Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
I remind myself over and over.
“I can’t believe this.” She looks like she’s trying to cry, but nothing comes out. She wipes fake tears before storming away. I’m so confused about what the hell just happened.
When we’re alone, I turn to him. “Did she seriously just try to get you back with me standing right next to you?” The nerve of this chick.
He leads me away from the crowd, and I can see his heart rate is elevated. “She told me she made a mistake and wanted me to give us another chance.”
My face scrunches. “She’s engaged.”
“I know. She said she realized how much she still loved me. Even asked if I’d meet her later tonight outside the bakery.”
“For what?”
He waggles his brows. “What do you think?”
I cover my mouth, shocked that she was going to cheat on Austin. What kind of person does that? A piece of shit, that’s who. I hardly know her fiancé, but he seemed nice enough and obviously deserves way better.
“I told her the only reason she wants me is because I’ve moved on. She saw how happy we are and can’t stand it. She kept pleading with me, and finally, I told her she needed to stop begging like a dog because I wasn’t giving in to her manipulation.”
“I can’t imagine she liked that comparison.”
He shrugs. “It went over her head. She went on and on about how we’re soul mates, and I’m the love of her life.”
I hate that I wonder if she’s right.
“Finn. If you’re feeling any doubt that—”
“Hell no. I’m not.” His voice softens. “Nothing she can say or do will ever let me unsee who she really is on the inside. She’s an ugly, jealous person who wants to use me as a pawn in her game. Only I’m not playing this time. She threw a fit, begging me to take her back, all with her fiancé a hundred yards away talking to my aunt. I won’t allow Aspen to bamboozle her way back into my life after she hurt me the way she did. If you’d asked me a few months ago if I’d have taken her back, I probably would’ve said yes. But now? There’s no way.”
“Why the change of heart?”
He smiles. “You helped me see I deserved better.”
“I did?” I give him a puzzled look.
“Yeah.” He lets out a steady breath. “You made me realize there’s more to a relationship than being a human doormat. It’s supposed to be fun and full of passion, and well, I never had any of that with her. I was going through the motions of having a girlfriend, but it always felt like something was missing. You made me realize a lot. I can safely say I was never in love with her, just in love with the idea of being with someone. I made up this scenario in my head of having a family and raising our kids on the farm, and she never imagined that with me. Bottom line: Aspen and I aren’t compatible and never were.”
My heart slams against my chest, and I’m so damn proud of him for knowing his worth.
“You deserve real happiness and to be with someone who loves you for you. She obviously has no respect for relationships, and I’m glad you’re not spending the rest of your life with a selfish twat.”
He pulls me into a hug and smells my hair. We stay like this for a little while before breaking apart. “If she hadn’t broken up with me, we’d still be together. I would’ve never left her and would’ve kept trying to repair something that wasn’t fixable. I owe you my life, Oakley.”
His genuine tone has my heart breaking.
I wish I was that person to give him everything he deserves.
He takes my hand, and as we walk past the apple-tossing game, we hear high-pitched shouting. Finn and I turn just in time to see Aspen stomping over to her fiancé, screaming at the top of her lungs. Most are watching the scene as she throws her hands up in the air and acts like a psycho. She’s so angry and needs to take it out on someone.
“Poor guy. That could’ve been you.”
“Happy to have dodged a bullet.” He shakes his head. “Wanna get out of here?”
“Absolutely,” I tell him, and we quickly make our way to the truck. The excitement of me staying an extra week overwhelms me, but in a good way.
“I need to change my flight before I forget,” I tell him as he pulls out of the parking lot. Immediately, I call the airline.
Moments later, I announce, “It’s official. You have a roommate for another week.”
“Good, I’m glad you’re not going anywhere just yet.”
“Weren’t ready for me to leave?”
“Actually, no,” he says matter-of-factly.
He turns onto one of the gravel roads that leads to another part of the orchard, one I haven’t visited yet.