from her face. “I so badly want you to touch me, but when you get close, I tense up. I fear your touch. It’s an awful feeling. I don’t want you to represent Archer Sanford. I don’t want to see you and, in the next breath, see a pile of pictures of dead bodies. I don’t want to think of you and remember it was your voice I heard seconds before a man grabbed me, took my purse, and shoved me aside like trash. You represent everything I love about my life right now. But you also represent everything that made me lose my faith in humanity.”
Jackson’s gaze drops to the floor between them.
“That’s not okay. I feel like I ran twenty-six miles of a marathon, and just as I saw the finish line, I tripped. Broke my nose. An arm. A leg. And lost half of my teeth. And everyone cheering me on looked at me like … how? How does one come so far only to fall and completely unravel with just two-tenths of a mile ahead?”
He lifts his gaze, eyes red. “Let me carry you. Close your eyes and let me carry you to the finish line because. I. Fucking. Love. You.”
She laughs, blotting her eyes. “You say that, but I don’t say it back. You have to hate that I don’t say it back. I know I hate it. And I don’t say it back because I know it would feel like a lie. If I love you, we don’t stand here … ten feet apart.”
Jackson shrugs. “I’ll wait.”
Frankie grunts. “For how long?”
“Forever.” Jackson doesn’t hesitate. Not for a single second.
“I don’t want you to wait! You’ve waited your whole life for the life that brought you to me. But I’m not the endgame. It’s your daughter. Your sister. Your beautiful grandbabies. I am the goddamn pothole in your road. But I don’t have to be. I’m giving you a pass to walk away.”
He glances at his watch. “I appreciate your selflessness. But I’m waiting. And I need a shower. Don’t burn the muffins. You forgot to set a timer.” As soon as he gets to the bathroom, he calls Livy. “I need a huge favor.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
FRANCESCA
Jack spends the next two days doing his usual chores as if we didn’t have a heated conversation. He smiles and winks. He tells me he loves me. But he keeps his distance.
This afternoon, he’s a little off.
He constantly checks his phone, glances out the window, and paces the entry.
I’m on my third self-help book in a week. Seeing Dr. West requires me to leave the house. Sadly, I’m not there yet.
The doorbell rings, and I jump up from the sofa, hightailing it to my bedroom.
“Frankie?” Jack calls.
I ignore him, locking myself in my room until whoever is at the door is gone and the door is locked again. According to my most recent book, locks have become a trigger for me since I was unlocking my car when that man attacked me.
It’s not that I’m not making progress. I am. Today, I stay in the bedroom instead of going into the closet. That’s progress.
I wait, but I hear chatter, more than one person. And it sounds like they're in my house. Why would Jack let anyone else in the house? Footsteps get closer to the door. I jump and walk backward toward the closet.
Knock. Knock.
Holding entirely still, I wait for them to leave, for Jack to make them go. If it were him, he’d tell me.
“Frankie?” It’s a woman’s voice.
I don’t speak, don’t breathe.
“It’s Livy.”
My hand flies to my face. I want to cry. I want to scream. Why is she here? I can’t meet his daughter when I’m entirely wigged out and mentally unstable. Why? Why did he do this to me? This isn’t love. It’s cruel and embarrassing.
“Can I come in?”
The lock clicks. I grapple with the closet handle, desperate to hide. But before I can, Jack opens the door.
“Frankie, meet my daughter Livy. She and Slade stopped by with Ryn and Wylder.”
I try to convey my anger with an unblinking gaze even though I can't speak.
Stop by? He makes it sound like they were in the neighborhood. As quickly as he invades my space by unlocking the door, he saunters off. Livy smiles.
She’s … stunning. Long blond hair and the bluest eyes. She cautiously steps into my room and closes the door behind her.
Despite every inch of my body shaking, I manage the hint of a smile and a soft “hi.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you finally.”