Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“I’m just saying, they should have tried more than once to get him on the door.”
Shaking her head, she chuckles and then snuggles back into me. “We have to work on your romantic nature.”
“Hey,” I say, offended, reaching for the remote to restart the movie. “I just brought you flowers and chocolate yesterday. I’m watching a chick flick with you now.”
“I know,” she drawls and pats my stomach. “And I’ll make you happy about those choices later on.”
The doorbell rings, and I slide the remote onto the coffee table. “Chinese is here.”
“That was fast,” she says as we both push up off the couch. She flips on the lamp.
“You get the door, I’ll get the plates. What do you want to drink?”
“Water’s fine,” she says as we head in opposite directions.
I consider grabbing paper plates or just eating directly from the boxes with chopsticks but decide to make it nice. I grab two plates and rummage in a drawer for forks, just in case.
When I turn to set the stuff on the island, Ava stands there looking distinctly uneasy.
“Cannon,” she says gently. “You have a visitor.”
Her tone causes my hair to stand on end. I lean to the left, looking past her shoulder, and see Connie standing in my foyer.
I immediately round the counter, handing off the plates and silverware to Ava. “Connie… what are you doing here?” I ask with worry as I take her in. She’s wearing a winter coat, purse over her shoulder, and hands clasped before her, but it’s her expression that tells me everything. She’s upset, and given that she lives in Michigan but is standing here in my foyer in Pittsburgh, I’m guessing it’s serious. “Is everything okay?”
Her eyes flick to the kitchen—presumably to Ava—and then back to me. “I certainly didn’t mean to interrupt you and your girlfriend.”
I don’t like her tone. It’s accusatory, bitter, and I’m not going to be cowed by it. It appears she’s itching for a fight, but I’m not going to give it to her.
I sweep my hand toward Ava. “This is Ava Cavanaugh. Ava, this is Melissa’s mother, Connie Waite.”
Poor Ava looks like a deer in the headlights, but she manages a welcoming smile. “Hello, Connie. It’s very nice to meet you.”
Connie doesn’t respond vocally, but her lip curls in disgust as she turns to me. “How could you, Cannon?”
“How could I what?” I ask, although I know damn well what she’s inferring. I’m not going to let her be passive-aggressive toward me.
“Disrespect Melissa this way.”
My neck tenses with stress. “Just how am I disrespecting Melissa?”
“I’m talking about her.” Connie points at Ava, and I glance over my shoulder to see Ava take a step back, her expression pained.
Now I’m getting pissed. My attention goes back to Connie, and before I can say anything, she lays into me. “I saw pictures of you and this woman on the team Instagram account. It’s so hurtful that you would flaunt how happy you are with life now that Melissa’s not in it.”
Fury flushes through me. “Now just you wait a minute, Connie. That’s not fair. Melissa died nine years ago, and I’m entitled to move on with my life.”
“You left Melissa long before she died,” Connie yells, her face contorted with anger. “All you cared about was your career. I bet you didn’t think I knew about that, but Melissa told me everything. You always put yourself above her.” Connie leans to look past me to Ava. “If you know what’s good for you, you should run. He’ll never devote himself to you. He doesn’t have it in him and he’s going to hurt you.”
She slices a hateful gaze back at me. “You were an awful husband, Cannon. Only cared about your career.” Her voice cracks and she stammers, “You left Melissa behind, left her alone. You failed the marriage and your duty as a husband. You were selfish. You only cared about yourself.”
I can’t take another fucking second of her accusations. “I gave up my career to take care of Melissa,” I roar. “I was devoted to her until the end.”
Connie smiles at me and I can tell she wanted that reaction. She was baiting me. “You only took care of her because you felt guilty about failing her in all other ways. That’s the only reason you stayed. The only reason you cared for her.”
“Maybe,” I murmur, an admission that’s painful but true. Connie gasps, and I hate to think what Ava thinks about me now. “But the fact of the matter is, I did give up everything for her. I cared for her for months, and she died in my arms. In the end, I did what I thought was the right thing, and I sleep peacefully at night because of it. I’m sorry you can’t move past her death, but you have got to stop making me feel bad about it.”