Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 78915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
“I’m not saying anything until I see her,” I say the truth. “I’m not saying a fucking word about a fucking marriage that is fake to begin with.”
“I know that.” She points at herself. “And you know that. But they …” She points at the window. “Don’t know any of this. To them, you guys were friends who are suddenly married, and they want to be the one who gets the scoop.”
“You want to put out a statement,” I say, getting up. “We thank you in advance, but this is a private matter and will remain a private matter.”
“That is like baiting them,” she says. I know she’s right, but I can’t say anything else right now.
“So then I say nothing,” I say. Laurene’s phone pings in her hand, and she looks up at me when she sees it. “What?”
“Just pictures of the two of us,” she says, and I shake my head.
“From six years ago when we attended a fucking function?” I ask, going to her, and she holds up her phone.
“More or less.” She turns the phone, and it’s the one we took last year and then a couple of us on vacation. I read the headline and groan.
A romance undercover. Six signs that they were always together.
“This is why I said you have to say something,” Lizzie says. “Or else it’s going to be bullshit articles like this, and it can make it worse.”
I laugh bitterly. “Make it worse.” I shake my head. “How the fuck can it be any worse? The woman who …” I stop myself before I admit to her that I love Becca. I figured that Becca should be the first to hear those words and not someone else. “The woman who I’m actually in a relationship with probably woke up to this shit.” I point at the phone. “And I need to get fucking home so I can go and see her.”
“I’ll pack and be ready.” Lizzie looks at me. “We’ll get her back,” she says, walking out of the room, and the lone tear runs down my cheek.
“Becca,” I say her name in a whisper. “Please,” I plead with the fucking universe to help me. I get up, packing my shit, and I’m out of the room ten minutes later and so is Lizzie.
“Laurene is going to meet us at home,” she says, and I nod at her. I get into the car, looking at my phone to see that no one has texted me back either. The plane is waiting when we arrive. I get out, calling her one last time before I get on the plane. I think at this point I’d be more surprised if she actually answered. I wait for the beep to come.
“Becca.” I say her name. “I can explain everything.” I walk into the plane, the burn forming in the pit of my stomach. “I’m on my way to you.” I press end and look out the window. “I just need one chance to talk to her,” I say to myself right before the door of the plane slams shut, and it’s almost as if it’s her slamming the door on me.
Chapter 27
Becca
The plane touches down, and I get up. “Looks cold,” I tell Erika, grabbing my jacket and putting it over my white cashmere turtleneck. “I might have to run to the mall or something.”
“I think there is time,” she says, and I look down at my ballerina shoes and so does Erika. “I think we may have to hit up something before we even attempt to go to the rink.”
I nod at her, and the phone pings in my hand, one after another. I step out of the plane and make my way over to the car waiting for us. The driver smiles at us and opens the back door. I climb in and take a deep breath before I take out my phone.
I see seventeen missed calls from him and two voice mails. I ignore that, but I can’t ignore the text he has just sent me.
Nico: Becca, I need to explain. Let me explain.
I delete it as fast as I can but not fast enough for the pain not to hit me. I grab my sunglasses and place them on, looking out at the cloudy day. It matches how I feel on the inside. If truth be told, all I want to do is curl up and stare into space, but I’m not going to do any of that until tonight. “I got you a suite at the Four Seasons,” Erika says from beside me. “It’s a regular suite. The top ones were taken.”
“That’s fine.” I look over at her. “My feet are frozen.”
“We are stopping at Saks right now,” she says, and I nod. We pull up and we both run in, leaving the driver to wait for us. I grab a thicker jacket and also three pairs of UGGs. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out of heels.” Erika laughs.