“Just come back,” I plead, desperate, anxiety wreaking havoc on my thoughts.I can picture the confrontation, and I hate what I see.
“Daisy—” Miles starts, but I cut him off, already hearing the determination in his voice.
“No.I’m not backing down on this.Come back now.I’ll go to the police, file a restraining order.Let them handle it.”
Miles sighs hard down the line, and I close my eyes, willing him to just listen to me.He called me a stubborn ass, so I’m just going to keep it up.If I have to, I will get in my car and follow him there.This will not go the way Isaac wants.
“Miles, please.”
“Fine,” he reluctantly concedes, and my body sags with relief, the tears silently spilling from my eyes.
Ending the call, I look over at Sloane, and she pulls me into her arms, hugging me with a weight that eases some of the stress.I don’t know what I did to deserve friends like this, but just like my relationship with Miles, I will never take any of this for granted.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispers.“You’re doing the right thing.”
Am I, though?
Will the police think I’m crazy when I tell them I want a restraining order?Will a judge even grant it?And shit, I’m going to have to see him if this all goes before a judge.The dread I feel is all-consuming and frightening.
What if no one believes me?
All I have is Isaac’s word against mine.No concrete proof of anything, just a feeling all of this could be him.I mean, who else could it be?
I think about Miles on tour with the band.What if there is someone else?What if a fan is stalking us and causing all these problems?
But those thoughts float away as quickly as they came, knowing it’s not even a possibility.It’s all just an excuse to explain away Isaac’s behavior, and I need to stop.
I can’t be doubting myself or what is happening to me.It’s real, and it’s scary, and I have no idea how far he’s going to take things.
“Thanks, Sloane,” I mutter, my voice hoarse, my head beginning to ache with the seemingly never-ending tears.“I’m so sorry that this is happening.It’s all my fault.”
“No,” she says harshly.“None of this is your fault.”Pulling back, she shakes her head vehemently.“I don’t want you to say that.You are not in control of Isaac’s behavior, and you will not take the blame for it.”
I nod gently, letting her words soak in, needing to hear them since my mind is such a scrambled and fucked up mess.
She swipes her fingers over my cheeks, wiping away the tears as she gives me a loose smile.Sloane is the strongest person I know, going through way too much shit at a young age, yet she keeps going, smiling through it all.
I’m so happy that she’s found some solace and normalcy with Owen.He’s her rock, her stable home, her biggest supporter.
“So I guess we need to get that sign ordered, huh?”I say, trying to return her smile, pushing past the bullshit.
The opening of the bakery is set for six weeks, and the sign company said they need at least four weeks for ordering and delivery.I would hate to open with my hand-painted sign hanging in the window like it is now.
“Yep, that’s my girl.Fuck Isaac,” Sloane practically cheers, beaming, which is totally contagious.“I just like to think he’s walking around with shit on his hands and he’s going to give himself pink eye.”
Both of us start laughing at this comment, hoping like hell karma comes back to bite him in the ass.
“Or worse, hopefully he gets norovirus and is shitting and puking his brains out,” I add, only making us laugh harder.
“I hope he shits his pants…in public,” Sloane barely gets out through the belly laughs.“While having pink eye too.”
When the guys walk in, Sloane and I are nearly rolling on the floor laughing, and they pause in the doorway watching us.
“Guess you both find shit funny, huh?”Miles quips, still obviously upset over what happened, but hearing him say “shit” only has Sloane and me roaring in hysterics.
No point in trying to explain things, so I walk over to Miles, pulling him in for a hug and thanking him for coming back.
“We have to be the bigger people in this situation.You and Kai both tried the aggressive route, and it hasn’t worked.Let’s just go to the police.Let them handle it.”
