Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 88128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Pulling open the door, I step back, letting him enter. “What’s wrong?” He tilts his head to the side to study me.
“Nothing.”
“Come on, Kennedy. I know you better than that. What’s going on?” He reaches out and takes my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze, and hot tears well behind my eyes.
“Grandma Hoffman fell. She broke her leg. I’m going to Willow River to stay with her for a while.”
“Come here.” He pulls me into his arms, and it’s been so long, so damn long since I’ve felt his arms around me. I go easily, needing the comfort. I hate that I need it, but I’m taking it anyway. It’s not him that I need, but the security of his arms. Regardless of the state of our marriage, he’s familiar. “How is she?” he asks.
“Okay. Her neighbor and good friend, Carol, is at the hospital with her. I don’t know how long she will be in the hospital, but I know I need to get there. They had to do surgery to fix the break. I’m packing now and driving there tonight.” My grandma retired to Willow River five years ago. She bought Willow Manor and never looked back. Most grandmothers retire to our home state of Florida, but not my grandma. Nothing slows her down. She talks about her small town like it’s the best thing since sliced bread. I’ve been there a few times during the holidays, but this year, I opted to stay home with my parents. Grandma and I had plans to take a cruise in January, which we’ll have to reschedule. Thank goodness for vacation insurance.
“Why don’t you wait and leave in the morning when the sun’s out?”
I step out of his arms. “I need to get there.” That’s when I notice he’s holding an envelope. “What’s that?” I ask, but I already know.
The tears are back as he tells me, “Divorce decree.”
I nod, waiting for the tears to fall, but they never come. I’ve accepted that our marriage is over. “When did you get it?” I manage to croak out.
“Today. My attorney called and asked if I wanted it mailed or if I wanted to pick it up.”
“I told mine to mail it whenever it was official.”
“I wasn’t sure, so I thought I would stop by and let you know.” He looks down at the envelope he’s holding.
“It’s official,” I say. Even I can hear the sadness in my voice. I never thought I’d be divorced at the age of twenty-five, but here we are.
Before I know what’s happening, Lyle pulls me into his arms and holds me close. “I love you too much to let you give up your dream of a family for me.” He pulls back so he can see my face. “You understand that, right?”
I don’t reply because even though he looks sincere, I know that our marriage hasn’t been happy for a while now, and I’m not willing to brush that under the rug. It’s more than him not wanting a family. We just drifted apart. Neither one of us fought to keep it from happening.
“I hate to see this hurt in your eyes.” He leans in and presses his lips to mine, and I let him.
I don’t know if it’s because it’s been so damn long since I’ve had this level of intimacy in my life or if it’s the fact that I’m worried about my grandma, or hell, maybe it’s the closure that we both need, but I don’t stop him.
I let him kiss me.
I let him carry me to the couch, and one thing leads to another, and we’re ripping at each other’s clothes. Once we’re both naked, lying on the couch that we chose together when we bought this house, he stares down at me. There is a silent question in his eyes.
“This doesn’t change things, Kennedy.”
“I know.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod, and he dips his head to kiss me as he makes love to me for the last time. I know he’s been faithful. That’s not the kind of man Lyle is. He’s truthful to a fault, but I’m glad. I wouldn’t want either one of us in a marriage that we’re not happy in. He doesn’t want a family. That’s a deal-breaker for both of us, so this is our reality and, with sudden clarity, the closure we both need.
CHAPTER
ONE
Kennedy
The clock on the dash tells me it’s just before nine in the morning when I hit the city limits of Willow River. I heave a sigh of relief. I’ve been worried about Grandma, and if I’m being honest, it’s going to be nice to be out of town for a while.
Last night was… unexpected, but it was also closure. We got lost in the moment, but as soon as it was over, I righted myself, slid back into my clothes, and finished packing. Lyle left with a small smile and a wave, and that was that. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted and decided to go through my list one more time to make sure I had what I needed before grabbing a few hours of sleep. I managed a few hours but finally gave up at four. I showered, cleaned out the fridge, and hit the road by five.