Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75152 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I couldn’t do anything to change the past, but I would do everything in my power to make sure no one ever hurt her again. No one.
JULES
I was with James for just over six years.
During that time, we had countless arguments, most of which included some sort of violence. Sometimes it was just a push or a slap, while other times, he left me black and blue all over. To make matters worse, no one cared enough to even ask about the bruises. They just pretended they weren’t there, so I did the same.
I just went about my day, and no matter how bad it got, I never talked about the abuse I was enduring. Until the night of the party, I’d kept it all to myself. I had no idea why I’d decided to open up to a stranger, especially one I’d been fighting so hard to resist.
Maybe it was his smile or the kindness in his eyes, but there was something about him that set me at ease, and I ended up telling him things I never intended to tell. I didn’t want him, or anyone else, to think I was weak or messed up in the head. But maybe I was.
I certainly hadn’t come out of it unscathed.
I had scars.
Some were buried deep, while others marked my flesh. I’d done my best not to let them define me, but there were times when they consumed me—heart and soul. It was a thought that had weighed on me for days, and it was still weighing on me when Caroline asked, “Do you have any plans for the night?”
“Hmm?”
“Plans for the night?”
“Oh.” I tossed the rest of the baskets into the bin. “Just some laundry and maybe a movie.”
“You should come to Danver’s with me. We could have dinner and a couple of drinks. Please.” She was practically beaming as she announced, “Hayes is going to be there.”
“Hayes?”
“You know. The guy I met at the party. He’ll be there with a couple of his brothers, and I don’t want to show up there alone.”
“You said the same thing about the party.”
“I know, but this isn’t a big deal. It’s just a burger and maybe a round of pool.”
“With a bunch of dudes I don’t know.”
“Q will be there.” She smiled and playfully fluttered her eyelashes. “You know him.”
“I don’t know him, Caroline. I just talked to him for a few minutes at the party. It was no big deal.”
“I don’t know. You two looked cozy sitting over there by the fire.”
“Shouldn’t you be a little more bothered by that? I mean, he was the reason why you went to the party, right?”
“He was, but I kind of lost interest when all he wanted to talk about was you.” She cocked her brow and smiled. “Don’t get me wrong. I tried to win him over, but he had his sights set on you.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.”
“It’s not.”
“He couldn’t take his eyes off you!”
“He was flirting with all the women there.”
“But you’re the one he chased to the parking lot.”
“I don’t know why we are even talking about this,” I argued. “I’m not interested.”
“How can you not be interested? The man is smoking hot.”
“I have my reasons.”
“Well, I think you need to reevaluate those reasons, and the best way to do that is to come with me tonight.”
“Oh, my God. You’re the pushiest person on the planet.”
A proud smirk crossed her face as she asked, “Does that mean you’ll go?”
“Yeah, I’ll go, but I’m not staying long. I have things to do.”
“Um-hm.” She started walking over to her car as she groaned, “Can’t forget the laundry.”
“It’s all fun and games until you run out of underwear.”
“Oh, girl. That’s when the fun begins!” She gave me a little wave, then opened her car and got inside. Before shutting her door, she shouted, “I’ll meet you there around six.”
I nodded, then watched as she pulled out of the drive. Once she was gone, I finished cleaning up a few things in the barn, then headed to my apartment for a quick shower. I had no intention of getting dolled up. I didn’t see a point, and yet, I still took the time to do my makeup and fix my hair. I even skipped my favorite oversized hoodie and put on a fitted button-down and a pair of loose-fit jeans.
I was putting the last touches on my hair when I realized it was almost six o’clock, so I grabbed my purse and rushed downstairs to my car. The bar was just a few minutes away—just far enough for my doubts to creep in. I hadn’t seen Q since the bonfire, and I wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing him tonight.
I still had misgivings about sharing the events of my past. I knew there would be judgments. I just didn’t know if they were good or bad, and a piece of me didn’t want to find out. While I just wanted to continue pretending, I had a feeling Q wasn’t going to let that happen.