Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
There. I’d admitted it. Or part of what was weighing on me.
“Yeah…those were the days.”
Ask him, jackass. You’ll regret it if you chicken out.
If he said no, I’d respect that. He’d probably say no. I was his least favorite person nowadays.
Possibly because I’d freaked out like a lunatic about his new house.
“Would it be so bad if we did something together next summer?” I asked hesitantly. “It doesn’t have to be for two weeks or even one—just…maybe a long weekend?”
His forehead creased with confusion. “Wouldn’t that upset the kids or give them false hope? We’ll be in the middle of the divorce by then.”
Please don’t remind me.
“You’re probably right.” I wasn’t gonna push it, despite that I believed it might do the kids good to see us united even after the divorce. Whatever. He didn’t want to. I couldn’t blame him. “Never mind.” I handed him the container with snacks. “I guess I’ll just wish you a happy new year now.” I swallowed past the emotions threatening to resurface. “May it be a lot better than this one.”
He chewed on the corner of his mouth and observed me, which was never a good thing. He could read me too well.
“It can’t possibly get any worse,” he murmured.
I wasn’t so sure.
Once the divorce was officially happening, I’d have no choice but to take off my ring.
“Happy new year, Nate.” He leaned in to torture me; he kissed my cheek briefly before pulling away. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I nodded once and dropped my gaze to the floor.
He needed to leave before I broke down.
I go back thirty seconds on the video again, then hit play. You didn’t look nervous. I was a wreck because I suddenly had everything to lose. But you, Ash…you were calm. Certain, as you told me afterward. You were certain.
I don’t know if the guests in the back heard your vows; for a loud, rambunctious man, you never shout when your heart is speaking. That’s when you unleash the low murmur that can shake me up to this day.
“It’s a heady feeling, innit? To find the person you wanna write your life story with. It can only be you, Nate. And now, years down the road, we haven’t even reached the middle. We have decades of memories to make—and nothing makes me happier. You’re my world. You are always in my heart.”
You become blurry on the screen, and I quickly wipe my hand over my cheeks.
CHAPTER 14
Two months ago
Alexandria
Ash Riley
Ichecked James’s reply quickly.
Yeah, still ongoing. Let me know if you want me to go over there.
Oh, I’d be home soon enough. In half an hour, if my GPS was correct.
I inserted my earbuds and called Nate instead.
He was chuckling when he took my call. “Hey. Dad just told me he’s sending your old man a collection of magazines from the fucking ’70s as a care package.”
Christ. Those two old fuckers knew each other. “He will love that. Are you still at your folks’ house?”
“Yes, but I’m about to head home. I just have to wake up Lily,” he answered. “I told her we’d head up to see Grandma and Grandpa this weekend, and I guess she passed out from sheer excitement.”
I chuckled, though it sounded forced to my own ears.
It’d been a clusterfuck of a few days, once we’d heard my old man was in the hospital. He’d somehow managed to shoot himself in the foot with a nail gun a few days ago, and it’d been a source of frustration and entertainment until we’d learned that the wound had gotten infected. So I’d packed a bag and headed up there to support Ma and tell Pop to lay off the damn garage project for a while.
“You must be exhausted,” Nate murmured. “Are you all right?”
If he’d asked me forty-five minutes ago, the answer would’ve been yeah, sure, I was okay. Now, though…
“We might have a teenage rebellion on our hands,” I said, clearing my throat. “What did Dylan say about where he’s going tonight?”
“Uh, he’s at Steven’s house,” he answered.
“Yeah, he lied.” I checked the rearview before switching lanes. “I got a text from James about forty-five minutes ago. Apparently, there’s a big party raging at my house as we speak.”
“What the—are you serious? I can’t believe him.”
“Can’t you? He’s a teenager.” My brother and I had pulled that shit once or twice too, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t royally ticked off. “Can you go someplace private? I wanna talk this out before I become our son’s worst nightmare.”
“Already on it. No, Micah, stay here with Nana—I’ll be right back.” He’d left wherever they were a few seconds later when the background noise faded and a door clicked shut. “Okay, I’m alone. Do you want me to drive over too?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll handle it. But I wanna make sure we’re on the same page.”