Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 118693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 593(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 593(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
“What in the hell is wrong with you? Don’t think I won’t be reporting this to your mother!”
With a smirk on my face, I replied, “Have fun with that, Russell.”
I stared out the window of my hotel as tears streamed down my face. It felt as if there was a hole in the middle of my chest. The pain I was feeling was deserved. I’d done this to myself, because I didn’t have the guts to face my father, or to even let Finn face him.
As I thought about it now, I realized that a part of me knew deep down inside that the situation with Zeb had scared me more than I wanted to admit.
The letter sitting by my side caught my eye. Picking it up, I wiped my tears away and attempted to read it.
My sweet Éan,
This is hard, because there are so many things I love about us. I love how we feel when we are lying in bed in each other’s arms. I love how your laugh makes me feel alive. I love surprising you and seeing you get excited. I love that we can have fun together simply by hanging out and watching your favorite Disney movies.
But the thing I love most about us is that we have a future together. I see it, Rory, and I hope you see it to.
All my love,
Finn
Closing my eyes, I buried my face in my hands and cried harder.
“What have I done?” I cried. “God, what have I done?”
The light tap on the door caused me to jump. Wiping the tears from my face, I held my breath.
He found me.
My stomach dropped at the idea of Finn coming after me. Would he? He’d gone to my condo looking for me, so surely he would keep looking. Would he know to come to the hotel we had been to?
I prayed he would.
“Rory? Darling?”
The feeling of disappointment washed over my body. I slowly made my way to the door and looked out the peephole to see my mother and Autumn.
“Damn you, Autumn,” I whispered. Unlocking the door, I opened it and walked back into the suite.
“Rory, you weren’t answering your phone, and then when your mom called and said you left work, I freaked and got worried.”
Glancing back to Autumn, I forced a smile. “It’s okay.”
My mother walked up to me and tried her best to give me that stern yet loving look that moms gave. “Rory darling, you can’t hide out in a hotel room.”
Sadness ripped through me. “Why not, Mom? I feel sad and want to be alone. What’s so wrong about that?”
She placed her hands on my arms. “You’re hiding, that’s what is wrong about that. Darling, why didn’t you tell Finn the truth?”
Dropping my head back, I groaned in frustration. “Not you too.”
“Yes, me too. Had you told him what your father was doing, you know he would have—”
“Quit. He would have quit, Mom. You and I both know that.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t give him the chance to fight the battle, Rory.”
My lips trembled as I looked into my mother’s eyes. “I was going to tell him, Mom. That night after dinner. I went over it in my head a million times. Who knows, maybe Finn could transfer to another station. We’d come up with something…together. All I really knew for sure was how much I loved him and that I wouldn’t walk away from him because my father told me too.”
My mother gave me a confused look. “Then what in the world happened, Rory?”
A knot formed in my stomach. My fear of Finn’s losing his job no longer was my number one concern. It was my fear of losing him that had caused me to walk away.
“One of his best friends was in the hospital in critical condition last night from falling through a floor during a warehouse fire. The moment I heard him talking about it, I panicked. Even the idea of Dad’s ultimatum was nothing compared to the thought of Finn dying. All I could think about was this man’s fiancée and how scared she must have been knowing the man she loved could very well die. I don’t think I’m that strong of a person to handle that, Mom.”
Fresh tears came and covered my cheeks. Autumn walked up and hugged me as I let myself go. Sob after sob shook my body.
When I finally got my emotions in check, I drew back and looked at my mother and Autumn. “I don’t know what to think anymore. Maybe a small part of me was looking for a reason to end it with Finn because I’m too much of a coward to deal with it all. It’s just…I love him so much, and I’m not sure about anything in my life anymore.”
Stepping forward, my mother gave me a concerned look. “What do you mean?”