Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Flint leans in and waggles his brows. “It’s time to live your Sagittarius era.”
I snort. “First, it was the Kenleigh Colburn era, and now, it’s my Sagittarius era?”
He just grins, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief, the same look I wore often as a young teen. “Just saying, you haven’t been living your wild-child self in a long time. It’s time to tap into that.”
Ash nods. “Yeah, Mom. It’s time for you to put socks on your door.”
Flint gags a bit and smacks his brother. I can’t help but laugh. “Bro!”
“What? Mom is a baddie,” Ash declares and then flashes me a lopsided grin that makes me think he’s eight and not eighteen. “You’ve lived for us, Mom. Go live for you. We’ll be fine.”
“Yeah,” Flint agrees. “We have each other.”
“You’re welcome,” I say, my voice shaking, and then they kiss my temples at the same time. “Instant best friends.” They smirk at me as I gaze up at them. “You’ll call and text?”
They both agree earnestly, and I see a glimpse of them when they were younger. When they weren’t off to college to do big things and ultimately make it to the NHL. When they were just my sweet babies.
Now, they’re men.
And all I can hope is that I did my job.
“Daily,” Ash promises.
“It’ll feel like we’re not even apart,” Flint adds, and my heart soars.
I smile brightly. “That’s how I want it.” I wrap my arms around them, and they hug me tightly. This almost feels unreal, like it’s not happening, but when we part, they both look down at me with bright-blue eyes full of so much love and excitement for me. “I love you two.”
They tell me the same before Layla and Pete pull them away for more pictures, leaving Stratford behind. I watch the boys for a moment before shifting my gaze to the man I had planned to spend my life with. When I met him, I was so enamored with his beauty. He has the highest cheekbones, the darkest green eyes, and deepest brown hair that falls ever so perfectly along his brow. I used to love how he made me feel so petite when I was in his arms and how he never ever said anything about my weight. I think that’s why I was so obsessed with him. I was always called fat by guys, but not Stratford. He loved my body.
And I hate him for making me feel safe when I wasn’t.
He looks at me, his lips curving up, and I’m instantly disgusted. How can he look me in the eye after all he’s done? His voice is full of such genuine adoration, I want to kick his shin as he tells me, “You did good, Kenleigh. They wouldn’t be who they are without you.”
“I know,” I answer unapologetically.
His eyes widen at my bold statement, and then they narrow. “Are you okay?”
I don’t answer. I haven’t been okay in six years. “Can you walk me to my car?”
His brows pull in, but he agrees, and together, we make our way through the throngs of people. All the happy, and unhappy, families coming together to celebrate their graduate. It’s quiet in the parking lot; the only sounds are the birds and bees buzzing as the June sun shines down on us. I love Wisconsin and I’ll miss it, but with my boys leaving, this place isn’t my home anymore.
When we get to my car, I reach for the door and open it as Stratford makes a noise behind me. “Kenleigh, what is going on?”
I pull the manila envelope from the passenger seat and turn to hand it to him. He doesn’t take it, his eyes moving from mine to the car and then back to mine. “Why is your car full of your things? What is that?”
I push my shoulders back, still holding out the envelope to him. “Divorce papers.”
His eyes widen as his jaw goes slack. His face drains of color as he sputters, “W-w-what?”
“My lawyer has drawn everything up. Given that we had a prenup, it’s pretty cut-and-dried since we didn’t reach the required twenty years of marriage and I’m not owed anything. Nor do I want anything.”
He blinks, his eyes searching mine. Silence stretches between us, neither of us moving as my heart pounds in my chest. So many times, I’ve thought about this moment. I thought I’d be excited, but really, I’m just hurt. I’d loved this man, and while I don’t love him anymore, it hurts that he ruined what I thought we were working for. A life of love. When he doesn’t reach for the envelope, I raise a brow, and then his shoulders fall. His voice is rough, full of emotion, as he whispers, “You know.”
It’s not a question, and the tension between us thickens. I won’t let myself cry over this bastard. I did that enough. “About the two sons and daughter you fathered back in California? Yeah, I know.”