I retreat to the kitchen.
Fuck him. I appreciate that he didn’t let me do something I’d regret last night, but I don’t owe him shit. He’s anasshole and a liar, and I want him as far away from me as possible. The door closes, and I let out a deep breath.
I need something in my stomach and a shower before I can do anything else today.
Just as I finish drying my hair, Nik calls to ask if I could give her a ride to the shop. As we drive through town, I can feel the stress evaporate from my body. It’s crazy how one day can take a place you loved and turn it into a nightmare. As I pass places that hold some of the most joyful times of my life, I can only think about the last few moments I spent here.
That day broke my heart in a way it could never be repaired. Of all the horrible things I’ve experienced, it was that one day that changed me irrevocably. Even the heartbreak with Casey can’t compare to the damage the beautiful boy from Ravens Ridge did to me. He dropped my heart off a cliff, and I can never get it back.
We pull up outside the garage, and I park in a spot facing the building. My heart plummets. A familiar redhead stands out front with the guys. Wrapped around her waist are the arms of the man who ruined my life.
“Is he still fucking her?”
Nik follows my line of sight.
“No, you know how they are. I don’t know why they don’t just get married and get it over with. She’s the only one that can put up with his dumbass.” The second the words leave her mouth, she winces. “Shit. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”
“It’s fine. I don’t give a shit what he does,” I say, but I can’t pull my eyes off them.
Her mouth twists into a sad smile. “Are you okay?”
I finally snap out of it. “Yeah. Totally fine. Just tired.”
The nightmares had all but stopped before I came back. I guess it’s just being here, but they’ve been keeping me up more nights than not.
“Okay. Thanks for the ride.” She climbs out of the car.
When I lift my gaze again to the couple, his eyes meet mine. The bright smile instantly fades, his arms dropping from her waist. I avert my eyes as my phone rings.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath. Casey has called half a dozen times over the last week, but I always ignore him. He’s supposed to talk to Jess if he needs something pertaining to Maggie, and she’ll get ahold of me. Something about all of this shit with Gran has my pending divorce weighing on me less and less. It all still sucks, but I have my own shit to deal with.
“Hello?”
“Ashton, I’ve been calling all week. Where are you?”
“I told you, I’m out of town. Is Maggie okay?”
“Yeah, she’s fine. I called because I wanted to talk to you.”
My brows crease. In the weeks since we split, he’s not once asked to talk. “Talk about what?”
“About us.” He says it like it was silly of me to ask. Like I should already know.
“Uh… Casey, we’re separated. There is no us.”
He exhales loudly. “I know. That’s what I wanted to talk about. Baby, I screwed up.”
I almost choke on my own saliva.
He continues by saying, “I got caught up in the moment. It was a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what I was thinking. I thought this is what I wanted, but I miss you.”
“And what about Rachel?”
“We broke up.”
