Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
"Dammit," I mutter, hanging up without leaving a message. We both agreed last night that we don't want this to end…but we really need to talk about what that means. How does he see this working while he's in Italy? While I'm finishing law school?
I drop my phone on the bed and prowl into his closet to find something I can actually wear until I get to my cabin.
The mostly empty closet shelves send a lump into my throat. I swallow hard, refusing to think about what they signify. If I do, I might crack.
What's still in the closet is neatly arranged by color. Even his t-shirts are hanging up. I snag one from the hanger before grabbing a pair of sweats from the opposite side. Like the shirts, they're arranged by color. So are the few fancy ass suits he's leaving behind.
I pause long enough to randomly switch the order of items here and there, leaving a little touch of chaos behind, just because I can. Just because he needs a little chaos in his life. He works too hard.
Once I'm satisfied with my handiwork, I stroll back into the bedroom and dress quickly before picking up his tuxedo from the floor. I'm surprised he didn't already take care of it. He must have been in a hurry when he left this morning.
I pause in the kitchen to write him a note in case he gets back before I do, only to pause with the pen poised over the paper. What the heck am I supposed to say?
I'm crazy about you isn't exactly something best left in a note, is it?
Probably not.
Thanks for last night. I'll never forget it. You were perfect. -P
It doesn't say nearly enough. I don't want us to be just a fling. I don't want this to be over. I want him, whatever that looks like for us. But none of that should be left in a note. It should be delivered in person.
I just need to find him first.
An hour later, I duck into the winery, dressed in my own clothes, anxious as hell. I've already checked half the property, and no one has seen him.
He wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye…right?
My anxiety grows.
Something doesn't feel right.
Someone around here always knows where to find him, but this morning, they don't have a clue. The guys in the field haven't seen him. Their receptionist seemed surprised by the question when I asked her if she'd seen him. All she would tell me was that he was unavailable.
That wasn't reassuring.
Haven, his cousin, flicks a glance up at me from behind the front counter, her face breaking out into a bright, sunny smile. "Hey, Paisley."
"Hey." I cast a glance around. "Um, have you seen Ridley this morning?"
"Ridley?" Her brows furrow. "He's at the airport."
"What?"
She hesitates for a long moment, like she doesn't want to say anything, and then she sighs. Her lips pull down into a frown. "His flight to Italy leaves in half an hour."
I sway on my feet.
"Shit. Are you okay?"
No.
Hell no, I'm not okay. He really just slept with me and then walked away like it meant nothing? He left me to wake up alone in his bed while he was on his way to the airport?
I'm not ready for this to be over.
Then it won't be.
Bile climbs up my throat, threatening to choke me at the memory of his promise. How could he say that and then just…walk away?
"Paisley?"
Because he didn't mean it. He just said what you wanted to hear.
"You're sure he's at the airport?"
She hesitates again. "He and Bastian left a couple of hours ago." Her gaze flickers across my face, full of regret, like she hates being the one to break the news to me. "Should I call him?"
He actually left.
Tears burn at the backs of my eyes.
"No. It's fine. I'm fine," I lie, turning toward the door as my stomach twists. "Thanks."
"Paisley–"
I shove my way through the door, nearly knocking Jax over in the process.
"Whoa, careful," he says, reaching out to grab me.
"Sorry, sorry." I stumble around him before he can touch me, trying like hell not to throw up on his muddy boots.
"You okay, Paisley?"
No. I woke up alone in your cousin's bed, ready to change my entire life for him…and he couldn't even be bothered to say goodbye.
He's a liar.
And I fell for it. I believed him.
God, I'm so stupid!
"Fine." I dip my head to hide the tears already slipping down my cheeks, and hurry down the path toward my cabin.
Jax calls my name behind me, but I don't turn around. I just keep walking, stumbling really. My mind races, trying to make sense of this…but there is no sense in it. I fell in love with him. I thought he felt the same. But he just…fucking left.