Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“How kind of you to figure that out for her.”
“Look, I know you’re pissed. You’re not the only one, but I did what I had to do. The timing was shit, but I didn’t do it to be an asshole. I really do care about her, but she deserves more.”
“Yeah,” I agree. I don’t really know what to say. It’s his life, and he needs to make the choices that are best for him, but seeing the hurt in her eyes, witnessing the pain, and the heartbreak, it ripped a hole in my chest.
“I don’t expect you to understand, and no offense, but it doesn’t matter if you do. Audrey is the only one who needs to understand my reasoning behind why I did what I did.”
“Not your best friend, or your best man, or your brother, or your friends, or your parents, or her sister, and her friends. We were all affected by this decision, Lincoln. You’re going to have to give us some time to accept this new reality.”
“I know that. You all also need to understand that this is my life. My future, and my choice. I never wanted to hurt her, and I do love her, just not the way she deserves to be loved.”
I expel a heavy breath, close my eyes, and lean back in my chair. “It was fucking tough, man. Walking into that room and seeing the emotions play across her face. Next fucking time you ask someone to marry you, make sure it’s what you want. I’m not doing this shit again.”
He laughs softly, and I can feel some of my anger subside. Lincoln is a good guy, and even though I hate how he handled it, it sounds like it was a very difficult, mature decision, even if he waited too long to make it. “Deal. Now, I’ve been trying to call you all week. I have a favor to ask.”
“What’s up?”
“Audrey and I talked, and she’s staying at the condo while she packs up her things. I’ve been staying at a hotel. You think I could crash with you for a few days until she’s all moved out?”
“Sure. Where is she moving to?”
“With Charlotte.”
At the sound of her name, my time with her this weekend comes rushing back. I want to tell Lincoln, and before I would have, but there’s something about knowing that I tasted her lips, even with her ridiculous rating, I want to keep for just me. For us.
“Yeah, you know the code to get in the door,” I tell him. I hate bulky keys in my pocket. The first thing I did when I bought my house was install keyless entry door handles. Best investment I’ve ever made.
“Thanks, man. I checked out of the hotel this morning. If you didn’t answer, I was going to brave staying at my parents’ place.”
“What about Liam?” I ask.
“He’s… pissed.”
“Yeah, he was the one to actually say the words. It was tough, man. Give him some time.”
“I know. All right. I’ll see you later. Thanks, Spence.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you later.” Placing my receiver back on the base, I turn to stare out the window. I should be looking over the buyout of the pediatric practice the hospital is purchasing, but instead, I see a blue-eyed, red-haired angel with soft lips. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that when I did, she would be all I thought about.
Forcing myself to get back to work, I grab the contract from my desk and start from the beginning. I didn’t retain a single word when I was going over it earlier.
Hours pass as I immerse myself in my work.
A knock comes at the door, and I look up to see Cheryl standing just inside the door with a bag from what I know is the deli down the street. “You’ve been in here for hours.” She smiles. “I picked you up something when I went out.”
“You’re too good to me, Cheryl,” I tell her, reaching into my pocket to grab my wallet and hand her some cash.
“This is too much.” She tries to give one of the ten-dollar bills back to me.
“Nope. You fly, I buy,” I tell her, and she smiles.
“Thank you, Spencer.”
“You’re welcome. Thank you for feeding me. I’ve wanted to read through the final copy of this buyout contract to mark it off my list.”
She nods. “I scheduled a walk-through with the practice administrator on Friday at ten in the morning.”
“Thank you. The board meeting is Monday night, so that’s perfect. What would I do without you?” I ask her. Her cheeks pinken. Cheryl is in her early fifties and the best fucking assistant on the planet. She’s a joy to work with. She keeps me organized and fed when I don’t take time to stop and eat, and I hope she never retires.