Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Come back to me, Ashley,” he whispered. “Let me in.”
Then he was gone.
17
ASHLEY
A couple of days later, my feet pounded the pavement, rhythmic and smooth. My heartbeat was fast but steady. I kept my focus on my stride, blocking out everything else.
The moment Luc walked out, I regretted letting him. I wanted to run after him, beg him to come back. To hold me. To help me stop the anger that was choking me, obliterating everything else in my life. To help me sort out my feelings.
But I didn’t. I remained locked in place, my hands clutching the counter behind me as if to stop myself. I heard the squeal of his tires as he left. I had never known him to be angry, although some part of me knew I deserved his ire.
I stopped on the trail, taking in deep breaths, then pulled my water from my belt and swallowed some of the cool liquid. Wiping my brow, I checked my pulse. I had been running for a while. Luckily, I had already turned back toward the house. Switching up my pace, I began to walk quickly, needing a bit of a breather. My head was always clearer when I ran.
And I needed the clarity. I couldn’t think of Richard without anger. In fact, I still had trouble thinking of him as anything but Richard. I wasn’t sure if that would change with time, or if my resentment and anger would forever cloud my judgment, not allowing a relationship of any sort with him or his family.
“Which you’re one of,” a voice whispered in my head. I tried to ignore it.
I had been struggling the past two days, even calling in sick to work, shocking them since I had never even been late in all the years I worked there, let alone taken a day off. But I couldn’t concentrate, and I knew I would be useless. Thankfully, there were no big events happening, and my team could cover the small luncheons planned. My roommate, Joyce, was a flight attendant and was on one of her long absences, no doubt sunning herself in Hawaii on a break between flights. She was rarely home these days, and I had to admit, right now, I was grateful. I wasn’t in the mood to be a good roommate.
I was surprised when Halton Smithers called me this morning, asking if I was all right and if I had any questions. I frowned as I mulled over his words, then asked the one question on my mind.
“Did Richard ask you to call me?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “He was worried but wanted to give you space.”
“I’m fine,” I lied. “He can stop worrying. It’s not his concern.”
“He would argue that point,” Halton replied, then paused. “He’s available to you whenever you want to talk,” he said quietly. “He would like to speak with you.”
“I’m not ready.” I hung up, even more confused. The call made Richard seem caring. My mother said he was anything but.
Which was the real Richard?
The past and the present were on a constant loop in my mind. My mother and her assertions that my father was cold. Narcissistic. Unfeeling. That he never wanted her or me.
The firm assurances from Richard—my father—that he never knew about me. That he would have helped my mother in some aspect. He admitted he had been everything my mother accused him of being, but that he had changed. He certainly seemed to be everything Luc and Halton said he was. The man whom Heather had gushed over as the “greatest dad ever.”
But the question that plagued me was—had he known? Had he chosen not to love me? Was he trying to cover up his past mistakes to save face with the family he did love?
The insecure little girl who still dwelled somewhere deep inside me was too scared to admit she wanted to be seen and loved. The woman I became refused to admit she needed that.
And I had taken it out on Luc. Gotten angry with him. I knew he was in a tenuous position. The man I was angry with was part of the family who had accepted him and taken him in. Gave him a place to belong. He thought the world of all the men, including Richard. In my anger, I was effectively asking him to choose between us.
The rational, strong woman I usually was would never have done that.
I was a roiling pot of contradictions and feelings.
None of them good.
I rounded the corner, stopping at the sight of the deep blue Audi in my driveway and the tall man leaning against the car, staring down at his phone.
Luc.
In the sunlight, his hair caught the brightness, the ends turning gold. Dressed in tailored pants and a blue dress shirt, he had loosened his tie, his top button undone. I knew inside his car would be his black leather jacket. He was sexy and stern-looking, frowning at his phone. I loved the fact that he always dressed up for work instead of the normal outfit of jeans and T-shirts some of his staff preferred. He rocked the business casual well. He liked wild ties and colored shirts. Funky shoes. When he dressed in a suit, he was beyond handsome, but his style suited him. Edgy, fun, and completely stimulating. At least to me, although I was certain the women where he worked appreciated it as well.