Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Chloe sniffled.
Sig turned her face into his shoulder and started to rub her back without missing a beat, gesturing for Robbie to continue.
“At some point, it stopped being about making him jealous and it started being about us. Everything was going great, you know? At least I thought so. The second I turned my back, she went out with him. And his accent. I probably never would have found out . . .” He trailed off, shaking his head. “No, that’s not true. She would have told me eventually. She’s not a secret keeper. There isn’t a deceptive bone in her body.”
“Why did she go out with him?” Burgess asked. “And why did you let him live?”
“It wasn’t romantic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m jealous as hell, but I think Skylar just wanted to . . . emotionally bodycheck me after seeing some garbage about me on the internet.”
Mailer stepped forward with his phone aloft. “I have the website in question right here.”
“Dude.” Robbie kicked his roommate in the back of his leg. “What the hell.”
“They need the full picture.”
“No, they don’t!”
Burgess plucked the phone out of Mailer’s hands. “Yes, we do.” He went back to his post beside Tallulah, scrolling with his thumb. “Jesus Christ, Corrigan.”
Robbie doubled over, dropped his head into his hands, and groaned loud enough to shake the windowpanes.
Both women scrambled out of their respective spots to look over Burgess’s shoulder, which was physically impossible, of course, so he handed the phone to Tallulah. The twin gasps arrived five seconds later.
“She saw all this?” Chloe whispered.
“I assume you’ve contacted a lawyer,” Tallulah said.
“You’re not going to want to hear this, Robbie,” said Chloe, “but I would have gone on a date with an Irish guy, too. Ten of them. And I would have thrown in an Aussie.”
Sig did a double take. “How about you don’t put that image in my head, Chlo?”
“Only kidding!” She looked at Tallulah and mouthed, I’m not kidding.
“Look . . . I haven’t done any of that shit since I met Skylar. I don’t want to. But I can’t be looking over my shoulder waiting for her to doubt me again. It’s going to be painful every time. It hurts to be doubted by someone I’m so goddamn in love with. I’m mad, all right? I’m fucking mad and . . . devastated.”
Tallulah’s expression had gradually turned sympathetic. “Did you tell her all this?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“She said she was sorry.” His chest erupted with a fresh wave of pain. “She was crying when I left on Thursday night.”
“Making your woman cry.” Burgess shivered. “It’s worse than two broken legs.”
Tallulah reached up and threaded her fingers through Burgess’s, squeezing.
“Let me ask you a question, Corrigan,” Sig said. “Let’s say she gets on a plane tomorrow and moves to . . .” Momentarily, he eyeballed Chloe. “Ireland or Australia. And you’re never going to see her again. How do you feel about that?”
Robbie’s ribs almost cracked from the sudden pressure. “What?” he wheezed.
“How. Do you feel. About that?”
“Like I want to die.” Even that was an understatement.
Sig dipped his chin. “Then guess what? You’re a lucky son of a bitch, because she lives in your town. And she might even still like your ass. So quit wasting time.”
“Sig, you’re so smart,” Chloe said, hands tucked beneath her chin. “I wouldn’t leave you for all the Australians or Irishmen in the world.”
“Now you tell me.”
“Hold on, though,” Tallulah broke in with a wave of her hand. “He can’t just get back together while he’s holding on to this feeling of betrayal and judgment. Although . . .” She held up the phone Mailer had given her. “If anything deserves a bit of side-eye . . .”
Robbie threw up his hands. “We were all consenting adults.”
“True.” Tallulah tossed the phone back to Mailer. “Rebuild the trust before you jump back into the relationship. Spend some time with her on your terms. Decide if your feelings are the same or if they’ve changed—”
“My feelings for her are never going away,” Robbie rasped, visions of Skylar flipping through his mind like the pages of a glossy magazine.
“Then work your way toward a better place. Take your time.”
Being encouraged to go see Skylar was like being handed the keys to a golden kingdom. That was exactly what his heart urged him to do and God, he was grateful to have that feeling seconded. “Go see her,” Sig enunciated.
He stood up and walked straight to the front door, his pace accelerating as he went. “Okay. Her home opener is tonight.”
Mailer blocked his path. “Maybe a shower first, buddy?”
Chapter Thirty-One
With one hour to go until the home opener, Skylar sat in her car staring at the license plate of the SUV parked in front of her. BUBOUND read the license plate. On the glass, just above the stationary windshield wiper, were various boasts. My kid graduated with honors from Sun Valley High School. Sun Valley Honors Society.