Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74390 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
"Yes, sweetheart. Momma is fine."
I continued down the road, and it wasn’t long before tears started streaming down my face. I tried to hold them back. I didn’t want Dalton to see that I was so upset, but the realization of what my father had done was too much for me to bear. I couldn’t believe he would do something so cruel, especially after everything I had been through.
I was lost in thought until I heard Dalton’s voice again. “Momma, are you ‘qi-ying?”
I quickly wiped away my tears and put on a brave face for my son. “No, sweetheart. Momma is fine. Just a little tired. That’s all.”
But Dalton wasn’t convinced. “I w’ove you, Momma... Don’t be sad.”
His innocent words warmed my heart, and I knew I had to try and put my own feelings aside for his sake. I smiled at him and said, “I love you too, Dalton. Everything will be okay. I promise.”
But I wasn’t sure if I could keep that promise. Everything seemed to be falling apart, and I had no idea what I was going to do about it. I glanced up in my rearview mirror and was relieved to see that Jackson was trailing close behind. I prayed that he would be able to help me make sense of it because my mind was racing with questions and doubts about everything in my life.
When we got home, Jackson helped us get our things out of the car and into the apartment. Dalton was exhausted, so I helped him into his pjs and put him straight to bed. Once he was settled, I went back into the living room, where Jackson was waiting with a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
“It’s so bad, Jackson. I honestly don’t know where to start.”
“How ‘bout you tell me what happened with you and Malcomb first?”
“Okay, but it isn’t pretty.” I sat down and took a sip of my wine. “I got the feeling that he’d come there to try and mend things, but the second he saw Dalton...”
“Well, you knew that was going to be a tough conversation.”
“That’s just it.” I tilted the glass back and took another long sip. “He was too mad to really talk about it. He wouldn’t even listen when I tried to explain. He just kept saying I should’ve tried harder, and honestly, he was right.”
“I don’t know about that. I think you did your part. You can’t help that he was an asshole who broke it off with you.”
“About that...”
I spent the next half-hour telling him about the argument with my father, and when I was done, he looked positively stunned. “You gotta be kidding me.”
“Afraid not.”
“Damn, Londyn. That changes a lot.” Anguish marked his face as he said, “I actually feel bad for the guy.”
“It explains why he refused to see me.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he knew it would only make things harder for you both. That had to be tough.”
“I know.” I tried to push back the tears as I muttered, “What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to give it some time. Eventually, the anger will fade, and you two can figure this thing out.”
“I don’t know.”
“I saw the way he looked at you, Londyn.” He shook his head and smiled. “There’s no doubt that he’s still into you. Hell, it was all he could to keep from snatching you up right then and there.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I am.” He placed his glass on the table, then stood and said, “It’s late. You need to get some rest, and I’ll swing back by tomorrow and check on you guys.”
“Thank you, Jackson.” I stood and gave him a hug. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You would be a mess... a complete and utter mess.” He gave me a quick wink. “But you’d manage. You always do.”
Once he was gone, I locked up and turned out the lights, then headed to my room. I crawled into bed and pulled the covers over me. My room was cloaked in dark stillness, but my mind was anything but quiet.
I tossed and turned, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t escape the relentless whirlwind of thoughts that raged through my mind. My argument with Malcomb replayed in my head over and over like a broken record, his harsh words echoing in my head.
Each accusation, every hurtful remark, seemed to claw at my conscience.
My only distraction was the argument I’d had with my father, but that only made my heart ache even more. I tried desperately to push it all from my mind and sleep, but it was no use. I simply couldn’t sleep, so I turned on my TV and tried to find something to watch. I was flipping through the channels when I spotted a shadow in the doorway.