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)
“Rory, I’m only—”
“And I’m going to win his love back if I have to keep trying til the day I die, and there is nothing you can do about it.”
“I forbid you to see him, Rory Ann Adams.”
I laughed. “I’m not a child. I’m twenty-six years old, and I neither need nor desire your direction in my life.”
“You are my daughter, and I have every right to be a part of your life.”
“No more, Dad. I never in my life thought I would say this to you, but I hate you. I hate you for doing this to me and to Finn. I will never…ever…forgive you for this.”
“Rory.”
“Goodbye, Dad.”
Hitting End, I looked at Autumn. “He lied and told Finn I agreed the best thing to do would be to end things with him. No wonder he was so angry.”
She covered her mouth with her hands. “That bastard!” she gasped.
“He lied. How could my own father do this to me?”
My body was numb.
I did the only thing I knew to do. I threw my phone against the tile floor and screamed, “I hate him so much!”
My knees shook and I felt my entire body give out.
Autumn was by my side, holding on to me tightly as I cried hysterically. “I’ve lost the fight. Oh, God, Autumn! I’ve lost him forever.”
“You have not, Rory Adams. You’ve lost one round, but you’re going to win the battle, I swear to you.”
After I had no tears left to shed, I stood and walked to the window. The gray sky parted and the sun shined through the clouds. It was as if all the crying had totally cleared my head. I wasn’t giving up on Finn. No matter how angry he was at me, or how much he pushed me away. I. Was. Not. Giving. Up. What we had was worth fighting for. A future that we both dreamed of, and a love so amazing that now, finally, it had showed me the light.
“I’m not giving up. I’ll never stop trying to win him back.”
Autumn appeared at my side and wrapped her arms around me. “That’s the Rory I know.”
Finn
Lost hope
Hitting End, I tossed the new phone Angie had brought over onto the sofa.
“Well, at least you didn’t break this one,” Angie said with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes and headed to the kitchen. My head was fucking pounding from all the alcohol I drank last night.
Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed a bottle of water. “I don’t need a babysitter, Angie.”
She grinned. “I know you don’t. What did she say?”
With a shrug, I replied, “She wanted to talk.”
“And you said no?”
I drank half the water. “You heard what I said. Her letter to me was pretty damn clear, as were her father’s words this morning.”
Angie frowned. “You believe him?”
Wes sat at the kitchen bar and lifted his brow. He’d been with me this morning when we went to Rory’s place before going to the station. Autumn had looked like she was on the verge of telling me where Rory went, but then had gone tight-lipped.
Glancing around my place, I sighed. Angie and her friend must have spent a few hours cleaning.
I motioned to the living room. “Thanks for cleaning that all up.”
“Thank Regina, your neighbor. She had most of it cleaned up before we got here.”
Nodding my head, I made a mental note to thank her and Paul.
“So, what do we do now?” Wes asked.
With a fake laugh, I replied, “Vow to never love women again.”
A laugh came from the living room. We all focused in on Angie’s friend Alexia. “So, you automatically blame the woman. Why?”
Flash was all over the young blonde. She wore black leggings and her hair was in two ponytails, which actually made her look sexy and not like a ten-year-old. If Angie had brought this girl around three months ago I’d probably have tried to get into her pants. Now I had no desire at all.
“They are to blame,” Wes replied.
“How so?” the young girl asked as she stood.
Pushing off the kitchen counter, I walked up to her. “We gave them our hearts, and they ripped them out.”
She pouted. “Aw, poor babies. Did you really think love was going to be all roses and sunshine? No, dipshits. You have to work on that shit. Anything that is worth having comes at a price. A cost that sometimes may seem too great to pay.” She turned to Wes, who had told Angie all about Mandy and his plan to move back to Boston to win her back. “So you, Wes. You took a job in New York and the girl you loved didn’t follow you and ended up moving on with her life. Well, fuck her for wanting to have a life and follow her own dreams, right? I mean she should have given it all up and followed you to a completely different state so you could follow your dreams and have her by your side. No, sorry, dude, puppies do that shit. Not women.”