Dad: Please come home
She unlocked the phone and scrolled down through the texts. The most recent text from Ami took away her breath.
A: There’s been an accident. Mom in hospital. Answer bitch
Shit, shit, shit. She glanced around the room, taking in the evidence of their passion. Of course. She’d finally found something just for her, and now the rest of her life went to shit. Her job was in jeopardy, and her mom was hurt. If she’d been there, if she hadn’t let herself fall for the hottie on the motorcycle, none of this would have happened.
Somewhere along the way, she must have pissed off the fates, the gods, karma, something. She didn’t deserve Ryan, didn’t deserve his kindness or his understanding. She’d dropped the ball, and now her mother was suffering for it.
The words wavered under her tears. She’d have to read more later. Right now, she had to leave. Her family needed her more than Ryan did. More than she needed him. And after all, if this kind of bad luck followed her around like a sad puppy, he didn’t need to face the oncoming shitstorm.
For the first time, Elissa was really, truly, utterly in love. And if this was the universe’s reward for finally figuring her shit out, she didn’t want to see what would happen if she told Ryan. He could be the next to end up in the hospital.
She dashed away the tears. There would be plenty of time for tears, regret, and recriminations. It was almost two hours to Tucson.
Oh god, she was going to have to wake Ryan and have him drive her all the way to Tucson. And then tell him to leave her alone.
No. She couldn’t face him yet. Maybe not ever. Bisbee wasn’t big, but it was the county seat. She could call a cab or see if any rideshares were available.
She opened her phone, found the app, and put in the details, setting the pickup time for twenty minutes. And someone accepted the gig.
Stuffing her emotions into the furthest corner of her mind, Elissa dressed quickly and looked in the bathroom mirror. Her makeup was on its last legs and her hair was a mess. She ran her fingers through her curls and removed the worst of the disaster on her face.
For a moment, she was tempted to wake Ryan and tell him what was going on. Beyond tempted. He’d hold her, come with her, tell her everything would be okay. And she would fail him, too. He deserved better, a clean cut rather than months of disappointment.
She found a pad of paper and a pen on the desk and wrote a note. She picked up her shoes and tiptoed to the door. As she reached for the handle, a voice stopped her.
“That’s it? You weren’t even going to say goodbye?”
The bedside lamp turned on. Ryan had the covers over his lap, sitting with his back to the headboard.
“I left a note.”
“I deserve more than a note.”
“But my mom…she’s been in an accident.”
“Oh, Jesus, Elissa, I’m sorry. Here, let me—” He tossed the covers aside, and she caught a glimpse of his firm ass before she turned away. The ass she’d been digging her nails into not long ago. He found his underwear and tugged it on.
“No, no, it’s fine. You stay here, sleep. I’ve already ordered a rideshare. I’ll…I’ll be fine.”
“Oh, so you need me when you want to stop thinking, stop feeling the bad stuff, but the moment you truly need someone in your life, someone to take care of you when you’re hurting, you’re gone.”
“No, that’s not—I don’t want to bother you. You deserve better than someone who drops you the moment her family calls.”
“Elissa…I have family too, and I’d be out of here in a heartbeat if one of them was in an accident. I get it. I do. Let me help.”
How could he help? This was her fault. Her fault for confronting her mom. Her fault for running away. Her fault for dragging him along. He needed to stay away from her before her bad luck rubbed off. Before he learned how truly needy she was. She straightened her spine, telling herself it was for his own good.
“I don’t need your help. I don’t need you. Go back to sleep. I’ll text you when I know more.”
“You know, you don’t have to be perfect to deserve love.”
The certainty in his voice, the kindness, almost—almost—broke her resolve. “Maybe not, but you deserve better than me. You deserve to be someone’s top priority, and I can’t guarantee that. My family…it’s only the five of us. You have so many, but if I lose my mom… I can’t do this and take care of them. Goodbye, Ryan.”
“Elissa—”
She didn’t give him a chance to convince her to stay and shut the door behind her with a click. Hurrying across the courtyard, she half expected him to come running after her, clad only in his underwear or no.
