Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 88456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
I’m about to answer him when the doorbell rings. I get off my stool, walking over to the door. “I think I’ll be back by next week, just not sure of the date yet.” I don’t even bring up we were supposed to have dinner with his parents on Monday, wondering if he told them I came without him. “I will know more by Tuesday.” I unlock the door and open it and stand here staring in shock.
I see him standing there, looking like he’s run his hand through his hair for hours, wearing exactly what he was wearing at the office. His phone is in one hand and a green case in the other hand. “You forgot your cat.”
Thirty
Nash
Her mouth is open in shock, the phone still to her ear as she takes me in. I probably look disheveled because it took me a lot longer than I thought it would. I had already booked a plane when she came and told me she was leaving. Then when she came back and said she was leaving right then, it threw all my plans out the window. I watched her walk out while calling the plane and pushing it up, rushing to get the fuck out of my office before going to get the cat.
I hold up the green-and-brown carrier in my hand. “You forgot your cat,” I say, knowing it’s the stupidest excuse known to humankind.
I don’t know how long it takes her to answer me. It could have been seconds, but it felt like hours. “Nash,” she whispers.
“Do you know how hard it is to travel with a kitten?” I ask, trying to make her smile, something I haven’t done in the last couple of days. “She cried for a good thirty minutes until I let her out, and then she climbed everywhere for a good two hours before napping the rest of the way.” I stand here on her stoop, holding her menace cat in my hand, hoping she lets me in. “Can I come in?” I finally ask her, and she snaps out of the shock and moves away.
“Of course you can,” she says, moving away but holding out her hand for the carrier. “Hi, my girl,” she says to the cat. “Did you go on an adventure?” She looks from the cat to me, putting the carrier on the floor and then opening it to take her out. “I don’t have anything for the cat here.”
“I called Zara before I got on the plane,” I tell her, and again, she just stares at me. “She said she left everything in the laundry room, and you owe her for going into a pet store.”
She gets up and walks over to the laundry room, opening the door and seeing everything there. “She got her a water fountain.” She smiles over her shoulder as she kisses the kitten’s neck and then puts her down in the litter box, before coming back out to join me.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she states, and I can see her bottom lip tremble. She looks down and I see her hand come up, shaking a bit as she wipes away what looks like a tear.
“How could you think I wouldn’t be here?” I ask her, and she just looks at me. I see the big tears welling at the bottom of her eyes. It’s more than I can take, so I walk two steps toward her and hold her face in my hands. “We need to talk,” I repeat, my own hands shaking now. “You are going to have to bear with me because I’ve never done this before,” I tell her honestly. “I fucked up,” I start with that because it’s the first thing that comes to my mind, “and I’m sorry.”
“Nash.” She wraps her hands around my wrists that hold her face, my thumbs sweeping her cheeks, brushing away the tears. “Before you start, I want to say one thing.” She holds up her hand to stop me from talking, and I don’t think I even take a fucking breath as I wait for her to say what she so urgently has to say. “I’m so sorry about what I said.” I see her nervously twist her hands together. “It was so uncalled for, and I wanted to take back the words the minute I said them—”
I shake my head, trying not to get my hopes up high as I say what I came here to say. “Just let me say what I have to say.” I quickly cut her off. “I’m in love with you.” I finally say the words, not caring how vulnerable it makes me. “I’m so fucking in love with you I can’t see fucking straight.” I bend to kiss her lips. “I know we have a lot to work out, but I don’t want a divorce. I didn’t want a divorce before I fell in love with you, and now, I definitely don’t want a divorce.” My eyes search hers. “When you mentioned divorce, it threw me off. I mean, I knew I asked you to give me ninety days, but I didn’t think it was hanging over our head. I was hoping you could see how much I was falling for you. I was hoping you saw how much I love you.” I bring her closer to me. “You had to know. You have to know how much I love you.”