Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113934 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
“I loved you, Michelle.”
My mouth gaped open. “Loved?”
His hands scrubbed down his face. “I mean, I love you.”
I attempted not to totally break down in front of him. “No. If you love someone, you don’t treat them like this, Mitch.” My hands covered my mouth as I tried not to cry harder. Dropping my hands to my sides, I took in a long, deep breath. I wouldn’t do this here. Not in front of other people. “You don’t do something like this to someone you love.”
He took another step toward me. “I’m so sorry. Baby, I never meant to hurt you.”
The sickness of what was happening rolled over my body. “Don’t waste your breath. It doesn’t even sound like you mean it.”
“That’s not true.”
“Truth? You want to speak truth? You lost the chance to do that the moment you entertained the idea of sleeping with another woman. Why don’t you go find your Lexi? I’m sure she’d love for you to fuck her up against a wall and talk dirty to her.”
“Fucking hell, don’t say that, Michelle.”
Turning, I headed back toward the dorms. I needed to hold it together. The only thing I wanted to do was fall to the ground and lose it. I wouldn’t let him see what he’d done to me. Let him see how he’d ripped my heart out of my chest and broken it into a million pieces.
Grabbing my shoulder, Mitch pulled me to a stop. “Michelle, please. I need to know you’re okay.”
Pushing him away, I hastily wiped my wet cheeks. “Okay? You need to know if I’m okay?”
He closed his eyes. “That’s not how I meant for that to come out.”
I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him with everything I had. “No, I’m not okay, you asshole. You tore my heart out and tossed it in the garbage. I hate you!”
“Please don’t say that.”
“I hate you, Mitch Woods. I. Hate. You.”
“I’m so sorry, baby. Please forgive me.”
Pointing to him, I walked backward. “You don’t get to call me that. Ever again. And I sure as hell will never forgive you. Never.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
* * *
Skylar
A MONTH HAD passed since the whole Ashley debacle. I was now seeing a counselor who I really liked and connected with. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could talk about what had happened to me when Charlie raped me. It felt like a million years ago on some days and like yesterday on others.
Things with Wyatt and me were going good. We were both busy, and football took Wyatt away more than either of us liked. But we managed to make time for each other every day.
Even if it was only to meet quickly for coffee.
I pushed the door to the coffee shop open and smiled when I saw him sitting at the same table we sat at every Thursday.
“Hey,” I said as I set my book down on the table.
Wyatt glanced up and flashed me that big grin of his. “Hey back at ya.”
“Test?”
He shook his head. “Plays. Trying to make sure I have everything down for the game this weekend.”
A tall cup of hot chocolate sat on the table with my name written across it. Glancing up, I smiled at Kimberley, the barista. She waved, and I waved back. I hadn’t been much of a coffee drinker lately. Hot chocolate seemed to be my go-to drink these days.
“Your folks are driving in with mine and said they’d meet me at the stadium.”
Wyatt laughed. “Did they tell you they were going to take a duck tour of Austin on Sunday?”
With a chuckle, I sipped my drink. “Yep. I don’t even want to tell you how excited my dad is.”
“I know. He called to tell me.”
I rolled my eyes and opened my book.
“Any news from Michelle on what she is going to do?”
My chest ached as I thought about my best friend and what my brother had done to her. “Yeah. She’s decided to leave UT. She’s transferring to Baylor this spring.”
Wyatt lifted his brow. “No Harvard?”
“Maybe next year. I don’t think she is sure about anything anymore, to be honest. It’s like she is on autopilot. I’d really like to kick Mitch’s ass.”
“And Skip’s. He wasn’t an innocent bystander in all of this, according to Mitch.”
Rolling my eyes yet again, I sighed. “I don’t buy it. Yes, I’m sure Skip egged Mitch on, but if Mitch truly cared about Michelle, he wouldn’t have done it.”
“I agree,” Wyatt said before taking a bite of an apple bran muffin. “I’ve asked him over and over why he didn’t just break up with Michelle if he was attracted to this Lexi girl.”
My brows furrowed. “Are they dating?”
Wyatt stopped chewing and looked at me. “Do you really want me to answer that?”
“No. Yes. No, wait. If you tell me, then Michelle might ask, and I can’t lie to her.”