Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“Call me Dash. Mr. Richmond is my father. Should I sit here?” I asked about the comfortable side chair he had pulled into the center of the room.
“Yes, sir,” he replied. The entire process lasted no longer than twenty minutes. I had undergone similar procedures before. I found the whole experience relaxing. Something about my body receiving the nutrients and hydration it craved made everything right as rain. A yawn slipped free, and my eyelids drooped. Perhaps I should reconsider my options. Maybe I should rest until Beau arrived home then wake and plead for forgiveness.
With a series of long yawns, I let the attendant out and started for our bedroom when I spotted Beau’s commitment ring on the entry table. Even in my exhausted state, warning bells rattled in my head. Then I saw the note, written in Beau’s unique penmanship. Time slowed as I held both, reading Beau’s words.
My heart sank as I read the note. What had Chandler done? The ink looked bolder on Chandler’s name, as if he’d pressed harder, penning it with malice and jealousy. No. No. What had Beau seen?
Beau had already come home?
How? With both the ring and note gripped tightly in my hand, I took off in search of my cell phone. Was there any chance I’d missed him this morning? Panic and anxiety gripped me. Every muscle in my body tensed. All my arrogance of the last two weeks, my convictions of not being the first to reach out, mocked me as I slipped easily back into my old self—a person I hadn’t been in so long.
Before I tanked, I found my phone on our bed and quickly dialed Beau’s number. It started ringing before I ever had the receiver to my ear. My gaze flitted around the bedroom, landing on the open closet door. With a singular focus, I moved toward the closet as Beau’s voicemail activated.
“Babe, what’s happened? I got your note and have your ring. It needs to be back on your finger. Please call me.” I didn’t hang up as my foot knocked against the door, very afraid of what I might find as the overhead light automatically lit the small space. Beau’s clothes were scattered everywhere. An open suitcase lay cockeyed on the floor. He’d never intentionally leave such a mess. I pressed the call button again, but it went to voicemail. Beau was ignoring my calls.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Dread coiled in my gut. Every choice I’d made since our happier days felt like a misstep. All leading us to this heartbreaking moment. My heart ached. My thoughts turned desperate. If only I could find where he’d gone, I’d rush there and bring him back home. Penny. I’ll called her. She regularly worked miracles. If anyone could find him, it was her. I took a deep centering breath and dialed her before my panic turned into hysteria.
Beau
Indecision had finally taken hold of me. My heart fucking hurt. The pain made me frantic. The grounded man I always aimed to be was becoming erratic. Exhausted, I’d pulled into a motel in Oklahoma City. That was three hours ago, and I hadn’t slept a wink since I’d arrived. Instead, I passed time by staring at the ceiling, wishing for anything to take this pain away. Raw emotions simmered just beneath the surface, with an enormous pain and just that same amount of fear.
Why had I chosen to leave? At the time, I’d thought making the first move meant I was in control, but I wasn’t at all. A clear voice inside me insisted that Dash hadn’t betrayed me. That I hadn’t witnessed what I thought I had. Yet, I countered that thought with the idea that the eyes never deceived.
Chandler was aware of his actions and had easily led Dash away from me. Their embrace wreaked havoc on my soul. Chandler spent all day and probably most nights with Dash. They fit together in a way we did not. From my position on the bed, my legs hung over the mattress. I kicked my feet to help lift myself to sit on the side of the bed. I might have accepted Dash randomly fooling around with anyone but Chandler. Dash had to know that I’d never go for Chandler being the other guy.
I hadn’t been the one to break us up, Dash had orchestrated our split. He was fully aware of my return date. It appeared on our shared calendar.
I rolled back on the mattress again, bringing my palm to my chest and gently rubbing the dull ache that lingered there. My hand felt naked without my ring. The rattle of my cell phone connected to the charger by my nightstand caught my attention. It could only be one of two people, either Scott or Dash, my mom was occupied with Carter. With more strength than I realized I possessed, I let the call go to voicemail.