Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
And she does. Blair blinks and the well of tears in her eyes spills down her face.
It’s over.
“W-why?” She brings a shaky hand to her mouth, closing her eyes, but the tears continue to fall.
The lump in my throat swells. And despite being the deliverer of pain, my eyes sting with emotion.
There’s no good way to do something awful. There’s no good way to give someone bad news. It’s hard. It hurts. The right words are never there because they don’t exist.
I don’t know what’s worse, not having the right words, or stealing hers, pulling them from her one by one, leading her down a road that’s a dead end for us.
Blair grabs her purse and shoves her chair back, then she runs out of the restaurant. I toss a wad of cash on the table and chase after her. When I push through the front door, I freeze. She’s on the sidewalk, one hand on a light pole, the other holding her hair back, and she’s bent over like she might get sick.
I swallow hard and wipe my eyes before picking up her handbag from the ground. Then I pull her into my arms. She doesn’t hug me back, nor does she fight me. We hurt together and grieve the loss of our love that once was, but never again will be the same love.
“I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” I say, opening the door to the car.
She stares at the seat, but she doesn’t get in. “Give me the key.”
I hesitate, but only for a second, before handing it to her.
“Get your bag out of the back.”
Again, I give her request a second, then I pull my bag from the back.
She shuts the passenger door, posture sagging, eyes dead. “I hate you.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to Alison’s. I expect you to be gone by the time I get home tomorrow.”
I nod. “I’ll talk to your parents.”
She shakes her head, jaw clenched. “No. Don’t say a word. Just get your stuff and get out. Don’t let them see you. No explanation. No goodbye.”
“Blair—”
“I said no.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
Chapter Fifty-One
Alice
It’s never too late, until it is.
“I’ve fallen out of love with you.”
I grin, setting the day’s floral arrangement on the dining room table while Mr. Morrison frowns at his bowl of heart-healthy oatmeal with fresh berries and sweetened with local honey.
“Did you know there’s a book called Why We Are Carnivores & How Plants Try to Poison You?”
“I did not.” I laugh.
“We should start it this afternoon. I bet we can get through it before you leave me.”
I refill his coffee. “My work here is about done. I’m not leaving you. I’m setting you free.”
He grumbles something while I exit the room to gather the bedsheets. Blair and Murphy aren’t back yet, so I strip their bed first. With them wadded in my arms, I step toward the door, but something catches my eye. It’s the half-empty closet. Blair’s clothes are hanging in their spot, but there’s not a single item that belongs to Murphy.
I glance at the desk. His computer is gone as well as his black backpack. What’s going on?
Just as I pass the stairs on my way to the laundry room, Vera appears at the top.
“Good morning,” I say.
She presses her lips together and shakes her head, eyes red with tears.
“Oh, are you okay?” I set the sheets on the floor and climb the stairs.
She shakes her head a half dozen times, then presses the pads of her fingers to her eyes. I hold open my arms, and she accepts my hug.
“He left her,” Vera whispers in a shaky voice. “Murphy called off the wedding.” She chokes on a sob.
My head swims.
He called off the wedding. His clothes are gone.
He’s gone.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Alice
Go ahead and dream big.
You just never know what might happen.
Two Months Later …
I make an offer on the house in Edina, the one across the street from Cameron’s, but a couple expecting their first child outbids me. I’m crushed.
The only upside is Hunter securing me a boring but well-paying job with his friend who lives in a penthouse in downtown Minneapolis. It doesn’t include free residence, but that’s okay. For now, I’ve found an apartment in Edina, so stalking seeing my son is easy and convenient.
I don’t have Murphy’s phone number, a nice dose of Karma, and I haven’t figured out a way to get it from Hunter or Vera without it being a red flag. What would I say anyway? Choose me? It’s a little too late for that. He chose neither Blair nor me, and I don’t blame him.
Still, I miss him.
Today is the start of fall soccer season. I have no idea what field Cameron is playing on, reminiscent of the day I met Callen. Ugh, Callen … he could be here too. A grin steals my face when I see Cameron’s parents and his two younger sisters setting up their chairs near Field C. As the boys run in all directions doing their warm-up drills, I scan the cluster of blue jerseys for the dark-haired boy with freckles. Warmth spreads through my chest when I see him kick the ball toward the goal then run to the back of the line. The coach playfully ruffles Cameron’s hair, drawing a grin from him.