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)
That was the one rule my bandmates followed, because they knew how much it messed me up to think about her, especially on tour.
My ex, Nicole.
The one who got away and the woman who still owned every piece of my heart.
After our divorce, I threw myself into the rock scene, trying to forget my heartbreak.
Three years after we split, a phone call from Nicole changed everything.
She told me her grandmother wasn’t doing well.
Mimi was still family to me, and she apparently had one wish before dying: to spend time with us—Nicole and me.
With Mimi’s caretaker away on vacation, it would be the ideal time for us to move in with her for a couple of weeks.
Of course, I couldn’t refuse.
But there was a catch.
Nicole apparently never told her that we’d gotten a divorce.
She hadn’t believed Mimi could handle it, because her grandmother loved me so much.
So, not only would I have to see Nicole again, but I’d be pretending to still be her husband.
Two weeks in a tiny house in a small town with the woman who broke my heart. Or was it me who broke hers?
It was complicated.
And it was about to be a heck of a lot more complicated sharing one bed in the guest room with a woman who wasn’t mine anymore.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
ATTICUS
I couldn’t remember the last time my heart had raced like this. The palpitations had started the moment my ex had lit up my phone earlier, and they had only gotten worse since we’d spoken.
Nicole.
The woman I’d never get over.
The woman whose name my bandmates couldn’t even utter—it would set me back for hours.
Nicole had called to say she needed to talk to me about something after she got off work today and wanted me to set aside some time. So I’d abruptly left my friend’s house for my hotel. I’d been staying in Shady Hills, Missouri, for a few days, where our band’s frontman, Tristan Daltrey, had a second home. As the drummer for Delirious Jones, I often followed my bandmates around even when we weren’t working. Tristan and Ronan Barber, our bass player, were pretty much my emotional support animals after the toughest few years of my life. They were my best friends and like brothers to me; but right now, as I waited for this phone call? I needed to be alone. During the call, it was very possible I’d punch a hole in the wall. Didn’t want that to happen at Tristan’s house in front of everyone.
The numbers on the digital clock next to my hotel-room bed kept changing. With each second, my legs bounced faster as I sat on the edge of the mattress. In the three years since Nicole and I had split, she had never called me. I couldn’t help but imagine the worst.
Is she getting married?
Is she pregnant?
The suspense was killing me.
I flinched when the phone finally rang. As my screen lit up, I took a deep breath. Her number was still programmed into my phone as Wife.
Wife Calling.
I’d never had the heart to change it.
I answered the call and cleared my throat. “Hey, Nicole.”
“Hi.” She paused. “It’s been a while—well, I mean, other than earlier today.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” I exhaled. “I was surprised to hear from you. Wasn’t sure I’d ever hear from you again.”
“I get it. Um…” She paused.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s Mimi.”
My stomach sank. Her grandmother. “Did something happen?”
“Not yet, but she’s not doing well.”
Relieved that Mimi was at least still among the living, I let out a long breath. “I’m very sorry to hear that. What specifically is the issue?”
“Well, she’s bedbound now, can’t do anything for herself anymore. One of her legs is stuck in a weird position, and she can’t move it. This all happened very quickly over the past few months.”
Guilt came over me. There was no excuse for not having visited Nicole’s grandmother these past few years, no matter how tense things had been. She was like my grandmother. Who the hell doesn’t visit their grandmother for three whole years?
“I’m sorry,” I repeated. “That’s why we need to talk? To let me know about Mimi?”
“Partially.”
“Okay…” I stood from the bed, beginning to pace and pulling on my hair.
“I sort of… I never told Mimi…” Nicole hesitated.
I stopped pacing. “Never told her what?”
“That you and I got a divorce.”
“What?” My eyes went wide. “She doesn’t know we’re not together anymore?”
“I know that’s bad. It’s just that… She loved you—loves you—so much. And I never wanted to disappoint her. I told everyone else in my family not to say anything to her, and they’ve stuck to their word.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “She thinks we’re still married?”
“Yes.”
I raised my voice. “She hasn’t wondered why I haven’t come around in three damn years?”
“She thinks your schedule hasn’t allowed it. I’ve been making excuses all this time.”
Now I felt even worse. “Who’s taking care of her right now?” I scratched my head. “Does she need money?”
“That’s not why I’m reaching out,” Nicole assured me. “She has plenty of savings for now and round-the-clock home care.”
“What made you call me now and not, say, a month ago?” My chest tightened. “Do you think she’s close to…” I swallowed. “The end?”
“She reached out and asked if both of us would come stay with her. If ever I was going to tell her the truth about us, now is not the time. She’s in such a fragile state. I could make another excuse for why you’re not around, but I feel guilty. This could be the last chance you have to see her. I decided I needed to put aside my pride and at least ask if—”
“You want me to visit her…with you?”
“Sort of. Her live-in aide is going away for two weeks. Mimi asked if you and I would mind staying during that time—not only to visit her, but to help take care of her.”
My mouth dropped open as the reality of this proposal hit me.
“I know it’s a lot to ask. I—”
“Let me get this straight. You want me to pretend we’re still married for two whole weeks while we’re taking care of Mimi?”