Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
“Ben, you don’t mean that. It’s Elle putting thoughts into your head.”
I scoff but say nothing.
“No, it’s me realizing Elle’s been right the entire time. You’re so obsessed with her money and status you’re willing to use me to get to her. I don’t want you here. I want you both gone, now.”
“Benjamin—”
“Stop!” He holds his hand up to interrupt his mom. “Go to Brad’s. He has a place and a job, unless the bank has foreclosed on it, and if they have, don’t come running back to me. I can’t deal with your shit when I’m trying to deal with my own.”
Ben takes my hand and leads us down the hall to our bedroom. He closes the door after I step in and locks it.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he says. “I thought with me having cancer, she’d actually step up and be a mother instead of whatever the hell she is.”
“I know. But I’m still sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with this. Not now. Not ever.”
Ben smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “We should pack.”
We go into the closet, but I continue to the bathroom and bring the stool from my vanity back with me so Ben can sit when he needs to rest. I’m thankful I made the decision to move back in. I think Ben was happy as well . . . at least until all my clothes came back.
Ben sleeps the entire way to Beaumont and startles when the plane touches down. He looks out the window and smirks. “It’s like night and day compared to where we live. Where are all the planes? The lights? The noise?”
“We left it all behind.”
“Yeah,” he says as he sighs. When the plane stops, we unbuckle, and I help him stand. He’s tired. I thought the blood transfusion and antibiotics would give him some energy, but they haven’t. He’s only two weeks into his chemo and he’s exhausted all the time. I honestly didn’t expect it to be like this.
The door opens and before we even take a step, Liam is on the plane, walking toward us. I want to jump into his arms and ask him to take away my pain, but he’s not here for me. He’s here for Ben.
“Hey,” he says when he sees us. “We’re glad you’re here.”
“Us too. Thank you for coming to get us,” I say as we hug. “I really appreciate it.”
“Hey, Ben.”
“Hey, Liam. Did you roll the red carpet out?” Ben and Liam laugh.
“I thought about it. You guys haven’t been back since Peyton and Noah’s wedding. We’ve missed you around here.” Liam points down the aisle. “Let’s get you off the plane. Josie’s in the car, waiting,”
I go first with Ben in the middle and Liam bringing up the rear. I can see it in Liam’s eyes, he wants to assist Ben, but he also doesn’t want to emasculate him either. It’s hard to help without making someone feel weaker than they are.
Outside, Josie stands next to their SUV while someone from the airport loads our luggage into the back of their car. Tomorrow, after things have settled down, I’ll rent a car. My grandpa will tell me to use his, but I don’t want to leave him without one.
I hug my aunt and cry into her shoulder. She squeezes me tightly and tells me everything is going to be okay. “We’re not going to let anything happen to him.”
“I’m so scared.”
“You’ve got us to lean on. Come on, your grandpa is waiting for you.”
The thought of seeing my grandpa brings a smile to my face. Josie insists that Ben sit in the front. She climbs into the back with me. Liam drives us through town and down Main Street. I have to do a double take when I see all the changes our little town has gone through.
“Did someone buy the buildings around Whimsicality?” I ask my aunt.
“Yep, someone did,” Liam says. I glance at the rearview mirror and see him smiling. “We bought it and have slowly been renovating. We rent out the spaces to others, giving them a chance to follow their dream of owning a business, but without the maintenance. I opened a recording studio on the second floor. There’s also a dentist office, a dance studio, and a photography studio. We renovated one space into an apartment.”
“How come you didn’t tell us this at Christmas?”
“Your parents know,” Josie says. “You’ll have to ask your mom why she didn’t tell you.”
“Wow. I can’t believe she’s keeping these secrets. Wait, we have a bookstore now?”
Liam laughs. “Beaumont’s growing. We even have a Dunkin’. That one we fought because of Whimsicality, but we haven’t seen a decline in business. The true Beaumonters prefer our coffee, while the transplants take the other stuff.”
“I guess the secret’s out,” Ben says. “We all knew this place was magic.”