Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 40128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40128 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
“Sweetheart, if you only saw a part of this… Hell, when I saw part of this, I wanted to rip his head off. Chrissy has a bad habit of taking men with weak minds. Will isn’t the kind, especially after all this time.” He’s always had a soft spot for Will. I don’t know if it’s because they have the same name, which bothers me a bit, or because he’s close with Boomer, but either way, he’s not wrong. Will hadn’t betrayed me. In fact, he’d only proven his devotion to us.
Before my father leaves, he tells me to give it time. I’m sure about what I need to do. My heart aches in a way that I don’t understand. I’ve loved William Steele for years, letting my heart hope he’d be true. It was so hard, and yet I’ve failed him by accepting a date because I felt abandoned and betrayed.
I stay in my bedroom for the rest of the day, wanting to avoid all conversation about the incident or anything to do with Will and just hide. My mother brings some food up to my room, and although my stomach is doing somersaults, I manage to eat a little. Unable to sleep, I take a long shower, crying my heart out.
It isn’t until one in the morning that my body finally gives in to the stress and sadness of my own silliness and I pass out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t keep me asleep. Nightmares of Will hating me fill my dreams. I lie in bed until the sound of the doorbell startles me out of my thoughts. Scrambling for my phone, I check and it’s only seven.
It’s probably my bestie coming to surprise me for my birthday. She’s like that. We’ve been friends for the past two years. A soft knock at my bedroom door tells me it’s my mother. “Hey, Mom. Come on in.”
“What’s up?” I ask when she enters. Of course, she looks perfect even though it’s only seven in the morning and she’s not even dressed for visitors yet. My mother is the epitome of beauty. I wonder how she does it after having all of us kids.
“You have a visitor downstairs.” She gives me a sheepish smile.
“Who?”
“Will.” My heart climbs its way into my trachea, nearly choking me.
She walks over to the edge of my bed and takes a seat, patting my hair. “You don’t have to see him if you don’t want.”
“I do…it’s just…” I bit down on my bottom lip. “I don’t understand this. Us…he made me feel so alone…when he was right there. Like I wasn’t good enough to see, and then I saw him, and it only dug the knife in deeper. Why is this so hard?”
“Because men are stupid and try to do things the way they think is right. Will had his reasons, as rational as he believed they were. They had merit, but there is something to be said for age. Trust me when I say even your father made me want to strangle him, and I had my doubts when we first met. Talk to him, and just remember that above all, you are still in control, and we will always be there for you.”
“Thank you.” She pulls me in for a brief moment before standing and taking her leave. I can always count on her to make things better.
I wash my face and change my clothes into something a little more comfortable. Today’s going to hit one hundred degrees, so I opt for a pair of shorts, sandals, and a thin tee shirt. When I step out of my room, Will is sitting at the top of the steps. He quickly jumps to his feet, looking nervously at me. His eyes scan over my body. There’s a light rumble that comes from his throat, but I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad noise. “Um, Melanie, can we talk?”
“Yes. I think it’s about time, but let’s not do it here.” I don’t want any of my siblings or my parents to hear.
“Thank you.”
Without hesitation, he takes my hand. The pleasurable sensation is indescribable and hits us both as his eyes meet mine. Our eyes lock, and he pulls me close until my chest meets his. “Will,” I whisper. It’s been so long, and the memories of that day are flooding back.
“We should go,” Will chokes out, and then he leads me down the steps.
My parents are sitting in the living room. “We’ll be back,” I mutter as we continue past them.
“Where are we going?” I ask Will, scrunching my brows as he leads me well past the front of my house.
He smirks a little too slyly for me and says, “Just for a walk.”
“I’m hardly dressed for anything special.” I’m dressed for almost anything, but I’m trying to gauge his motives.