Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 69536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
God, though, he’s nothing compared to Buck Moreno.
“Can we sit down?” I ask.
“Sure. Is there coffee, Charity?”
“Yeah. I’ll get you both a cup. How do you take yours?” she asks me.
“Just black.”
“Got it.”
Charity disappears into the small kitchen, and Brandon takes my hand, leading me to the couch. He directs me to sit down, and then he sits next to me.
“My God.”
“I just want you to know,” I say. “I didn’t leave you.”
“I never thought that. God, Aspen, we all thought you were dead.”
“I wasn’t. I’ve been through…” I shake my head. “I don’t want to go into it. It’s hard to talk about. But I’m back. I’m okay. I’m alive.”
“Did you… I mean, did you come here to…”
“No, Brandon. I never expected you to wait around for me. Charity seems like a nice person.”
“She is. She’s lovely, but she’s not you. She never was.”
Goodness. Is he actually holding a torch for me after all these years? “I’m not me anymore, Brandon.”
I’m Garnet.
The words almost escape my lips. I’m not Garnet. I never was. But Garnet is a part of me now, a part of me that will always be there.
Charity returns with our coffee. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “This is your house.”
“Actually, Charity,” Brandon says, “if you don’t mind…”
She nods and heads back up the stairs.
“She could’ve stayed,” I say.
“No. I don’t want her to hear what I have to say to you.”
My heart begins to beat rapidly. Surely he’s not…
“I’ve missed you so much,” he says. “Part of me can’t believe my eyes. I thought I was over you, but now… Seeing you here…”
I bite my lower lip. This can’t be happening. “Brandon, I didn’t come here to get back together.”
“Of course. I know that. I just… I love Charity. I really do.”
Charity is much more beautiful than I ever was, but I don’t say this. Plus she’s about five eight, which works with Brandon’s five eleven.
“How long have you been together?” I ask.
“About a year now. She moved in a couple months ago.”
“So this is your place? You own it?”
“Yeah. I’ve been here for a few years.”
“Still reporting?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t pay too much, but it leaves me plenty of time to work on my writing.”
“What does Charity do?”
“She’s between jobs at the moment.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. She’s a model.”
“Really? She’s beautiful, but…”
“She’s not tall like you. I know. Though five nine is still tall for a woman.”
“I suppose. I judged her to be about five eight looking at her. I guess I was a little off.”
Silence for a moment. Then—
“Well… I guess I’ll go.”
“Don’t you want your coffee?”
“No, not really. I’ve got someone waiting for me outside in the car.”
Brandon grabs my arm. “Aspen, no. You can’t just turn back up in my life right now and leave. I need to know. I need to know what went on. That you’re all right.”
I nudge my arm away. His touch feels all wrong.
“I’m fine, Brandon.”
“Can’t we… Can we get to know each other again?”
“I’m not sure how Charity would feel about that.”
“Charity is…” He glances toward the stairs.
“She’s what?”
He lowers his voice. “She’s beautiful, and sweet, and lovely… But she isn’t you.”
“I told you already. I’m not me anymore.” I rise, walk toward the door.
But Brandon pulls on my arm—
And I let out a shriek.
19
BUCK
I didn’t stay in the car. I couldn’t. I’m standing at the door, and—
A blood freezing shriek. From Aspen.
I grab the doorknob, twist it, and the door opens. I race in. A man is holding Aspen’s left arm.
“Get your fucking hands off of her!”
A woman dressed in pink comes running down the stairs—
At the exact same moment my fist makes contact with the man’s—I’m guessing Brandon’s—face.
The woman in pink rushes to the man, who’s now on the floor.
I grab Aspen and grip her shoulders. “Baby, are you all right?”
“Buck… What are you…”
“I heard you scream. He had his hands on you.”
“He… It’s okay…”
The woman next to Brandon looks up at me. “This is our home. What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m protecting her. She screamed.” I shake my head. “I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone.”
Aspen touches my cheek then. A soft and gentle touch, which I don’t deserve.
“You do have to explain yourself to me,” she says softly.
How do I explain? She screamed, and I acted on instinct.
“I heard you. Your scream. It was a reaction.”
“I didn’t mean to scream, Buck. I was leaving, and he grabbed my arm.”
“Why? Why the hell did you grab her arm?”
“I wasn’t done talking to her,” Brandon says from the floor.
“You shouldn’t have put your hands on her.”
“Buck, it’s okay. He didn’t know.”
“Know what?” the woman asks.
“Buck, please… I don’t want to get into it.”
I wrap my arms around Aspen. “Let’s go.”
“I think that’s best,” the woman says.
“It was nice to meet you, Charity,” Aspen says.