Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“Care about what?”
“Me, that I’m fucking other women,” he yells, and I blink, completely stunned by his outburst. “It doesn’t fucking matter to you at all.”
“Wait.” I hold up my hands while shaking my head. “Are you—have you been doing this whole having-women-over-every-time-I-show-up as a way to try and make me jealous or something?”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he just stares, and I know I’m right.
“Oh my god.” I whisper.
“It didn’t work.”
“Of course it didn’t.” I shout then laugh without humor.
“This isn’t fucking funny, Willow.”
“It’s actually hilarious, Brodie.” I rub my hands down my face. “Your way of trying to win me back, or whatever it is you think you’re doing, is to shove women in my face.” I look around wishing there was something close by to throw at his stupid, fat head. “We broke up because I couldn’t handle the constant distance, lack of communication, and the amount of women always hanging around. I told you that.” And I did, I told him early on that his constant traveling and then not even calling or texting while he was away was an issue, and he did nothing to change it, so I protected myself by ending things because I didn’t want to end up hurt if I did let him completely in.
“No, you broke up with me because you can’t commit to fucking anything in life.”
“Screw you.” I hiss
“You didn’t do that either,” he roars, and I take a step back, not out of fear but out of the realization that I messed up. Leah was right. I shouldn’t have started spending time with him again after things between us ended, but I cared about him and didn’t want to not have him in my life anymore. I was so stupid.
“I think.” I start softly. “That you need to find someone else to keep Jeb after you get back from this trip.”
“Willow...”
“It was selfish of me to think that we could be friends.” I cut him off as guilt rolls through me. I never once considered how he felt and maybe I should have. I mean he was the one who told me that he was in love with me, and I just didn’t believe him, his actions didn’t back up that claim but maybe he was in his way.
“I love you, don’t you see that?” he says gruffly.
But I don’t—I don’t see it. I mean he was fucking someone else right after we broke up and has screwed a dozen women since then. If he really cared about me, it wouldn’t have been so easy for him to move on, right?
“You never even gave me a shot—a real shot before you gave up on us.”
“I’m sorry.” I rub my lips together. “But I have nothing to offer you but friendship.”
“I don’t want your fucking friendship,” he shouts, and Jeb barks again, jumps up on his hind legs, obviously worried about his human.
“Okay.” I say quietly then ask. “Do you still want me to keep Jeb or—”
“I’ll find someone to keep him,” he bites out.
I nod, then slide the leash from around my neck and place it on the counter before I turn and walk to the door.
“It’s always so fucking easy for you to walk away.”
I don’t acknowledge his final comment, as I step out of his apartment and close the door behind me. I don’t have it in me to fight with him and I know it wouldn’t do any good anyway.
When I get back into my apartment, I open the door and find Leah sitting on the couch in the living room.
“Hey, I was just going to text to see if you’d be home for dinner,” she says, watching me walk across the room, then she frowns. “Where is Jeb?”
“I don’t think we’re going to see Jeb anymore.” I plop down next to her, and she lets out a breath.
“What happened?”
“Brodie flipped out, got mad that I haven’t been jealous of the women he’s sleeping with, then told me that he loves me and that I can’t commit.”
“Wait, you need to repeat that,” she hisses, pissed on my behalf.
Darn, but I love my best friend.
“I guess he thought that me showing up and finding women in his place over and over again would cause me to realize that I’m in love with him or something.” I close my eyes and let my head fall back against the couch. “And I don’t want to hear I told you so, but I should definitely stop being friends with the guys I’ve dated.”
“Willow.” She leans her head on my shoulder.
“Maybe I’m broken,” I whisper and feel her jolt.
“What?”
“I felt nothing, even the first time I saw him with someone after we broke up. I wasn’t jealous or sad. And the other guys I’ve dated? It’s been the same. I mean I care about them, yes, but that’s it. I just care about them—nothing more. None of them have ever had the power to hurt me.”