 by Kaylee Ryan.jpg)
Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Two years of silence and no goodbye—she slipped away and through my fingers, leaving me with nothing but questions… and a heavy heart from missing her.
I know what we had was real, that our love was once in a lifetime.
Now she’s back from her Parisian fashion internship, and I'm ready for answers, desperate to understand why she couldn't just stay.
Jordyn
When I walked away, it was to protect him. Yet, all he knows, all he cares about, is that I left. Coming home is a bittersweet journey, each step heavier than the last.
While I’m no longer half a world away, the obstacles in front of us make it feel like we’ve never been farther apart.
I want to give him the answers he so desperately craves, and this time, I’ll get to say goodbye. However, what I didn’t plan on was Ryder’s fight. He’s not going to let me go so easily this time.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PROLOGUE
Jordyn
I can’t breathe.
The world around me is muffled, and all I can hear is my pulse pounding in my ears.
I don’t want to go.
Not like this.
My hands tremble as I sit beside my mother, waiting to board our flight.
I don’t want to be here. I’m not supposed to be here.
My chest heaves with each breath I force into my lungs. Each breath is painful and labored, as if the weight of an elephant is sitting on my chest.
It’s not the weight of an elephant; it’s much worse.
It’s heartbreak, pain, and regret. All three combined are threatening to pull me under. Not able to sit here a second longer, I jump to my feet.
“Where do you think you’re going?” my mother asks. There is so much malice in her tone, it makes me hate her even more than I do for her making me do this.
“I… need the ladies' room,” I manage to speak, but my voice doesn’t sound like my own.
“We board soon.” She raises her eyebrows. It’s a silent warning not to run off or do anything that’s not “mother approved.” It’s the same look I’ve seen from her my entire life.
I swallow thickly and nod before forcing one foot in front of the other and rushing toward the ladies' room. Once inside, I move to the nearest wall and rest against it, pulling large gulps of air into my lungs. My legs wobble, so I slide to the floor, not giving a damn of what I’m about to sit in.
It doesn’t matter.
My life is no longer my own. Not that it ever has been. I’m an adult. I shouldn’t have to bend to my mother’s will, but then she involved him. My hopes and dreams are now mere thoughts in my mind, and my heart is shattered. Millions of tiny pieces that used to be his—that still are his—will never be put back together.
Heartbreak.
Pain.
Regret.
All three emotions revolve around him.
I’ve run this through my head a million different ways, and I know that this is my only option. I have to do as she says, but the thought of losing him is tearing me apart inside. I’ve never felt this kind of hurt. The kind that wraps you in a cocoon, but it’s not comforting. It’s a constant reminder of what’s lost, and what once was.
Fumbling with my purse, I reach inside for my phone. I pull up his name and swallow back the sob that’s threatening to break free. I stare at the last message he sent me, and I can no longer hold the tears at bay. I swipe at my eyes, barely able to see the screen. I hover over the keys, but words fail me.
I’m in an impossible situation. I can’t see a way out of this, and I know that leaving him alone is best for him. I know that this is the right choice, the only choice, but it hurts. I fear the ache in my chest will forever be there as a reminder of what I’ve lost.
Locking the screen of my phone, my hands fall to my lap. It doesn’t matter how badly I want to reach out to him; I know I can’t. I rest my head against the bathroom wall. I don’t think about the germs I’m sure I’m sitting in, because all I can think about is him. All I can feel is love for him and hatred for her.
My mother.
It’s because of him that I’ll never be the same. I’ll never love another the way I love him. And my mother… she’s ruined any sliver of a relationship we might have had.
I know what love feels like now. True unconditional love, and he’s the one that gave it to me.
The day I met Ryder Kincaid changed my life.
CHAPTER ONE
Ryder
My phone feels like hot coals in my pocket.
She’s back.
The love of my life left town without telling me two years ago, and today of all days, the day my brother Archer marries his girl, Scarlett, she reaches out to me. I read her message, but quickly shoved my phone into my pocket and pasted on a smile for my brother. Archer deserves his day to be drama free. My brothers have picked me up and gotten me drunk more times than I can count since the day Jordyn left.
Today will not be about her.
Today, I get to see another of my brothers marry. I’m gaining another sister, and I couldn’t be happier for both of them. It’s just me and the twins that remain single, and that’s a hard pill to swallow. I assumed Jordyn and I would be married by now, at least engaged. I fell hard and fast for her, but she did too. She told me she loved me, and when I looked into her big brown eyes, I saw that love. I could feel it in her touch.