Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Kenny was crying.
“Stay the hell away from us,” I ordered, wrapping my arm around Kenny and going for my truck.
Once I got my brother safely into the passenger seat, I jumped to the driver side and fled. A safe distance away, I jerked my truck to the side of the road. “Fuck!” I yelled, banging my open hands against the steering wheel over and over and over again. My hearing was fuzzy, my eyes blurry as rage overtook me.
It wasn’t until I heard a soft, “B-B-Beau?” from beside me that I allowed myself to be brought back to reality again. Jesus, what in the hell was I doing? I didn’t lose my shit like that, especially around Kenny.
“Shit,” I cursed. “I’m sorry, Kenny. I just…”
“I didn’t…I didn’t…I didn’t tell them anything,” he replied, fiddling with the corner of his journal.
“No. I’m not mad at you. And even if you did tell them something, that’s alright. You don’t have to lie for us, okay? I’m not mad at you. I’m never mad at you.”
He closed his eyes, took some steadying breaths, and I was so damn proud of him for collecting himself so he could go on.
Kenny nodded and looked down. “Are you mad at Ash?” His speech wasn’t as clear as it usually was, but it was better than it had been a few moments ago.
Yes. Actually, I wanted to kill Ash. “That’s hard to explain. Things are complicated.”
“Do you think what that guy said was true?”
“No,” automatically slipped from between my lips. “He would never do that to you. Are you kidding me? Ash loves hanging out with you. You’re his K-man, remember?”
“Is Ash still your boyfriend?”
That question was a whole lot harder to answer. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath. The Tigers were interested in him. There wasn’t a part of me that didn’t believe that. It was what he’d been hiding from me. Why wouldn’t he have told me if it wasn’t because he planned to go…and leave me behind.
My gut cramped. My head swam. I didn’t know what to think…to say, to feel.
“I don’t know. Life is…difficult sometimes.”
“Don’t…don’t do that. Don’t talk to me like I’m a kid,” he replied.
So I didn’t. I let my eyes meet his, thought about what had happened and the fact that there were numerous missed calls from me on Ash’s phone he hadn’t returned. I thought about how we’d spent the last five days…about the team. About what the reporters had said. “No, Kenny. Ash isn’t my boyfriend anymore.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Ashton
Controversy continues around Ashton Carmichael.
I didn’t turn around at the sound of footsteps behind me, just continued to sit at the end of the dock, my bare feet in the water, making circles.
“Still pouting?” Wyatt asked.
“I appreciate you letting me stay here, but please don’t try and understand this. You can’t understand it, Wyatt.” I didn’t know what made me come to his parents’ lake house, the one we had the graduation party at, and where I’d kissed Beau what seemed like an eternity ago. And even though it had only been a week, it felt like a lifetime since I’d touched him at all. Since I’d held him, kissed him, laughed with him. Fuck, I loved laughing with my Cranky Campbell.
“You’re right. I can’t understand. I’m still around to talk if you need me. And if you don’t want to talk to me, there’s a certain boyfriend of yours that will likely understand.”
My heart ached at the mention of Beau. I missed him in my bones, hated myself for walking away from him, but there was just so much shit in my head, I didn’t know how to sort through it all. And I knew if I saw him, if I talked to him, all that would matter was how much I wanted him. How I fucking ached for him and always had. That was what got us in this situation. There was no doubt in how I felt about Beau, but if I didn’t learn to be okay with it, all I would do was continue to hurt both of us.
“Have you seen him?” I asked.
“No. Reporters are still hanging around, though.”
“Fuck,” I cursed quietly. While I was hiding away, I was leaving Beau to deal with that shit alone. “I need to call him, see him.”
“Well, that would likely be easier if you hadn’t broken your damn phone.”
“Andrea wouldn’t stop calling.” And I hadn’t memorized Beau’s number.
“You probably need to talk to her too, Ash,” Wyatt scolded.
Yeah…there was a whole lot I needed to do. Most of it started inside myself. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me…what I’m going to do.”
“You don’t have to keep yourself locked away from the world to figure that out. You do that with the people who love you. Campbell…he loves you, Ash, and I sure as shit know your dumb ass loves him. Talk to him. Figure it out together.”