Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
I let out a sigh of relief. At least he doesn’t seem angry with me. “Hey, Davis, can I come in?”
He nods and opens the door, backing into his apartment. He lets go of the handle and makes his way over to the couch. His limp is more pronounced, and I know it’s from jumping from the tree the other day.
He sits heavily on the edge of the couch and locks his hands together in his lap. “How’s Alexis?”
I tilt my head to the side. “You want the truth?”
A worried look crosses his face. “Yes, is she okay?”
I shrug. “Physically she’s just fine. She doesn’t understand why you haven’t come to see her. She thinks”—I let out a breath—“she thinks that you’re mad at her for climbing the tree, and she blames herself that you were hurt.”
“Fuck, Abby.” I groan, hating myself even more right now. “I’ll come see her, I’ll explain.”
“Okay, thank you.”
He nods and claps his hands together and clears his throat. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
I move to the edge of my seat and hold my breath. “Okay.”
“I’m not going to take the job here. I think it’s time I move on.”
All I can do is repeat what he just said. “Move on?”
He nods and is looking at his hands instead of me. “Yeah, I think it’s best for everyone if I go.”
“Bullshit, Davis. That’s bullshit, and you know it.”
He rears back in surprise, but I’m not holding back. “If you’re doing this, then tell me the truth, tell me you don’t want me, tell me this was just a fling, but don’t act like you’re doing what’s best for me.”
He remains calm, which makes me even madder. I get up, and so does he. He winces, grabbing his knee and bending over in pain.
I had planned to go, but I can’t leave him like this. “Davis, are you okay?”
He grits his teeth. “I’m fine.”
I come toward him. “Have you taken anything for the pain?”
“No!” he says loudly and then softens his voice. “No, I haven’t taken anything. I can’t.”
I reach for him, but he jerks away from my touch. I let my hand drop to my side and try to hide the hurt from my voice. “Davis, there are non-narcotic pain pills you can take. Heck, even an over-the-counter pain reliever can help you some.”
He sits back down on the couch. “No, I can’t. I’m afraid that if I do… I won’t stop there.”
I put my hand on his shoulder and squeeze. “Davis, it’s okay…”
He pulls from my touch. “Abby, you don’t get it, and I’m not going to explain it. It’s over between us.”
The sob escapes before I can stop it. My mouth drops open, and all I can do is stare at him. “But… you love me,” I tell him and feel ignorant as soon as I say it. If he loved me, he wouldn’t be ending it. He wouldn’t be pushing me away and leaving Whiskey Run.
He stands up to his full height and puts his hands on his hips. His voice is calmer than I’ve ever heard it, hiding any emotion he may be feeling. “Abby, it’s just all too much. We just have too much against us. You're young, too young. Your brother. My, uh, health.”
I clench my eyes shut. I want to beg him. I want to get down on my knees and plead with him not to do this, but I don’t. I open my eyes to look at him, and his head is back, staring at the ceiling. He won’t even look at me.
It feels as if my heart is splitting in my chest. “I gotta go,” I tell him.
I walk across the room, secretly hoping he’ll stop me, but he remains where he’s at. I run from his apartment and don’t stop until I’m sitting in my car. I hold back the tears long enough to drive around the corner. In a rush, I pull to the side of the road and put my car in park. Only then do I let the tears fall. I cry, and big, wracking sobs shake my body. I thought I could come here today, and we could work things out. I thought this was something we could work through and overcome, but obviously he’s not interested. He doesn’t love me. He never did.
CHAPTER 23
DAVIS
I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting outside Abby’s house, but it’s been awhile. I went to a boutique in Jasper and bought all the dresses on the rack for Alexis. They’re still sitting on the passenger seat of my truck, untouched.
My plan was to drop them off on the porch with a note and leave, but I can’t bring myself to do it. It seems too final.
I lean my arms and head on the steering wheel and close my eyes. Since I saw Alexis up in that tree the other day, I’ve been on a downward spiral. I’m not the man that I once was. I climbed that tree, but the whole time, I wondered if my leg was going to give out on me or worse than that, what if I physically wasn’t able to save her?