Page 121 of Burning Skies
Her sweet, light laughter rings in my ears, making my heart ache.
If I lose her, I’ll never forgive myself.
I can only hope that she gives me time to get the answers I need.
If I’ve fucked this up so royally that she won’t take me back, then I probably don’t deserve her.
And that’s a bitter pill to swallow.
47
HONEY
Listless,I ignore my huge stack of essays and slump on my kitchen table.
“You need to eat. Here.” Cynthia slides a cold slice of pizza toward me, and I wrinkle my nose.
“Not now, but thanks.” When I told her what happened, she was here in an hour.
“You’ve barely eaten since I got here. It’s been two days. A strong breeze is going to blow you away. Want me to go grab you some tacos?”
I shiver and wrap my blanket tighter around my shoulders. “I’ll be fine. I’m just really not hungry. I’ll eat a granola bar later.”
My phone buzzes with a text, but I ignore it.
Cyn sits opposite me and lowers her head until our eyes meet. “Aren’t you going to see who’s texting? Maybe it’s Beau.”
My eyes sting, and I blink the tears away. “Whether it’s him or not, I’m afraid, Cyn. What if he has terrible news? I can’t handle any more bad news this month. Cash can’t get a straight answer out of our father about the finances. It’s freaking me out.”
Frowning, she chews on her bottom lip. “Well, no matter what, you’re not marrying that douchebag.”
“I don’t want to marry Ian either, but he said he’d call in my dad’s loans this week if I didn’t get on board with his plan.”
“What if he can’t find you? Come home with me. I’ll hide you.”
“What about my job? I can’t leave or I’ll get fired, and teaching is all I have.” Now that I’ve had some time to think about it, I’ve realized I can’t just disappear, as tempting as that may be.
As the day wears on, I note that it takes me an hour to grade one essay. The sun is starting to set when someone knocks on the door, and I freeze. Cyn looks at me, and I nod. At least I have backup in case it’s Ian.
But when the door opens, it’s Trig. He gives me a crooked grin. “I heard you needed some dinner. I got ya some Mexican food. Hope that’s okay.”
I burst into tears.
“Well, shit. If I thought Mexican would make you cry, I’da gotten ya something else.”
Cyn rubs my shoulder. “I hope it’s okay, but I got his number off your phone. I thought you needed some reinforcements.”
I nod with a watery smile. “Thanks.”
She waves at my brother. “I’m Cyn, her college roommate.”
He shakes her hand. “Hi, darlin’. Heard a lot about you. Thanks for calling me.” Turning, he sets out the food, then takes a chair, flips it backwards, and sits down. “Tell me everything. Do I need to kick Walker’s ass again? ’Cause I will.”
I shake my head. “This isn’t his fault.” He swore he used condoms every time with Mel. He and I have been careful, so I have no reason to think he’s being dishonest about that.
Trig scratches his chin. “You gonna give me some idea of what he did?”
“Will you promise to not freak out? Because I can’t handle any more drama right now.”
