Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
He seems frustrated. “We’ll talk about everything when I get back.” He pauses for just a minute and then asks, “Are you... okay?”
I refuse to beg for his attention. And I’m not going to give Kelly the satisfaction and say No, Lucas, I’m not okay. My heart is breaking in two. So I say the only thing I can say and still save face. “Yes.”
I don’t wait for him to walk away from me. I walk out the opposite entrance to the kitchen and up the back stairwell to the bedroom. It’s only when I hear the front door shut that I let the tears fall. My heart literally feels like it’s shattering inside my chest.
I knew the consequences. I knew it was going to end even if my heart hoped otherwise.
I cry until I can’t cry anymore. Every emotion from the last few days take a hold of me, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t pull myself together. Only when I’m completely exhausted, lying on the floor curled in a ball do the tears finally stop.
My eyes feel swollen, my heart is racing, and my head is pounding.
I raise up, sitting on the floor, my back to the bed, and lean my head back. I wish G was here. I clinch my eyes shut. “Oh Granny, what do I do?”
In that instant, my phone rings, and I’m ashamed that my first thought is that maybe it’s Lucas. I grab it off the nightstand and see it’s Carlotta, FaceTiming me.
I know I have to answer it or she’ll be worried. I wipe at my face, but I know it doesn’t help any. I hit the answer button and hold the phone out of view of my face. Her voice comes over the speaker. “Hellooooo. Issi, where are you?”
“I’m here. I’m here. What’s going on?”
She pauses, and I know she can hear the thickness of my voice.
Carlotta answers in a stern voice. “Isabella, show me your face.”
I lower my eyes and bring the phone in front of me. She gasps as soon as she sees me, and I know it’s bad, but I didn’t realize how bad.
“Isabella! What’s wrong? What happened? I mean, I know Granny is gone, honey, but she wouldn’t want you upset. Not like this.”
I nod and take deep breaths to try and collect my thought. “Uh, Lucas just left... uh he had work to do... and–”
My voice drops off, and Carlotta shakes her head. “And what? You’re not making sense. What’s going on?”
I take a deep breath and let it out. “I, uh... we... Lucas and I had sex.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Today? Are you telling me you held out until today? I’m impressed because the way that man looks at you, he’s been wanting it.” She cuts off. “Wait. Did he hurt you? Is that why you’re crying?”
I blow out a breath. “God, no, he didn’t hurt me. Not like that. Geez, Carlotta. We had sex last night, and honestly I had to pretty much throw myself at him for it to happen. And then today. Well today, I went downstairs, and he was hugging Kelly, and then he had to go to Vegas for some kind of work thing. I think they went together. He’s probably going to divorce me and marry her and... and...”–I start to cry again–“give her babies.”
Carlotta looks at me in shock. “Isabella, look, with everything the last few days, you’re emotional. You’re obviously not thinking right. Pull yourself together. You can’t work out anything until you talk to him. When is he coming back?”
I sniffle. “He didn’t say.”
She nods. “Okay, well first of all, you need to remind yourself that Lucas Blaze is a good man.”
I nod. “I know he is.” And then I think about him hugging Kelly and wince. “Most of the time, anyway.”
“Right, well, this is what we’re going to do...”
I know she’s waiting for me to ask, so I might as well put us both out of our misery. “What are we going to do?” I deadpan.
She’s walking, and I see her walk through her kitchen, living room, and then she’s outside getting into her car. “Get dressed. Pack a bag. You’re staying with me tonight.”
“No, Dwayne–”
“Dwayne is out of town, and you and I are overdue on some girl time. I promise that I’m not going to be annoyingly positive. I’ll sit and eat a quart of ice cream and bash men all night if that’s what you want.”
I shake my head. “A gallon.”
She holds out an arm in front of the camera. “All right, since you’re twisting my arm here. A gallon. I’m going to stop and get the ice cream and then I’m picking you up. No more crying until I get there.”
I nod.
She tilts her head and rolls her eyes. “Promise.”