Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
He could ignore my calls, but I knew those texts popped up on the center display.
I blew out a breath and rubbed at my chest.
This bullshit ended today.
If he’d wanted me to move on, like he’d once fucking told me, he wouldn’t have hightailed it out of there earlier. And let’s not forget that he was dodging me like crazy too. The moment I’d told him we had to talk, he’d started avoiding me.
His exit was coming up, and I waited with bated breath to see if he was gonna take it.
Don’t even think about it.
What I wouldn’t give to be able to read his mind now.
Maybe control it a bit too, for a moment.
Don’t do it.
I switched lanes to get ahead of the two cars between me and Nate—
“Thank fuck,” I exhaled. My chest constricted, and my vision fucking blurred when he drove past his exit. He’d seen the message. He’d listened to me.
I sniffled and chuckled at how ridiculous I was. But that small win felt huge.
It was going to be us again.
Christ.
I wiped quickly at my cheek and shook my head.
It was too soon to claim victory, but that didn’t stop the onslaught of memories from better days to flick by in my mind. Moments frozen in time—birthdays, Thanksgivings, early mornings, late nights, the sheer bliss when the house was quiet after we’d struggled to get all the kids to sleep… Forehead to forehead in the shower, just him and me, catching our breaths, reconnecting. Or all our mad road trips, when we’d snuck off for a minute alone to recharge our batteries.
I cleared my throat.
It’d been the darkest year of my life, and I was beyond ready for a ray of sunshine.
Pressure built up within me the closer we got to my house, and I felt my heart pounding faster and faster. So much was at stake. Too much could go wrong. But I was finally ready to do whatever he wanted. What he needed for us to go forward. Or what he’d told me in the past that we needed. Because it was what I needed too. I’d grown balls, I guessed.
Hopefully, I wasn’t too late.
Checking my watch, I figured I had a couple hours to play my cards right. By putting them all on the table. Dylan and Hallie were fine on their own, Mikey was with a friend, and Lily was with Nana.
After a few minutes of cars coming and going, I was right behind Nate again, and it took all my strength just to focus on keeping my breathing under control.
This was it.
By the time we drove onto my street, I was ready to move his shit over here and call it our house already. I was also ready to get on my knees and beg him.
Nate slowed down and pulled up in front of the house, and I passed him to park in the driveway.
Breathe, goddammit.
I killed the engine and climbed out before I could start second-guessing myself. Maybe that was what Nate was doing. He remained in his car with his hands gripping the wheel.
I swallowed and walked toward him—and the smallest minivan ever.
We should get a new one. Because if Nathan took me back, we were gonna have money again.
We should get an RV too.
I reached his car and stopped right outside his door, and I glanced both ways on the street.
Then I knocked on his window.
Come on, honey.
Nate slowly loosened his grip on the wheel, and he popped open the door.
He cleared his throat. “Why am I here, Ash?”
I opened the door wider and went with the truth. “So that I can welcome you home.”
He furrowed his brow and finally made eye contact—but it lasted less than two seconds before exhaustion took over, and he shook his head.
“Don’t play games with me,” he said. More than exhaustion. He looked broken, and it fucking hurt to see. “I know what’s next. You’ve met someone, so now we have to file for divorce.”
It was my turn to shake my head. That alternate ending sounded like absolute shit.
I wasn’t having it.
“I’ve met two someones, actually,” I replied and stepped back. “Let’s head inside. But I promise you right now, the last thing we’re gonna discuss is divorce.”
We’d tried the separation schtick. It didn’t work for us.
He reluctantly got out. “Two someones,” he echoed quietly. “It’s James that you work with, isn’t it?”
I nodded once and gestured for him to walk ahead of me.
He was a flight risk, so it was best to put myself between him and the car.
“And Jordan, his husband,” I said. “Jordan’s the switchy Little. James is…a mixed bag of vanilla, exhibitionist, humiliation slut, possible cuck, and…who knows what else.” I paused as I dug out my keys. “Both are curious about bondage too.”
Nate looked back at me with a blank expression, but there was something buried deep that wanted out. He needed me to spell it out.