“And he wasn’t alone.”
Her whole face shifted. “And he wasn’t alone.”
I broke down and poured it all out of me in one long, shaking stream. She listened… she cursed, then sighed softly when I mention the woman that wore a ring.
“What you gon’ do?” she asked gently.
“I’m leaving,” I whispered. “I came to find him. I found him. He got somebody. That’s my answer.”
“And Nikole?” she asked quietly. “He deserves to know.”
My swallowed the lump in my through. “Eventually… but not like this. I’m not about to wreck another woman’s life just because mine fell apart first.”
“Baby,” she said softly. “You always trying to be the bigger person.”
“I got a daughter watching me,” I replied. “Even when she doesn’t understand it yet.”
Bree nodded. “I’m here. Whatever you decide.”
After we hung up, I paced the cabin with my bag half-zipped on the bed, tossing whatever I saw into it without thinking. I didn’t care if I packed right. I didn’t care if I left half my shit behind. I needed to go. I picked up the room phone and pressed zero for the front desk. It rung three times before the clerk finally answered.
“Winter Haven Guest Services, how can I help?—”
“I need to check out,” I blurted. My voice cracked. “Tonight. As soon as possible.”
“Oh… tonight? Ms. Sterling, is everything alright?”
No. No, it wasn’t.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I lied, breath uneven. “I just need to leave. Immediately.”
There was a small pause. I could hear here typing away. I hated how long it sounded.
“We can arrange that,” she said gently. “It looks like you’re scheduled through the twenty-ninth. I can adjust your reservation for an early departure. Would you like us to arrange transportation down the mountain for you?”
“Yes, please. As soon as you can.”
“Of course. I’ll radio one of our drivers. They can be outside your cabin within twenty minutes.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
She confirmed a few details, but I barely heard her. The moment I hung up, the silence in the room felt sharp enough to cut. I grabbed my coat, shoved my charger and toiletries into my bag, zipped it up, and forced myself to breathe. I couldn’t stay here, not after that. Not after thinking this trip might give me closure or clarity or something soft to land on. Seeing him with that woman, seeing that ring, felt like somebody had yanked my heart right out of my chest. I didn’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t that. It wasn’thimhaving a whole fiancée or wife or whatever she was.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and pulled the cabin door open. The cold air rushed into my face, grounded be a little bit. I stepped outside, walked down the wooden steps, and didn’t look back. I just needed to get off this mountain, tonight… now before I did something stupid and let myself feel more than I already did.
Chapter 14
Niko
Itried to tell myself I wasn’t expecting shit tonight but food, a few drinks, and a room full of muthafuckas I didn’t plan on talking to. That was the story I kept running with, but the truth was, a part of me came hoping she’d be here. I refused to say that shit out loud, not to Victoria, not to myself, but it was there, buried under every excuse I made about “needing a break.” I hadn’t stopped thinking about this place since the day I left it, hadn’t stopped wondering if she’d ever come back.
Victoria and I flew in from Dallas early this morning, rode in silence most of the way to the resort, and checked into separate cabins like two coworkers sharing a project, not an “engaged” couple. She showed up at the mixer for the free wine, I showed up because liquor was the only thing that kept my mind from spinning in circles. I barely got two steps inside the lodge before something in the air shifted. I felt it, then I looked up and eyes locked in on her. And we saw each other in the same instant. Elise was here in the flesh. The woman who’d lived in the corners of my mind for some time now.. The one who left my sanity a mess after one week I never fully recovered from. The one whose real name I still didn’t know, but whose body I remembered in detail, and damn… she looked even better now.
That deep green dress did something to me the second I saw her. It hugged her body tight, pulling in at her waist and hitting her hips in a way that made them look even fuller than last year. Her breasts sat higher too, perky, round, and damn near impossible not to notice. Everything about her looked softer, thicker… better. Everything in the room seemed to stop while we eyed each with eyes full of something neither of us could describe. It lasted no more than a minute but it seemed like hours. My feet had a mind of their own and moved towards her. I couldn’t let the chance pass me by without finding out who she was and telling her how I felt.
“There you are,” Victoria said, stepping into my line of view. Her fingers brushing my arm. “I was looking for?—”
I didn’t catch a damn thing after that. Her voice faded out like background noise. I glanced back Elise and she was gone. There was no trace of her. It was like the spot she’d been standing in had never been occupied at all.
