Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 106772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106772 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
“I think it’s a bit irresponsible to tell someone you’re going to take care of their kids.”
I scoffed and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“I don’t want kids, Toni.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, Brendan.”
He paced while I drank my wine.
“This is stupid to fight over.”
“I agree, but I’m not changing my mind. My best friend is dying; she doesn’t need to worry about where her kids are going. They’re going to me, and that’s final.”
“Fine.”
“Fine, what?”
“We’ll send them to boarding school. It’ll be good for Cutter. He can go to the one I went to. He’ll excel there and will be able to get into Harvard. As for Nova, my mom will know of a good one.”
I stared at him in horror. “You’ve got—”
My soon-to-be diatribe was interrupted when the front door slammed. I walked into the hallway and toward the door in time to see Cutter running down the driveway.
“That’s fucking great,” I muttered as I stomped back to the kitchen. With my finger raised, I squared up to Brendan. “No, absolutely not. I am not sending them away to be raised by people who don’t know them. Nova’s a baby. She needs nurturing. They’re losing their mom, and you think it’s okay to send them away to school because their mother dying isn’t in your plan.”
He stared.
“That’s your plan, Brendan. Not mine.”
“I don’t want kids, Toni.”
“Then I guess you don’t want me.” I stepped away from him and went to grab my coat. He followed.
“Are you really going to choose them over me?”
“The fact that you’re so in your own head right now and only thinking about yourself should give you the answer. But in case you need a verbal, yes, I am and always will.”
I walked toward the door, opened it, and held it for him to walk in front of me.
“So, this is it?”
“Yeah, it is. I’m sorry, but we don’t want the same things in life.”
“What about your job?”
I scoffed. “I’m pretty damn sure my job is safe, and if it isn’t, you’ll hear from my attorney.”
Brendan stood there for a second, with his coat hanging from his hand and his head shaking. He finally stepped off the porch and walked to his car. I didn’t care if he looked back or regretted what he’d said. I had others to care about now.
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Cutter had heard what Brendan said. Before I left to go look for him, I called his phone and was sent right to voicemail. I sent him a text, letting him know I wanted to talk.
I went back to the kitchen and pulled the contact list from the phone. My first call was to Jayden, asking if Cutter was with him.
“No, ma’am.”
“If you pick him up, please let me know. Okay?” He said he would.
I got in my car and began driving without having a clue as to where I was going. I kept calling Cutter’s phone, but nothing. Up and down the road I went, driving into town and through various neighborhoods.
Two hours later, I pulled into the driveway and resigned myself to waking Miri to tell her I’d lost her son.
Chapter 19
Weston
I thought I had waited long enough before returning to the gym to see Antonia and her boyfriend. When I opened the door, our gazes met, and there was no turning back. I saw avoidance, though, and I remembered how, when my relationship with Brianna had started to fall apart, I’d mastered the art of avoiding everything.
Antonia came toward me, completely unaware of what I was feeling, which was my fault. I needed some time to take the sting out of what I’d seen tonight.
I had hoped, when I looked across the gym to see her, that she’d be there and maybe wave at me. It was stupid of me to think she would even be interested in me. I probably had ten years on her, and I was a teacher. There was no way I could compete with the big corporate men in Boston.
Except, financially I could. Although I suspected Antonia didn’t believe me when I’d told her I used to be a professional baseball pitcher. If I wasn’t a sports fan, which she clearly wasn’t, I doubted I’d believe me either.
I shook my head and chided myself for even having those thoughts. We’d known each other for a week, and loosely at that. There was no reason for me to think Antonia was even interested in me. I was the one who was attracted to her.
She called my name, and my heart sang happily at the sound of her voice, but my mind screamed to keep walking. I couldn’t. My emotions were mine, and not at all her fault.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you. What’s up?” I hated lying, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Even this felt wrong, when I wanted to point at the man she was clearly with and ask who he was, even though I knew. Cutter had told me before the game started that Toni’s boyfriend was going to keep his stats for the game.