Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 271(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
When I got her to safety but then fell myself, every worst-case scenario has been swimming in my head. What if Abby and Alexis need me and I physically can’t do what needs to be done? What if I turn to drugs again to deal with the pain? What if I can’t be the man that Abby—and her daughter—deserve?
I wasn’t lying to her when I said there are too many things against us. It’s the truth. This may not be what I want, but it’s the best thing for Abby and her daughter.
With a sigh, I lift my head. I’m about to open the door when I’m startled by the sight of my best friend—my brother—standing beside my door with a frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest.
I open the door and step out, matching his stance.
His voice is grim. “You the reason my sister came home with her eyes practically swollen shut from crying?”
Fuck. It kills me that I’ve hurt her. “Yeah, I’m to blame.”
He points toward the house. “And I guess you’re the reason that my niece has been walking around like she’s lost her best friend in the world.”
I swallow, completely ashamed of myself. “Yeah, that’s my fault too.”
“What the fuck, man? What’s your problem?”
I shake my head and stare off in the distance. “I know, trust me, I know. But I’m leaving soon and—”
Zach cuts me off. “You’re leaving Whiskey Run? You’re leaving Abby and Alexis?”
When I nod my head, he screams, “Fuck” and starts to pace back and forth in front of me.
I hold my hand out to stop him but think better of it. “I thought you’d be happy about that.”
He stops and glares at me. “Happy? Why the fuck do you think I talked you into coming here, Davis? You were all prepared to tell Walker no, and I’m the one that convinced you that this was a good move. But fuck, dude, if I knew you were going to string my sister along and break her heart—”
It hits me then. All the ways that Zach tried to convince me to come to Whiskey Run. His insistence that I take care of his sister and his niece. The constant pushing us together. “You tried to get us together?”
He laughs snarkily. “Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. My sister has been in love with you for way too long. I never thought anything of it until that day about a year ago when I showed up at your apartment.”
I search my memory, trying to figure out what he’s talking about.
He lifts his shoulders in a shrug. “You were just a few months clean. I had been worried about you, and when you went outside to help your neighbor with something, I went through your apartment, looking for drugs or anything else.”
My mouth drops open. “You searched my house?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Fuck you, dude, you can’t be mad about it. The time before that, you were literally passed out foaming at the mouth. I thought you were dying, so yeah, forgive me if I went through your things to make sure you were staying on the up and up.”
I’m not mad about it. “So what does that have to do—”
He holds his hand up to stop me. “When I went through your things, I found the pictures of my sister. You’re fucking lucky they started when she was eighteen. But yeah, it seems you have a little shrine of my sister and her daughter. It was then I knew that maybe I could help you and her get together.”
Angrily, I point at him. “You wanted to fix your sister up with an addict?”
He rolls his eyes and comes toward me. He moves to lean against my truck, and we’re shoulder to shoulder. “Trust me, I thought long and hard about it. And that was a year ago. You’ve been clean ever since. Plus, you’re the best man I know. Of course, I’d be okay with you and my sister together.”
I rub my hand over my unshaven chin. “Did you know that your sister helped me then? I mean, I didn’t see her, but she’s the reason that I was able to get my shit together.” I take in a deep breath and let it out. “I wanted to see her… but I knew I couldn’t see her like that.”
Zach turns to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. “Look, brother, I can only imagine what you’re going through. I’ve told Abby to give you time and you’d figure it out, but now you tell me you’re leaving…”
I lean my head back and look up at the sky. The thought of leaving Abby practically guts me. “She deserves more…. She deserves more than me,” I tell him, pounding my hand against my chest. “How can I stay? I’m a fuckin’ cripple, Zach. What if Abby or Alexis need me and I can’t help them? What if I fail and fall into the fuckin’ black hole again and I can’t get out? What if she… changes her mind?”