Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 131209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
“Okay,” she softly spoke.
She was waiting in front of her building when I arrived. She looked beautiful, wearing a long skirt and mid cut-off top. Her hair was down and framed her face. I noticed it immediately, though silently prayed she wanted to style it that way, and I wasn’t misunderstanding or overanalyzing it.
She opened the passenger side door and stepped in. “Where are we going?” she asked while putting on her seatbelt.
“A friend’s birthday party.”
She wearingly smiled at me. “Sounds good.”
I wanted to kiss her, I wanted to hug her, I wanted to do something, anything, but all I did was grab her hand. I placed it on my lap, and she locked her fingers tightly around mine. It drowned out the chaos that overplayed in my mind.
We drove in silence and I parked a few houses down from the party, cars were everywhere. We exited my car and I grabbed her hand once again; she let me. She followed behind me to the front door.
I knocked a few times, but there was no answer. I could hear the commotion coming from inside. I opened the door and stepped in, taking her with me. Kids ran everywhere and in every direction.
“Wow. I didn’t realize this would be a kid’s birthday party,” she mused.
“Yeah… I forgot to mention that part,” I teased to no avail.
I led her to the back porch, her hand still tightly entwined with mine. I looked around for someone I recognized.
“Devon, I’m glad you could make it,” I heard him say from behind us.
I turned, but Brooke stayed put as if she was glued to the ground. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her grip on my hand was so fucking tight, you would think she was trying to cut off my circulation.
“Hey, man,” I responded, looking back at him and then again at Brooke. “This is—”
“I know who she is,” he clarified. “Hey, Brooke. Nice to see you again,” he added.
She licked her lips and sucked in a deep breath, before opening her eyes and looking straight at me. She appeared alarmed, her face portraying nothing, but panic and desperation. She squeezed my hand one last time, before turning around, and locking stares with him immediately.
“Hi, Landon.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
<>B<>
I should have gone with my instincts. I should have ended it the afternoon that I left Madam’s office.
I didn’t.
I’m a coward.
I’m my father.
There I was staring at my past, with my present standing beside me.
How the fuck did I let it get this far?
“You two know each other?” Devon questioned, looking back between us.
“You could say that,” Landon nonchalantly responded.
“We grew up together. She and Christine were best friends.”
Devon’s eyes instantly amplified, understanding the simple, yet significant sentence that would change everything.
“It’s him,” he whispered, only for me to hear.
I nodded.
“Dad!” Ethan yelled, running over to him as fast as his small baby legs would let him. Devon picked him up, kissed his head, and placed him on his hip.
“Oh, Devon, I’m so glad you could—” Her face faltered when she saw me. “Brooke?”
“Hey, Christine,” was all I could say.
“What are you doing here? Are you here with April? I thought she couldn’t make it,” she explained.
I shook my head. “No… I’m here with Devon.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Devon?”
“Christine, I think Brooke is Devon’s girlfriend,” Landon cautioned.
“No!” I yelled out from nowhere, making everyone look at me. “We’re friends. That’s all. We’re just friends.” I didn’t have the audacity to look over at Devon, but I didn’t have to. I just stabbed him in the heart. Purposely.
“Oh…” Christine breathed out.
“I’m going to use the bathroom. Where is that?” I asked, needing to get ahold of my emotions, and away from all the crazy stares.
I wanted to cry.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to run away.
But mostly… I wanted to hide.
“Down the hall to your right. Here, I’ll take you,” Landon offered.
I nodded and followed him inside, still not looking back at Devon. There was a line down the hall for that bathroom, so Landon took me up the stairs, saying that one wouldn’t be occupied.
He turned as soon as we were alone and away from prying ears. “Jesus, Brooke, we go from not seeing each for over a decade, to seeing each other twice in a few months.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So you know Christine’s ex-husband?”
“Yeah… I didn’t know. I mean, I knew he was married, but I had no idea it would be to Christine. He’s never said her name and I never asked.”
“What the fuck?”
“No shit, Landon. What am I supposed to do now? Go back down there and pretend like we don’t all know each other, or there isn’t a history there that makes us want to gouge each other’s eyes out.”
“Is he your boyfriend?”
I shrugged. “No… yes… I don’t fucking know. I can’t believe this is happening.”