Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
“You gonna be okay baby?” He asks Rhonda who nods and he bends double kisses her once more as I get off the bed and slip on my shoes. Walking around the bed I wrap my arms around her, muttering, “See you later,” before pulling away and following Ben out of the room to his truck.
When we reach my house Ken’s car is nowhere in sight, and I breathe a sigh of relief that I don’t have to deal with him right now.
“Thanks for the ride, and let me know if you need anything,” I tell Ben as I unhook my seatbelt.
“Thanks for hanging out,” he smiles, and I nod then hop out of his truck, waving him off as I step into the house and lock the door behind me.
Setting my bag and keys on the table near the door, my step falters and my heart begins to beat hard. I haven’t had a lot of time to think about my mom not being here since she’s passed away. There has always been someone around to distract me from the silence, but walking into the quiet house and coming face-to-face with nothing, I realize she will never greet me again. We will never have another conversation. She is gone and I am alone. My breath chokes out as I slide down the door to my ass and bring my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them, and cry. I don’t know how long I sit there crying, but I hear a car pull up outside, a door slam, and feet on the wood of the porch before a knock on the door. I wipe my face with the inside of my shirt and stand on shaky legs, opening the door.
“Baby, what the fuck happened?” Austin asks, and before I know it, I’m up in his arms and wrapping myself around him, wanting to crawl inside his skin to hide from the pain.
“It’s so quiet,” I whimper into his neck. “She’s gone.”
“It’s okay, baby. Let it go; I’ve got you,” he says, and I cry harder into his neck as everything I have been holding in boils to the surface.
“I’m so alone,” I tell him as his body doubles and he sits on the couch with me in his lap.
“You’re not alone,” he grunts, settling his hand on the back my head, sheltering me.
“Please don’t leave me.” I beg.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he says, making me cry even harder. I don’t deserve him, not after leaving him. But I can’t help myself from desperately begging him not to leave me. “You have me always, Little Lamb.” His arms wrap tighter around me, anchoring me to him as I cry until I can’t cry anymore.
By the time my tears have dried up, my body is exhausted and my eyes feel like they have sand in them. Austin carries me to bed and crawls in behind me, hugging me until I fall asleep.
I wake up with a headache from crying and the room lit with sunlight. I take a moment to lie there, then hear voices coming from somewhere in the house. Getting up, I pull off my sweater, leaving me in a thin shirt and my jeans, and walk into the living room, where Ken and Austin are sitting, talking quietly. I don’t think I will ever get used to seeing them in the same room.
Austin’s head comes up, our gazes connect, and his face goes soft. “Hey.”
“Hey,” I repeat then look down at my sock-covered feet, feeling suddenly awkward after the way I broke down earlier.
“Dinner’s almost done. Are you hungry?”
I nod then wrap my arms around my waist as I bring my head back up, but looking at Ken this time as I feel his eyes burning into me.
“I got an earlier flight. I just stopped by to tell you I’m leaving, and when I get home, I’ll sign the papers.”
“I appreciate that.”
His face goes soft, and a look I haven’t seen from him since we first started dating fills his eyes. “E-mail me sometime, just to tell me you’re okay.”
“Sure,” I lie, knowing this is the last I will ever talk to him again. He gets up off the couch and walks to the door, stopping and turning back to me. My body stiffens, expecting him to embrace me, but instead, he leans in, kissing my forehead.
“Take care of yourself, Lea.”
“You, too,” I murmur, watching as he opens then closes the door behind himself. My heart doesn’t even tug knowing I will never see him again.
“How are you feeling?” Austin asks, wrapping his strong arms around me from behind.
“Okay…better.”
His lips brush over my temple then my ear before settling on the curve of my neck, where he mutters, “Good.”
“Sorry about earlier.”
He turns me in his arms and his eyes search mine. “I’m not.” His hands come up and he holds my face gently, and my hands move to his sides. “Next time, you call me when you feel like that.”