Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“What’s this? Didn’t you give me a whole set of rules already?”
“Those rules pertained to our kids and us as parents; this is about us as a couple.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
“Then you tell me that shit while we’re alone, and I will do the same. Which will happen a lot because you’re wrong like ninety-five percent of the time when you start your shit with me.”
He didn’t have a comeback, so I figured I won that round. “By the way, Mom and Dad are throwing us a welcome home slash engagement party next month.”
“I know, she told me.” Yes, and I will spend the time in between getting ready to deal with Natalie.
I’ve been digging up as much information as I can on her using my sister-in-law and Garrett’s people because I knew she had to be losing her shit right about now. Because of the things she’d said, I knew she still had the hots for my husband, even if he was too male to realize.
His phone went off, and he looked at me after looking at the screen. “That’s your Dad; it’s the third call in as many minutes. Do you want me to talk to him?”
“You can do as you like.” Now, after I just told this man that we are a team let me see how dumb he is. He put that shit away really fast.
“Are you ever going to forgive him?”
“I’m not sure, but it won’t be anytime soon.” His damn bleeding heart looked like he was about to pout. “Look, forgiveness isn’t about saying a few words, and everything is all honky-dory. It’s about me taking the time to deal with the issue in my own way and coming to terms with it. Right now, I don’t even like him, so forgiveness is a long way off.”
“Okay, should I tell him that at some point, or do you want him to guess?”
“Did he tell me what he and the rest of my family were doing for the last fifteen years or so?”
“I get it; no talking to Dad.”
“You think I’m wrong, don’t you.”
“Not necessarily; I just don’t want you to do anything that will hurt you.”
“I won’t be hurt because I love myself too much to let someone else’s actions dictate my life. His actions destroyed my life at a time when I had no choice in the matter. Now, I make my own choices and move at my own pace. You got a problem with that?”
“No, ma’am, no problem, what you say is absolutely correct. How did you learn to think like this when you refused to go to therapy?”
“I was my own therapist. I just got to a point where I stopped giving a shit and focused inward.”
“We spend way too much time trying to please everyone else, but once I stopped, I realized that I needed to love myself first. In order to love myself, I had to figure out what makes a human being lovable. According to the world, that means bending over backward to please everyone else at the expense of my own peace.”
“At some point, I just said fuck it, and started doing what I like when I like, and it was amazing. I learned what true love really was since then. To me, it’s the ability to freely give to those I find worthy; you should be grateful that I now count you among that number. So, tell me, what has Corbin done to make me see him as worthy?”
“Once again, I am astounded by your logic.” I think he is trying to call me crazy, or difficult, or any of the million other criticisms I’ve faced but whatever. I didn’t go looking for him, and I certainly didn’t call his ass to come to me.
“Now I have to go take a nap, you coming?” I ran back for the stairs and laughed my ass off as he tried to catch me. I turned off my phone and dove into the soft, fluffy bed that felt like clouds and smelled like lavender.
ALYSSA
Icame awake feeling well-rested and comfy. Garrett was still asleep behind me when I snuck out of bed. That’s what he gets for being a horny toad; he’d done tuckered himself out but good. I couldn’t just laze around, though; I had people’s lives to fuck up.
I went up to my home office, which was in this cute little dormer nook at the very top of the house with a perfect panoramic view of the gardens below. I still can’t believe that this is my home. During those years, I used to come here and daydream. I never in my wildest imagination would’ve guessed that there would be a day like today.
I walked around the room touching the furnishings that were perfect period pieces. Like the roll-top writing desk, the quills, inkstones, and other things that I was surely not going to use, but they were an added effect that I appreciated.