I suppose we will have to agree to disagree here. Let’s see what our listeners think! Do you think A. M. Pierce is a man or a woman? Make sure you leave your vote in the comments!
Lexi:
Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and tell us what books you want to hear about next!
Capri:
Alright, my thriller-loving queens—and kings, that’s it for this week’s episode ofLive, Laugh, Murder.It’s time for me to strut my stuff down an aisle lined with magnolia flowers and take a seriously hot pediatric surgeon off the market for the rest of our lives together!
Lexi:
Until then, our dearest listeners…
Teagan/Lexi/Capri:
Live, Laugh, and Murder your little hearts out!
Chapter four
Ireach across my bed in search of Josh, but his spot is cold and empty. I wake up alone most mornings since Josh lives on the other side of town and has to get up much earlier than I do for work. A weight settles in my chest that feels closely related to disappointment. Josh promised me before we went to bed that he’d be here when I woke up.
Sitting up, I shake the lingering drowsiness off. My white duvet has been kicked to the end of the bed as usual. I scan the room, hoping to find a clue that Josh is still here, but everything is in its usual place.
I swallow hard, steeling myself to make it through the morning without crying. Not that crying isn’t totally valid right now, but I know crying will leave me feeling worse in the long haul. Nothing like giving yourself a migraine because you emotionally and physically dehydrated yourself.
Maybe he didn’t believe me last night when I apologized for forgetting our anniversary? I grab my phone from my nightstand, yank the charger out, and toss it to the floor, hoping to see a text from Josh. There’s a text from Capri asking if Josh and I enjoyed the rest of our night together after our almost breakup. What if he saw that, looked at my texts to the girls, and got angry that I shared our fight? It wouldn’t be the first time he read something I wrote to my friends and got upset. Josh likes his private life to stay private, including what happens in our relationship.
Look at that, Teagan. You’ve gone and messed everything up again.
Or, what if he just went out to grab us breakfast, and I’m overreacting like he says I always do?
Nope. No text from him. The only unread text waiting for me is another message from Capri in our group chat, telling us we can’t be late for our coffee date today because she has “big news” to share.
Whatever—like I’m ever late.
I toss my phone back onto the bed and smash my palms into my face with a loud groan. I shouldn’t be this upset that Josh left. It’s not like I remembered our anniversary, so tit for tat or whatever that stupid saying is.
It was foolish of me to get my hopes up in the first place.
There’s a soft knock on my door. “Teagan? You okay in there?” Josh’s voice hits me like a slap to the face as he opens the bedroom door.
I must look distraught because his brows furrow. He closes the small gap from the door to my side within seconds.
“Hey, hey, baby. What’s the matter?” Josh sits next to me on the bed and rubs soft circles on my back while I burst into tears. I told myself I wouldn’t let myself cry, but I can’t stop the onslaught of emotions that invade my senses when I realize that he didn’t leave.
He never left me. He kept his promise this time.
I throw myself into his arms and inhale the scent of him. I’ve never been able to place the exact smell—something woodsy and masculine—but his familiar cologne has always been comforting, safe, and soothing to fall into after a stressful day.
“What’s the matter?” Josh repeats as his arms tighten around me.
I sniffle loudly and wrap my arms around his waist, burying my face into his amazingly toned chest. I swear his body was made for mine because I fit perfectly in his arms. “Nothing. I’m sorry,” I say betweenbreaths. “I just thought you had left me after how horrible I was last night.”
His laugh shakes my entire body as I snuggle into him. “No, baby. No. I just couldn’t sleep, so I figured I’d start planning our make-up anniversary trip while you slept in.”
Finally, I release him and pull myself together before facing him. “Make-up anniversary?”
Josh brings a hand to my face and tucks a stray hair behind my ear. “Yeah, to make up for how crappy last night turned out to be.”
