AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh,” I breathe. This is a nightmare. A party with my colleagues is not the place for this.
With the last bit of strength I have, I make the decision to pull my shoulders back and, without another word, turn and leave him standing there in the crowd. He calls my name as I slip through bodies, but I know that if I pause, I won’t be capable of walking away from him again right now.
I need to think about this. About what to do and say. And I have to do that alone, without him distracting me and turning me into goddamn mush.
Right now, he’s a complication that I don’t need.
38
COOPER
The house isempty when I finally get home. Her absence only twists the knife in my gut.
Leaving her alone, not knowing where she is or if she’s safe, feels like the absolute wrong thing to do, but I’m not sure I have much of a choice. She disappeared in a sea of unfamiliar people, and regardless of how long I spent looking for her afterward, my search came up empty.
Something tells me that if Adalyn doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be.
I could have spent my entire life never seeing her look at me with such hurt and betrayal. Knowing that I broke her trust and possibly her heart is worse than finding out we were never really married in the first place.
God, what I would do to know what she’s thinking right now. Is she convincing herself that I’m relieved with the news? That I’m not so immensely in love with her that I wouldn’t marry her right now, right here, in my living room? I don’t care that it’s only been a couple of months. Two months with Adalyn is the equivalent of two decades with anyone else. Nobody gets me the way she does. Like she sees me for all I am, and instead of finding parts she wants to tweak, she accepts them without a second thought. We may be complete opposites, but that doesn’t matter anymore. I’m not sure if I ever really did.
Why would I want to wait when I feel as positive as I do about her and us and the future I want to have with her? We can’t be through. I know that to my very core.
Sitting on the edge of the couch, I bounce my leg and pull out my phone. The lock screen image is one I stole from Twitter after our afternoon at the skate park. It was taken when I kissed her as we skated side by side. I’ve wanted to recreate this image on a canvas for days, but I don’t think I could do the original justice.
I pull her contact up and type out what feels like a million messages before settling on one.
Me: I won’t ask to see you, but I will ask you to tell me where you are so that I know you’re safe.
I send it off before I can chicken out. The next few minutes drag. It’s silent in the house, but I can’t get myself to turn on the TV. Maybe I’m punishing myself. At this point, I don’t know what I’m doing other than wishing I hadn’t been such a selfish prick and withheld the truth from her.
Her reply comes ten minutes later, the contact name making me wince.
Wifey: My brother’s house.
Me: How long are you going to stay there?
Wifey: I’m not running away. I just need some time alone. I’ll see you tomorrow
Me: I love you.
Wifey: I love you too. Goodnight, Cooper.
Cooper. Not Sparrow. I’ve never hated my name more than right now.
* * *
ADALYN
Braxton is the sister I never had. She was always around while I was growing up, and while my brothers and their guy friends never gave me the time of day, she always did. She was always giving me advice on boys and clothes and how to pluck my eyebrows just right without overdoing it.
But she also broke my heart once, back when she left all of us behind. It feels like ages ago now when she and my brother had a falling-out that destroyed their friendship. They found their way back to each other, even though it took nearly a decade.
I never put much thought into how my brother was able to get over her betrayal and create a life with her despite their broken past. It seemed like something that would never happen to me. Yet, to some degree, I guess it has.
Cooper is my best friend. He’s the one who, with only the hint of a smile in my direction, makes me want to kick my feet and giggle like a lovesick fool. He’s the one who I find myself rushing home to just because I want to spend as much time with him as possible.
He’s the one I can’t picture my life without. Our time together hasn’t changed me or what I want in my future—I’ve never needed anyone or anything to do that for me—but it has made one thing clear. Cooper is the one I want that future with.
