Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115706 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
I roll my eyes. “It was huge news, unfortunately. At least, in my corner of the world.” I gather my thoughts. I never envisioned myself telling Aubrey this story. Not in a million years. But suddenly, it seems necessary, if I want to have any hope of forging a relationship with her in the future. “I was never pissed at Dax for stealing Violet away from me, because he didn’t. It was more that I was pissed he stole the opportunity for me to try to win Violet back, which was never going to happen, anyway. It was that Dax hid his relationship with Violet, while our bands were on tour together, after Dax and I had grown super close. I trusted him like a brother during that tour. Confided in him about a bunch of stuff, including Violet. So, when I found out what was going on behind my back, I felt betrayed.”
“Understandably.”
“Not really. Looking back, I acted like an immature little prick. A big baby.”
“No, you trusted Dax, and he didn’t tell you the truth about what he was doing.”
“How could he? His band was the opener. It was their big break. Their first tour. And Dax knew I was an unpredictable, immature hothead. Was he really supposed to risk me kicking his band off the tour? He’s got two bandmates who would have fucking killed him if he did that and blew their big break over a girl. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Looking back, I can’t blame him for choosing his bandmates, his career, and his new girlfriend over the feelings of his new, hotheaded, immature friend.”
Aubrey runs her palm across my naked chest. “Have you told Dax all that?”
“Mostly. Not with that much clarity, though. I apologized to him and Violet at a wedding about five years ago, but I don’t think I said everything to them, quite as well as I just said it to you.”
“Maybe you should contact them and say it again. Only better this time.”
“Nah. Everyone has moved on. I’m sure they never want to hear from me again.” I twist my mouth. “I believe Violet came into my life to teach me how awful it feels to betray someone who trusted you completely, and I came into hers to teach her what a walking red flag looks like, so she could avoid someone like me the next time. And then, years later, Dax came into my life to deliver some much-deserved karma.”
“You should tell them that, Caleb.”
“Nah. They’re happily married with a kid now. In the end, we all got exactly what we deserved.”
Aubrey strokes my chest. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re a walking red flag anymore.”
“I was for years, though.” I gnaw at the inside of my cheek. “When I found out about Dax and Violet, I punched him in the face so hard, I almost broke his jaw. And for what? Because he fell in love with his future wife—a woman who rightly didn’t want me anymore? A woman who’d loved and trusted me, so I treated her like shit in return? Honestly, Dax is the one who should have punched me for the shit I pulled with Violet.”
“What did you do to her, exactly? You never told me what’s worse than cheating.”
Shit. All of a sudden, it occurs to me Aubrey is going to be the most important witness at the custody hearing. Shouldn’t I be putting my best foot forward with her, so she can credibly try to convince the judge I’m a fit father to Raine? On the other hand, though, I can’t keep this from Aubrey any longer. I love her. I want to be with her, always. Which means she deserves to know this story, in full, without me editing or spinning it. How else will she be able to decide if she truly wants to be with me?
I inhale deeply, feeling like I’m standing on the edge of an abyss. But really, I’ve got no choice in the matter, do I? I need to take this leap of faith. “Violet is four years younger than me,” I begin. “Same as my sister. They grew up together, so Violet used to come around all the time. For years, Violet was nothing but a starry-eyed kid to me. Miranda’s sidekick.” I smile. “Or maybe it was the other way around. Hard to tell with those two.” I pause to gather my thoughts. “Anyway, Violet was always around. Sometimes, she and Miranda would watch my band rehearse. Occasionally, they’d come get burgers or burritos with us after a jam session. And I thought nothing of her. But then, one day, right after Violet graduated high school, right before she went off to college across the country, she and I were alone in Dean’s garage for some reason. Can’t remember why. We were sitting on this raggedy couch together, just talking. And the next thing I knew, I was kissing her, and she was telling me she’d always loved me.” I pause, as memories slam into me. “We wound up having this kind of magical summer together. From that kiss forward, we were joined at the hip. We never even dated. It was like, we kissed and that was that. We both just assumed we were end game.”