Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“He thought he was the reason you left.”
Colt’s eyes went wide. “Why would he think that?”
I shrugged. “He didn’t tell me. He passed out after that, and I lay him down and covered him up. He never once brought up the conversation again. As a matter of fact, he never talked about Grady much after that at all. When I stopped asking about you, your mother and father stopped talking about you both.” She shook her head. “Looking back on it now, I believe we all handled things poorly.”
He sighed and dropped his head back against the swing. “Clearly, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. God. I don’t know how we all would have handled that. It’s not like there’s a manual that tells anyone how to process something as traumatic as this.”
“Exactly, Colt. You have to stop beating yourself up.”
His brows raised. “You’re telling me this? After what I did to you?”
I let out a soft laugh. “I guess I am. I’ve already told you what your leaving did to me, but now you’re back. Just like you need to let go of the guilt, I need to let go of the anger. I want to let it go. I need to let it go…and if I’m being honest, I’m so damn happy you’re back, Colt.”
Those honey-colored eyes met my blue. The sadness in them nearly caused me to weep.
“You are?”
I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and looked out at the darkening night sky. “There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about you. Wondered what you were doing, who you were with? Had you fallen in love with anyone, and was that why you weren’t coming home? Some days, I swore I’d go insane thinking about it. Then my sister and brother got married, and I found out they were having babies, and all I could think about was how that should’ve been me. If only you’d stayed…”
“Pippa—”
I held up my hand. “Let me get all this out, Colt, before my parents join us.”
He nodded.
“I was about to have a baby on my own.”
His head drew back in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“IVF. I’d already done the research, and I’d been saving up money because it’s not cheap.”
He frowned. “Who was going to be the sperm donor?”
I shrugged. “I hadn’t gotten that far yet. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, I obviously couldn’t move on with anyone else, because I was still in love with you. So I was preparing to move forward alone.”
“I’ll never stop loving you, Pippa. Like my note said. I hope you believe that.”
I chewed on my lower lip before letting it go. “You hurt me badly, Colt.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “And I swear, if you give me another chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Showing you how much I love you.”
“I want to start over. Like I said before. I want to go on a date…well, more than one date.”
A smile appeared on his handsome face. “I can do that. I remember our first date like it was yesterday.”
I held up my hand again. “You’re not getting sex on the first date like you did the first time around!”
When a look of horror crossed his face and his gaze snapped toward the front door, I laughed.
He looked back at me and chuckled. Then grew serious. “Ensley, I want you to know, I don’t think I deserve another chance. But I’m gladly going to take whatever it is that you will give me.”
“I won’t lie to you, Colt, you’re going to have to earn my trust back. If you hurt me again, I’m not sure I could ever forgive you a second time.”
He turned his whole body and took my hands in his. “I swear to you, as God is my witness, I will never leave you again. I would rather die than ever cause you more pain.”
The door opened, and my mother and father walked out. Dad was carrying a tray of hot chocolate and what looked like brownies. He put it down on a low table that sat in front of the bench adjacent to the swing. They were wearing coats, but my mother also had a blanket with her, which they shared when they sat on the bench.
“Please tell me those are Oh My God brownies,” Colt said, dropping my hands and standing to reach for a brownie.
My mother grinned. “They are.”
Colt took a huge bite. He moaned and dropped back onto the swing. “This is what I imagine Heaven to be like. God, I’ve missed these.”
My mother beamed. There was nothing she enjoyed more than feeding people.
“Did you decide what you’re going to do about your brother’s room?” Dad asked.
Colt looked at me. “Would you mind helping me?”