Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She waved her hand, dismissing the possibility. “I know what I’m doing. Now let’s get you into bed so you can rest. Something tells me you’re going to need energy to deal with your Kingston brother.”
She smirked and put a hand on Sasha’s shoulder. “It’s not over, Sasha. You just need to get Xander to open up.”
She frowned, unsure about everything. “We’ll see. Right now, I’m still furious at him for leaving me at the hospital and upset he didn’t fight for us.”
Cassidy’s expression grew soft with understanding. “So don’t make it easy for him. But one way or another, I have faith you two will work out.”
Sasha wasn’t as sure.
* * *
Xander woke up hungover, his mouth tasting like cotton, his head pounding, and his dog licking his face. A glance at the clock told him he’d missed walking her at a reasonable time. No wonder she was antsy.
“Sorry, girl,” he said as he dragged his ass out of bed. Even his voice sounded like he’d eaten rocks. God knows how much tequila he’d had to drink last night when he’d drowned his sorrows so he didn’t have to think about how badly he’d fucked up with Sasha.
He grabbed his glasses, knowing his vision was going to be fuzzy today, and put them on. After a quick bathroom trip, he unset the alarm and headed to the sliding glass doors to the backyard, letting Bella out before he had a problem on his hands. He left the door open so she could come back in on her own and walked to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.
Although he wished he could stop replaying yesterday in his head, the memory went round and round in a never-ending loop. He’d heard Rebecca’s offer and immediately reverted to their past, when Sasha had been so immersed in starting her career, she’d chosen co-stars and roles over him and their relationship.
With distance and a whole lot of alcohol, he knew damn well that while he’d been standing outside the curtain listening to her agent offer her the world, he’d jumped the gun and ended things before she could pick her career over him again.
Abandoning her while she was in the hospital and when she needed him was a dick move. Hell, he wouldn’t blame her if she never spoke to him again.
His stomach lurched at the thought just as his Keurig spurted the caffeinated hot drink into the mug. He poured some milk and took a long sip just as the alarm beeps on his door let him know someone had entered. Xander didn’t need to guess who’d let himself in, and he prepared himself to deal with Dash.
“Hey, asshole.”
With a groan, Xander met his brother’s gaze. “How is she?”
“Physically she’s in some pain and exhausted. Emotionally, I think she moved pretty quickly from devasted to pissed as hell. What the fuck were you thinking?” Dash walked into the kitchen, pushed Xander out of the way, and made himself a mug of coffee.
“I think we can agree that I wasn’t. Not rationally, anyway.”
While waiting for the coffee to drip, he took in Xander’s appearance. “You look like shit.”
“I overdid the tequila last night.” He took a long sip of the hot coffee while Dash lifted his out of the machine and poured milk into the mug.
“Do you have a plan?”
Xander shook his head. “I just woke up and faced what I did. I can’t believe I fucking panicked.”
Dash drank his coffee and studied him. “You and I both had a shit relationship with Dad. I mean, we all did, but we were the ones he didn’t understand or approve of. And I think those issues, added to the crappy way he treated Mom, left scars. In my case, I don’t do relationships, and even when I don’t mean to, I fuck up what could be a good thing.”
Xander narrowed his gaze, wondering if that comment had something to do with Cassidy. Because Dash wasn’t in a confessing mood and this lecture was more for Xander’s sake, he didn’t ask.
“And in your case, the one time you tried, she trampled on your heart.” Before Xander could give his own input, Dash raised a hand. “Ignore the sappy way this is coming out. My point is, I know you bailed before she could crush you again.” He lifted his mug to his lips, took a drink, and swallowed. “And don’t kick my ass or anything but I told Sasha as much.”
Xander leaned against the counter and accepted that Dash had his best interests at heart. And if he could soften Sasha before Xander talked to her, all the better.
He placed his mug on the counter and groaned. “I can’t get it right. The first time around, I expected way too much from someone so young and trying to build a career, and this time, in bending so far the other way so I wouldn’t repeat the same mistake, I pushed her away.” Though he couldn’t deny Dash’s point. Protecting himself played a large role. “I was an ass.”