Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
She looked away. “God, you’re right.”
I reached for her hand. “Riley, you deserve better than me. Okay? That’s what I’m trying to say. I could’ve said, ‘Yeah, let’s keep doing what we’re doing when I’m back in L.A. because it’s convenient for me.’ But I don’t want to do that to you. I don’t want to hurt any more people in my life than I already have.”
Riley closed her eyes for several seconds then opened them. “Sadly, I needed this reality check. The moment I saw the photo of you and your ex, I went ballistic. That says something. I guess I’ve been lying to myself.”
It hurt to see her upset. But I didn’t have the bandwidth to give her more of my time. I squeezed her hand. “The last thing I ever wanted was to lead you on. The most honest thing I can tell you is that…if I were you, I wouldn’t waste any more time with me.”
Riley wiped tears from her eyes, further proof that I’d taken this too far.
To my surprise, she eventually flashed a smile. “I wish you weren’t so damn hot.” She chuckled. “I’m gonna miss having sex with you.”
“That’s one area we’ve definitely been compatible. And I don’t regret a second spent with you, Riley.”
She tugged at the hairs on my arm. “You should…come back to my hotel for one last time before we say goodbye.”
While that sounded like a fun way to end things and could have been a solution to my perpetual boner, no part of me actually wanted that. There was only one woman my body, mind, and soul craved right now. Even if it made no sense, given the reality of our relationship—or lack thereof—going to Riley’s hotel would feel like cheating. As long as I was here in Monksville with my ex, I was hers, even if she wasn’t mine. That was the sad reality.
“Are you back together with her?” Riley asked.
“No.” I wish.
“Then why not one last time with me?”
I sighed. “I just…can’t.”
“Okay.” She moved her hand away. “Well, how does one end this conversation? Have a nice life?”
I stood and smiled. “We end it with a hug. Then you leave, and I walk my ass home.”
Opening my arms, I hugged her before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.
Then she was gone.
I lingered at the table for a bit.
It felt strange to think I might never see her again. At the same time, it was a huge relief. I no longer had to worry about hurting her.
Just as I was heading out of the bar, I heard a voice call out, “Hey, asshole!”
Who the fuck did I piss off now?
But a second later, I realized it was my sister. My mouth curved into a smile. “Hey!”
“What the hell? You’re in town and you don’t tell me?”
Shit. “I swear I was gonna tell you I was here.”
“Really?” She poked my chest with her index finger. “When?”
Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. There were very few people I had to answer to in life. Very few people who scared me. But of those who did, my big sis, Tina, was at the top of the list.
“Very soon. What are you doing here?”
“I was just picking up some fries to go. You know I love the fries here.”
Tina was a widow and had three kids, two sons and a daughter. Kieran and Kenzie were twins, both twenty-four. Kieran had worked on one of Delirious Jones’s tours, and my niece, Kenzie, was a photographer. The youngest, Kyle, was a junior in high school. Their dad, Brian, had passed away after a cardiac event related to a disorder he never knew he had. The kids had been small when it happened, and I’d been just a few years out of high school. My sister was my hero for the way she’d handled raising those kids alone, even if she’d had no choice. I tried my best to be there for them whenever I could. I’d take the boys camping or invite them to New York or L.A. for the weekend. But Kenzie was my princess. That girl could just look at me, and I’d give her whatever she wanted.
“Did you tell any of the kids you’re here?” she asked.
“No one knows I’m here.”
“When did you get in?”
“Five days ago.”
“What the hell?”
“I’m not hiding from you. I just knew I wouldn’t have time until these two weeks are over.”
“Why two weeks? By the way, you had time to come to the bar tonight.”
I sighed and then spent the next twenty minutes explaining everything to my sister, who thankfully calmed down once she understood I wasn’t simply ignoring her.
“Wow, I’m so sorry to hear Mimi isn’t doing well. She’s such a sweet lady.”
“Now that you know I’m here, you should come visit her.”