AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Like a log,” she replies with a smile, sitting in front of the breakfast bar. As she crosses her arms on the countertop, her breasts push up, causing my mouth to water. Damn, she’s gorgeous.
“You want something to drink?” Earlier I bought the best bottle of wine the local mini market had on its shelves, and I’m sure there was some beer in the fridge.
“I’d love a beer, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” As her worried gaze finds mine, something tightens inside my chest. My secrets won’t stay in the shadows for long.
“That doesn’t trigger me, Ella,” I explain, pausing to look into her beautiful green eyes. “A lot of businesses are made outside the office doors. I often meet with clients and investors to have dinner or at cocktail parties.”
She nods in understanding, then surprises me with a question: “What does trigger you?”
This isn’t the first time I’ve thought about the answer.
“For me, it is about losing control,” I admit in a low voice. “Feeling powerless is an emotion that’s hard for me to manage.” Feeling lost drives me nuts, and the lowest point of my life was after my mother passed away. Alcohol was the easiest way to cope with frustration and sadness. I was a wreck.
She thinks for a moment before asking: “That’s why you were drinking the night we met?”
A groan leaves my throat. I don’t want to talk about what happened that night before I arrived at the bar. But I know Melanie well enough. She’s smart enough to understand that not everything is black and white… and she deserves my honesty.
“That night was special. I was celebrating.” That’s true, not all of it, but it’s the beginning. This isn’t an easy subject for me to talk about. “My brother was getting married.”
A little smile pulls up those luscious lips. “Why weren’t you celebrating with your family?”
She’s pushing the right buttons. Smart girl.
“It’s complicated,” I say with a sigh.
“I’m sorr–”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I say, looking for her gaze. “My brother was marrying my ex.”
The gasp leaving her lips is loud.
“Did she…”
“No,” I stop her. Here we go. “It wasn’t that way. They had been in love forever. I was just stealing moments from them. At first, I was upset, of course. But more like a kid when someone takes his favorite toy from his hands.”
“What happened then?” She tilts her head and studies me with arched eyebrows.
“I was drowning in sadness. Alone without my mother. My father was no help. He was wrecked over my mother’s death. That left my brother and my ex. They were finding solace in each other, and I lost it. Acting like a fool.” I give her the bare bones of the situation, but this isn’t my story. Mostly, I explain how I was walking in the darkness, heartbroken.
“So you decided to go to rehab shortly after that night.” It isn’t a question. She knows what happened. I told her before.
“Yes,” I say. “And changed my life after that.” At least all my efforts have been invested in that task. Keeping myself in line isn’t always easy. It’s a good thing that a strong will is imprinted in my genes.
“Have you seen your family since then?” I know the reason she’s asking. The Garfields are a tight bunch. Family is everything to Melanie.
“I have.” That makes me smile. “My father comes to visit me every now and then. He stays at my condo, and we go out for a hike, then dinner while he tells me everything about the mango business he runs with my sister. Stories about Elena, my sister’s little girl, and my brothers are often the main subject of our conversations.”
“And your brothers and sister?”
“Our relationship is….” I start, but she’s faster than me.
“Let me guess… complicated?”
“You know it.” My voice shakes. From the moment I finished my relationship with my ex, Destinee, talking with my siblings has been like walking over thin ice. I’m responsible for that shitshow, a black cloud casting a shadow over me. The rest of the Posada’s lives are perfect. Mine is far from it. “She was… she is my little sister’s best friend. It was a fucking disaster. And there are other things….”
Things I’m not ready to reveal yet. Terrible things I did while the evil side of me took control. If she knew them, she wouldn’t allow me to be around her. Or my son.
I can’t lose them.
