Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
As I walk past her, she gives me a hateful glare, but I act like I don’t see it. “Are you moving back?”
She huffs her breath. “God, no.”
I almost stumble in my work boots because already my hopes were up, and now they’re dashed. Fuck, how I’ve missed her. I grab some more things from her car, and this time she moves to stop me. Compared to me, she’s a wisp of a thing, and I could easily get past her, but I humor her and stop.
She points at the load in my arms. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Let’s just make this easy, Lucky—I mean Lucy. Let me drop you off wherever you’re going, and then I’ll come back and get your car.”
“If I can just use your phone, I can call for a ride.”
I glare at her. “You’re riding around without a phone?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “My phone is dead.”
I bristle, thinking of her out here by herself. Yeah, it’s Whiskey Run, but bad things happen everywhere. “I have shit to do. Can you just cooperate for once and do as I ask?”
She jerks and then puts her hand on her shapely hip. “Well, Mr. Evans, I am doing as you asked. Remember? It was in this very town when you told me to leave you alone and that you never wanted to see me again. So see, I’m trying to do as you asked.”
Her eyes are three shades darker and filled with anger. I can’t say I blame her. I knew when I said those words to her all those years ago that I broke her. At the time, I knew it was the right thing to do, but looking at her right now with her bruised face, I’m not so sure. If she was with me, she would never have a mark on her skin.
“I’m sorry. I know—”
She holds her hand up to stop me. “Forget it. I’m not doing this here. If you can take me to my mom’s house, I would appreciate it. But just leave my car here. I’ll have it taken care of.”
I nod as I walk past her to load her things in my truck. So she’s going to her mom’s. The woman hates me, and she’ll probably curse me for even being on her property. I’ve seen her through the years, and the times she hasn’t gone out of her way to avoid me, she’s stopped to tell me how great Luciana is doing without me. The last I heard, Lucky was living in Atlanta in some big mansion with her fiancé.
As I walk past Lucy again, I can’t help but wonder if her fiancé is the one that hit her.
I’ll kill him.
As I grab the last of her bags, she picks up her purse and follows me. I open the door for her, and she huffily climbs into the front seat of my truck. I try to ignore the way her jeans fit her ass and the way she smells of jasmine that brings back so many fuckin’ memories that I want to pull my dick from my pants and stroke it right here and now.
She’s not happy to be here with me, and I can’t say I blame her. I was a dick to her. I not only broke her heart, I demolished her. I knew what I was doing, and even though it killed me to do it, it was for the best.
I walk around to the driver's side and pull myself up into the seat. “Did you get everything you need?”
She blurts out a laugh. “There you go again, acting like you care about me. Why don’t you stop being nice and be the asshole we both know you can be?”
I turn and look at her, seeing for the first time the exhaustion on her face. She looks as if she’s been through hell, and I’m sure seeing me again isn’t helping matters.
I turn toward the road in front of us and start my truck, ignoring her outburst. I want to ask her for another chance, but I don’t have that right. Instead, I grip the steering wheel and remind myself that her hating me is for the best.
3
LUCIANA
Seventeen years ago, I would have given anything to be where I’m at right now. Then, I thought Dom and I were going to get married, have a family, and live happily ever after. I’m proof that life doesn’t always turn out how you think it’s going to.
I look out my peripheral and take in Dom’s profile. He’s even more handsome than I remember, and just thinking about it makes me more mad. Of all the people that could be driving by, it just had to be Dominic Evans.
I cross my arms over my chest. Dom opens his mouth and closes it. I’m dying to know what he was about to say, but I don’t dare ask.