Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 104869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104869 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
“Kenna.” She barely heard his quiet, hoarse exhalation.
Tears were seeping down her cheeks, the first she’d let him see since her miscarriage, and now that they’d started she found that she was quite incapable of stopping.
He moved toward her, arms outstretched, and she flinched away from his touch.
“No. Please. If you touch me right now, I’ll fall apart and I need…” Her voice was nasally and choked with tears. “I need to keep it together because I’m not done.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that you’re hurting me, but you’re also pissing me off. As you’ve repeatedly pointed out, I made a lot of mistakes during our marriage but so did you. And while it’s easy to blame me for everything, it also isn’t fair.”
“What mistakes?”
“Moving out of our bedroom.”
“You were sick.”
“And your solution was to leave me alone?” Her outraged question was followed by a long, stunned silence. “When I was feeling vulnerable and terrible and bloated and unattractive, you thought the best course of action would be to leave me to it?”
“I asked if you wanted me to stay.” Now he sounded defensive and surly.
“You were clearly uncomfortable. And we’ve now established that I’m not great at asking for help. So, of course, I told you it was okay. That I would be fine. Newsflash, Smith. It wasn’t okay. And I wasn’t fine.”
“You should have said something.”
“You shouldn’t have put me in the position of needing to.” God, it was becoming glaringly obvious that they were better off apart. Why was she bothering to rehash all of this now? “And afterwards, you never came back. And that reinforced my belief that you’d only ever wanted this marriage because of the baby. And that you were biding your time before leaving. If I’m terrible at communicating, Smith, you’re not much better, so maybe get off your high horse and accept some responsibility for this disaster. I’ve admitted to making mistakes. I know that I’m not…easy. But maybe you’re not quite the great guy you think you are, either! Now, if you don’t mind, I need to call an Uber or something. I refuse to stay here another night. I’ve had enough of being treated like some kind of pariah who destroys everything she touches.”
“You can’t leave.,” he said weakly. “There’s nowhere to go.”
“Don’t worry about it, Smith, it’s not your problem. I’ll figure it out. And you know what? I’ve decided that you don’t own exclusive rights to this town. I’m on leave. I’ve been injured and Riversend seems like a lovely spot to rest and recuperate. So I’ll be staying.”
“McKenna, f’fuck’s sake, you’re being unreasonable,” he grumbled. “And irrational. It’s four p.m. on a Sunday. There are no places available to rent.”
“Unreasonable and irrational?” she repeated mockingly. “Well then, it looks like this town is already changing me for the better, right? Bringing out all those messy emotions you wanted to see.”
She limped to the front door.
“I’ll send the driver in for my bag as soon as he arrives,” she threw over her shoulder.
“Christ, I can carry your fucking bag for you.”
“No, thank you,” she replied breezily as she walked out. “I don’t want a damned thing more from you.”
Kenny had never slammed a door before that moment, and after it shut with a satisfying bang behind her, she wondered why on earth she’d never done it before.
She also wondered why she didn’t lose her temper more often, because quite honestly, this rage surging through her veins felt awesome.
But once she found herself outside on the empty porch with the adrenaline starting to wear off, she began to feel a little foolish.
Those brave words felt good but she didn’t have a clue what to do next. She didn’t know where to go or who to talk to. Still, one thing was certain. She damned well refused to set foot back in that house tonight. She would sleep out on the porch if need be.
She hobbled to the swing and sat down heavily, giving herself a moment to absorb everything that had happened. Her head dropped on a deep and despondent sigh.
She allowed herself the luxury of a few angry tears before sniffling and scrubbing them away with the heel of one hand. Time to gut up and be strong.
She lifted her phone and began searching for a place to stay.
She only became aware of Smith’s presence when a warm blanket was draped over her shoulders. The unexpected contact startled her and the seat swung wildly.
“Easy, Kenna, it’s just me,” he murmured, the words soft and unthreatening. “You’ve been out here for hours and it’s getting chilly.”
“There’s nowhere for me to go,” she admitted in a small, defeated voice.
He sank heavily down next to her, leaving a few inches of space between them.
“I spoke with Tina and… Well, she knows of a place,” he said after a few long moments. “She’s not sure it’s available but because it’s not in great condition, it’s more likely to be vacant. She’ll find out about it tomorrow.”