Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
My heart squeezed as I gave her a knowing smile. She and Ryland were so much more alike than they could ever know. They were both afraid of losing the people they loved again, and I didn’t blame them. But I also wasn’t certain how to reassure her. Regardless, I would do the best I could.
“Look, Nicole,” I said. “You can spend the rest of your life worrying about something potentially bad happening, or you can make the most of every moment you have together. I know that might be easier said than done, but none of us can ever know what’s in store for us. We just have to make the best of the situation we’re in and hope it works out.”
“I guess I never thought of it that way,” she admitted.
“But you love Matt, right?”
“I do,” she agreed.
“So you could be spending your time being happy with the man you love, or you can spend your time worrying about what the future holds. What sounds better?”
She grinned and gave me a playful shove on my shoulder. “Obviously the first one. You make it sound so easy.”
“I know,” I said. “It’s probably not that easy. But there are no guarantees for anybody. I worry every day that something bad is going to happen. Because I’m so ridiculously freaking happy with Ryland right now, it hurts. And I don’t ever want that to be taken away from me.”
“You are happy.” She smiled. “I love that. I love how happy both of you are. It inspires me to believe I can have it too.”
“You already do,” I assured her. “Matt is crazy about you. And taking things to the next level is only going to make him crazier. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh okay.” She bounced around on the couch and grinned. “Now you’re making me all giddy. I’m going to do this. You’re right, I don’t know what I’m so afraid of.”
“Good.” I grinned. “But I don’t want all the gory details when you do. I consider Matt to be like a brother.”
“Fair enough,” she agreed. “I already know way more about Ryland’s sex life than I ever wanted to.”
“You do?” I asked in confusion.
“Um, well yeah… that day you came home with marks all over your neck, I went and confronted him about it.”
“You did? I never knew that.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “And he tried to explain himself, but I did not want the visual.”
I laughed and hugged my knees to my chest, pouting. “I miss him already.”
“Is that why you’re so uptight?” she asked. “You promised to tell me yours.”
“No.” I frowned. “I’m just worried about Brayden. I don’t know what he’s doing or who he’s hanging out with… but I just have this horrible feeling in my stomach.”
“So why don’t you call him,” Nicole suggested.
“I haven’t talked to him since I told him Norma was in rehab,” I admitted. “I don’t know what I would say.”
“Just ask him, Brighton,” she encouraged. “I’ll sit here with you while you do it.”
“You would?”
“Of course, I would,” she insisted. “That’s what friends are for.”
I reached for my phone and hovered over Brayden’s contact. What if I couldn’t handle his answers? I wasn’t entirely certain I wanted to do this. But I needed to know the truth, and Nicole was right. There was only one way to find out. So with a deep breath, I pressed send and waited patiently while the line connected.
“Hello?” Brayden answered.
“Brayden,” I sputtered.
“Brighton.” His tone was flat and cold.
I fidgeted while I tried to figure out what to say. It had never been this difficult to talk to him before. So why was it now?
“How have you been?” I asked.
“Are you fucking kidding me with this shit?” he belted out a hollow laugh. “You send your fucking watchdog here to threaten me, and now you want to ask how I’ve been? I can’t believe you married that prick.”
I swallowed and squeezed the phone in my trembling hand. “You’ve seen Ryland?”
“What the fuck do you think?” he snarled. “Why else would he be in Chicago?”
I almost hung up. I didn’t want to hear this. But I kept telling myself that Ryland wouldn’t do this to me again. That he wouldn’t hurt me like this.
“What did he say?”
“He’s trying to tell me who I can and cannot associate with,” Brayden grated. “As if I believe one fuckin’ word that comes out of his mouth.”
“Who have you been spending time with?” I demanded. “Why are you in Chicago?”
“Why don’t you ask your husband,” he suggested. “He seems to know all about it.”
“I’m asking you.” My voice wobbled. “My brother. Because I don’t want to see you screw up your life Brayden.”
“My life was fucked from the day Frankie walked into it,” he said. “And that’s all you need to know, Brighton. You have your perfect little life in San Francisco. Congratulations on the baby, by the way, I hope it doesn’t try to kill you in your sleep.”