Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Why does he have that? I tip the bottle back. I haven’t seen many, but if I were a betting woman, I would say that was an engagement ring. But for who? Once upon a time, I would have thought it would be me. But nope.
Chug. Definitely not me.
Chug. Definitely never me.
God, I hate him.
I take one final chug, fall onto the bed, and bawl my eyes out.
***
Easton
I toss and turn on the couch and cover my face with a pillow, but nothing muffles the sound of her crying. She’s been at it for hours. At first, I sat and drank my bourbon, refusing to care. I wasn’t the only one to blame here. And until she realized that, I wasn’t giving in. She wronged me, too. She’s just not admitting it because she thinks I don’t know.
But the more the crying went on, the more it dug at my heart. I hate hearing her cry. It’s always been my weakness. I would slay anyone who made her upset. And to know, at this moment, that person is me weighs heavily on my conscience.
I turn over again, but it’s no use. I can’t take it anymore. Getting up, I prowl down the hall and open the door without knocking. It’s dark in the room, but I can see the silhouette of her lying on her side. Without permission, I crawl onto the bed behind her.
I pull her body into mine, her shoulders still quivering, and I fucking hate every second of it. I nuzzle my nose into the crook of her neck. “I’m sorry. I never want to be the reason you’re upset.” Her body shakes, and I tug her closer, pressing my mouth to her shoulder blade. “Please don’t cry. It kills me when you cry.” I grab her hip, encouraging her to face me. She’s hesitant at first.
“Please. . . I need to see your face.” She shifts, and my heart stops when I lock eyes with her. God, she’s so beautiful. “I’m sorry. For everything. For ever hurting you.” I cup her face, rubbing my thumb against her wet cheeks. “I love you, Cal. I’ve only ever loved you. I’ve never stopped.”
Her chest is wracked with sobs, and I pull her closer and hold her while she cries. “I love you.” I kiss her nose, then her cheek. “I love you, Cal. Do you hear me?” I kiss her temple and brow. I wish I could siphon all the sadness out of her. Take her pain and make it mine. No matter how bad it’s been for me, I’ve never wanted her to suffer.
She grabs my shirt, tugs me forward, and claims my mouth. I want to slide into her and fuck her until she feels the depth of my love, my need for her, but this isn’t about sex. It’s about making her really hear my side. “I know you feel it. Don’t lie to me, Cal. You feel it. The electricity buzzing between us. It’s always been like this. Since the moment I walked into that bar and saw you. And it’s never gone away.”
I run my lips down her chin, kissing the sensitive part of her collarbone. I cup her breast, rubbing her hard nipple between my thumb and index finger. It’s barely above a whisper, but she whispers my name in a soft plea. “The least we can do is be honest with ourselves and stop running away. Tell me, Cal. Admit it and tell me what I wanna hear. I know you’re dying to tell me that—”
“I love you,” she says in a hoarse sob. “I love you, but it hurts too bad.”
I claim her mouth, kissing her with intent. Kissing her so she knows that I won’t hurt her. I’ve always only wanted to protect her and keep her safe. “It’s going to be okay.”
“It’s not. It won’t.” She cries against my lips. “I won’t make it back another time.”
“Cal, without you, I’m not making it back at all. Don’t you see? You showing up on my doorstep is a sign. Our story isn’t over yet. Not even close.”
Chapter nine
Callie
“Move in with me.”
“What?”
“I know you aren’t deaf, babe. Move in with me.”
“I never said I was deaf. I just didn’t know if I heard you right. You want me to move in with you?”
“Practically already live here. What would be the difference?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Russ didn’t sign up to have a third roommate?”
“Russ loves you. Plus, I’ll get rid of him as soon as you say yes to me.”
I slap him against the chest. “You’re not getting rid of Russ. I love Russ. He’s like the brother I never had—” I squeal and suddenly find myself flat against Easton’s mattress.
“Brother or not, I’m gonna need you to not use the word love and another man’s name in the same sentence, or I’ll be spending some time in jail.”