AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s no problem. I love having Love around.” I grip her chin, forcing her to look into my eyes. “But don’t avoid my question. Why did you leave, Audrey?” I stare into her eyes, willing her to see the feelings I did a horrible job of putting into words last night.
“I told you…”
“You need to do better than that, Audrey. I saw Bristol when I came in. She’s perfectly fine.” I thread my fingers through her hair, tugging her head back and exposing herneck to me.
“Tell me what I did wrong.” I nibble down one side of her neck before making my way back up the other side. “Just tell me what to do so you understand how much I love you.”
Tears spring to my eyes as I bury my nose in her neck, clinging to her body like it’s an anchor holding both of us together. I rest my forehead against hers and speak from the heart. “Audrey, I barely existed before I saw you sitting in the coffee shop. You brought a light into my life that I didn’t know was missing. Please, talk to me.”
“I refuse to be your replacement for Lydia,” she croaks, trying to wiggle out of my grasp, but I tighten my hold.
“You don’t believe that, do you?” I lean back, cupping her cheeks in my palms. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still love Lydia.” I kiss the tip of her nose. “But there’s room in my heart for both of you. I love you, Audrey.”
“But it’s too soon. Besides, you were still wearing your wedding ring until a few weeks ago. I’m just the first woman that’s caught your attention.” Audrey whimpers as she pulls away from me, her head swinging back and forth as she tries to process everything I’ve just dropped in her lap. Everything else fades into the background as she spins on her heels and dashes for the break room.
I should let her go, give her time, but I run after her and grasp her arm, spinning her around to face me. “Did the cards tell you something?”
Audrey recoils, as if I slapped her in the face. “How do you know about my cards?”
“Love told me.” I take a step back from her, my arms dropping to the side. “She said you have a hard time trusting yourself to make decisions and use them as a buffer. But sometimes you see things in their answers that might not be there.”
Love didn’t say all of that, but I have a feeling I hit the nail on the head. “I don’t know much about tarot cards, but I doubt they can tell the future.”
“They don’t, but they help point us in the right direction.”
“And what did they say about me?”
“I’m not sure.” She sobs, her entire body trembling as she turns her back toward me. “I think you should go.”
I back away toward the door. I want to push her harder, to make her understand what she means to me, but I can’t force her to see the truth. She needs space to process everything that I’ve said to her and to decide if being with me is worth it. Only she can make that decision for herself.
“Okay.” I chuckle humorlessly as I continue backing away from her. “Please remember that I love you, and I’m willing to risk everything for a chance that you might love me in return.”
She spins around, her hands reaching toward me as tears stream down her face. I want nothing more than to run to her, scoop her into my arms, and promise her that everything will be perfect between us, but I refuse to lie to her. Relationships are messy and take a lot of work. I can guarantee that we will disagree on something—heck, we’lleven fight occasionally. But even when these things happen, I’ll always love and protect her and Love.
I stride toward her, unable to resist the pull I feel in case this is the last time I set eyes on her. “This isn’t the end of us, Audrey. Not by a long shot.” I plant a kiss on the top of her head before turning on my heels and striding out the door, heading directly toward my truck.
Next thing I know, I’m pulling into my driveway, having no idea how I got home. I check the time, sending up a silent prayer of thanks that the girls aren’t here. The last thing I want is to have them witness my world crumbling down around me.
Shutting off the car, I shoot Vance a quick text, asking him if he can pick up Jade from dance class. He replies instantly.
Vance
The girls and I have a date with Selina. No need to worry about either of them. I gotcha covered for as long as you need.
Connor
You don’t want two teenagers tagging along on your date. Just bring Jade back here after class. You’ll need to text Audrey about where she’d like Love to be dropped off.
Vance
She isn’t with you?
Connor
No.
I shake my head lightly before resting it on the seat, just taking time to think about what my life could be like without Audrey in it. It’s only been a short time, but it feels like an eternity. Everything feels flat and lifeless now that things with the two of us are so up in the air. As far as I’m concerned, this isn’t the end of the two of us, but how things proceed is up to Audrey.
