Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90315 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
He nods slowly. “Gid’s not taking calls right now.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “What do you mean?”
“He’s shut off his phone. He’s back to work, and he’s isolating. He’s healing too, Lena.”
My heart aches. Fuck, poor Gideon.
“If this were any other situation, I’d call him and get him on a plane. Or I’d send you out there. I’m on your side in this, but if you tell your mother that, I’ll deny it.”
My lips twitch.
“But it’s not normal circumstances,” I murmur, glancing out my windows.
“No. It isn’t.”
“I’ll follow your advice. I’ll work on myself. I think I have an art exhibit happening, but no one will know it’s mine. I’m working under a pseudonym. That’s the deadline, Bishop. Because after that day, I’m moving to Montana, whether my mother likes it or not.”
His lips twitch. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Bishop smile before.
“That’s a good plan. I’d like to know more about that exhibit.”
“All the contacts were removed from my phone. Otherwise, I’d call you.”
That news has him pausing, a crease forming between his eyebrows.
“May I see?”
I pass it to him, and he taps the screen. He sets my phone aside and taps his own phone, then puts it up to his ear.
“Reinstate Blackbird’s contacts immediately.”
Holy shit, Bishop’s on my side!
For the first time in two weeks, I don’t feel so alone. I don’t feel like everything I love is lost to me.
I have a plan.
I like having a plan.
He shuts my phone off, then turns it back on and passes it to me.
Magically, all my contacts are back.
“Thank you. It’s not like I call many people—”
“It doesn’t matter. That’s yours, and no one has the right to take that away. My number is in there. If you need anything, call me.”
“Please give me Gideon’s number,” I say, my voice strong. “I need it.”
After another pause, he takes my phone back and programs it in.
“I’m not lying to you, or trying to hurt your feelings,” Bishop says. “I haven’t been able to reach him since I left Montana.”
“I understand.”
He nods and stands, and once he’s gone, I let myself have a good cry.
I wish he was here.
But now I have his number. He probably doesn’t want to hear from me. If what Bishop said is true, he won’t read anything I send him, or answer my calls.
Gideon is my person. After all that time together, he’s the one I confide in the most. He knows everything about me, inside and out. That man is the only one I want to talk to.
So after wiping the tears from my cheeks, I open a new text thread and start talking to him.
Me: God, I miss you so much.
I hit send. It doesn’t deliver.
Bishop wasn’t lying.
After taking a long breath, I type some more.
Me: It’s been two weeks since I saw you, and it’s freaking killing me, Gideon. I hate it so much. I get it, though. Now that I’ve talked to Bishop, I understand why you’re not here, but I miss you and the ranch so much. This isn’t the end for us.
I hit send, and with a renewed sense of determination, I pick myself up off the floor and get to work.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lena
Texting Gideon over the past couple of weeks has helped me keep my thoughts straight. It’s almost like a diary, a way for me to mark the time while I’m separated from him. I send him messages every morning and night, and throughout the day as well. It’s become my closest friend.
And it makes me feel closer to him.
None of the messages are ever delivered, but I know that someday they will be, so I keep sending them.
Me: Good morning, big guy. I hope you’re doing okay. What did you have for breakfast? Don’t forget to add protein. Ha! Are you still going for runs? I need a session in the ring with you. I have some aggression to get out.
Me: I’ve hired another trainer because I’ll be damned if I went through all that work at the ranch to lose all of it. He’s not nearly as hot as you. And he’s a taskmaster, so you’d probably like him.
Me: There are days that I’m sure that my time at the ranch was a dream because I’ve been without you for so long now that it feels like I was never there. And that makes me so sad. I wish I’d had my phone with me when I was with you, so I’d have some photos. We never took even one selfie, not one picture together. It’s like the olden days, before cell phones. You know, like when you were a kid. LOL JK I wish you were seeing these messages so you could send me pictures. I bet everything is covered in snow and so pretty! We could have a snowball fight and I’d kick your butt. And then we could make snow angels. And have cocoa. And make love in the shower so we warm up.