Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 114068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
I picture the scene: Wheeler crying with her face in her hands. Mollie patting her back. Cash wanting to help but not knowing what the hell to do.
I feel like I just got sucker punched in the throat.
At the same time, my stomach roils, and I feel like I’m gonna lose my lunch. “How long ago was this?”
“Um.”
“Mollie.”
“Not long. Like…two days ago.”
“Two days!” I close my eyes. Bite the inside of my cheek to keep from saying something I’ll regret. “You—she—Cash—y’all kept this from me for two days? Why didn’t she tell me?”
“You’ll have to ask her that. This is her news to share. I’m sorry you found out this way—”
“How is she?”
Mollie pauses.
“Please, Mollie.” I put a hand on my hip. “I’m literally worried sick here. Is she at the New House? I haven’t seen—”
“She went back home to Dallas.”
I don’t know why that information stings. Or maybe I do. She’s running, clearly afraid.
She afraid of me? I’ve never given her any reason to be on alert, have I?
Granted, this pregnancy was definitely not planned. It’s more than a surprise—it’s a fucking shock. I gotta give Wheeler more credit for not telling me right away. Maybe she needed some time to process the news herself.
Guess I just wanna play a role in her life more like Mollie’s. I want Wheeler to trust me. I want to be the person she goes to when shit hits the fan.
But I’m not. And even though Wheeler has told me more than once that she’s not interested in any kind of deep relationship, I still want one to happen.
“Can I ask you for her address?”
“Duke…I don’t know.”
I swallow the tightness in my throat. “I gotta see her, Mollie. It’s killing me not knowing…I need to know she’s okay. Or do what I can to make this suck less for her. I imagine she’s not doing great if you won’t say a word about her.”
Another pause.
“You think Cash would sit on this news?” I press. “I know y’all had a scare too. I imagine you told him right away so he didn’t have to worry, right?”
Mollie clears her throat. “That was different.”
“I’ll owe you big time. Please, Mollie. Wheeler won’t answer my calls or texts. I don’t know when she’ll be back. I don’t know what’s going on inside her head. I care about her.” Too much, but whatever.
Mollie pauses for what feels like the hundredth time. Sweat pours down my skull and runs into my eyes.
She sighs. “Fine. But you promise you’re just going there to check on her?”
“Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“I will stick a needle in your eye if you upset her.”
There’s a pinch in my center. “Why would you think I’d ever intentionally upset Wheeler?”
“Just…she hasn’t had great luck with men in general. And I know y’all weren’t planning on, well, this. How are you doing?”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “I’ll be better once I know she’s all right.”
“You’re sweet. But really, Duke—I know you’re not okay.”
“Of course I’m not okay.”
More silence. I appreciate that she doesn’t rush to fill it and instead thoughtfully considers what she’ll say next.
“We’re here for y’all,” she says. “I’m here for you. Which is why I’m going to give you this address. But you let her know you’re coming, yeah?”
“Of course. Like I said, she doesn’t answer me when I reach out, but I’ll definitely still reach out.”
“I’m rooting for you. Just so you know.”
My eyes burn. “Thank you, Mollie.” My voice is down to a whisper now. Can’t go any louder than that, or my strained vocal cords will collapse. “I really appreciate the help.”
“I know you do. Y’all will be okay. Maybe not right away.” She takes another breath. “But it’ll work out how it’s supposed to.”
I don’t know how that’s possible. But I thank her again anyway.
She texts me Wheeler’s address after we hang up. Plugging it into my GPS app, I see that I have a two-hundred-mile drive ahead of me.
Best hit the road. I need to know Wheeler is okay. And then I need to fix this, because…
Too many reasons.
I grab a quick shower and throw some shit in a bag. I look up my hotel options in Wheeler’s neighborhood. By the time I get to Dallas, it will be nightfall, and I’ll be too tired to drive back to the ranch. I know better than to assume Wheeler will let me stay at her place, although I’m more than a little curious about what it’s like. Girly? Fancy? Does she have roommates?
How do I not know this about her?
Because she doesn’t want me to. Right.
Speeding out of Hartsville, I wonder if anyone in Wheeler’s family is with her. She didn’t seem particularly close with them. But that’s what family is for, isn’t it, to be there for you in times of crisis?