by Piper Rayne
~ R
My head falls to the desk with a thump. He must’ve left it there the last time he was in here, but I’ve only just noticed.
“What’s this?” the door opens and Hannah waltzes toward my desk, concern in her dark eyes. “Are you sick?”
“She’s heartbroken,” Chelsea answers from her office.
“Why? What happened?” Hannah sits down in the chair in front of me.
“I’m a horrible person.” I rub my forehead.
She leans forward. “No, you’re not. Talk to me.”
“Reed got offered the DA position in New York City, he asked her to go, she declined. Hence the defeated head on the desk position.” Chelsea joins Hannah by sitting in the chair next to her. “I brought her a muffin. I’ll totally fill in until he’s out of your system.”
I sit up, grab a Kleenex and pat under my eyes. “What if I never get him out of my system?”
“You will.” She reaches forward and pats my hand. “Men are like that killer pair of heels in the shop window. They look so good, but you just know in the end, they’re going to hurt like a bitch.”
“That’s helpful, thank you.” Hannah looks at Chelsea with a what-the-fuck expression.
“She just needs to find another pair. How could he think you’d just drop your life and follow him?” Chelsea asks.
Hannah’s questioning gaze lands on mine. “Did he?”
I nod.
“What are you thinking right now?” she asks.
“That I want to run down to his work and tell him I’ll follow him to Africa if he wants me to.”
She laughs. “Thought so.” She stands. “My advice is to give it some time.”
My heart splinters thinking about more time away from him. I know it was the right thing to do for everyone involved, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
“You’re taking the rest of the day off.” Hannah walks to the coat rack, holding out my jacket for me.
“No, Hannah, I can work.”
She shakes her head. “Nope. You’re going home.”
I stand, my shoulders slumped as I slide my arms into my coat and Chelsea hands me my bags. They each pull me into a big hug. “You’ll get through this,” Hannah whispers.
“He wasn’t that hot,” Chelsea offers, and we all laugh a little because we know Reed actually was that hot.
“Now, you go.” Hannah opens the door and motions for me to leave.
I walk out, and when I reach the sidewalk, my mind wanders, wondering if Reed is in that building down the street. Is he packing a brown box to take with him? What could have been between us if the timing was right?
I shake my head. Weeks from now he’ll be gone, and I won’t have to worry about running into him. That should help me. Yeah, right.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Two weeks later…
To say I’m finding my footing again would be a complete lie. I go through the routine of my life. I drop Jade off, I go to work, I attend school, I take care of what I need to. None of it with a zest for life. None of it with a smile.
“Mommy,” Jade says interrupting my internal thoughts. She skips along the sidewalk, more chipper than usual for a Monday morning.
“Yeah?”
“Henry said Reed went to New York City?”
Jade hasn’t asked me much about Reed and I see she’s been getting a lot of her information from Henry.
“Yeah.”
“When’s he coming back? He’s been gone for a long time.” She doesn’t look at me and I know she doesn’t understand what’s going on. She thinks he went for a vacation, not to live there permanently.
“I don’t know, Bug. He moved there for a job. He lives there now.”
Her feet halt on the cement and she twirls around, her hands landing on her hips. “What?”
“He got offered a job there, so he moved.”
“Why would he do that?”
I tighten her ponytail, easing her forward with my hand on her back. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”
“Why would he leave you?”
Talk about a question that’s like throwing a boulder at me, but in the weeks since Reed left, I’ve learned to compartmentalize. “He didn’t leave me.”
I pushed him to leave.
“It was a really great opportunity,” I add.
Her hand weasels into mine and she leans into me. “I’m sorry, Mommy.”
I squeeze her hand. “Thanks, Bug.”
I smile down at her and Reed’s words come back to me. She truly is my light. But he was a close second.
We break the tree line and even though he hasn’t dropped Henry off in three Mondays, my throat still tightens on the ridiculous chance Abe will pull up to the curb and Reed will walk Henry up to the school.
Jade circles around me, waving and saying hello to friends.
“Bug, you gotta go to school.”
She continues circling. Darcie and Georgia have moved on to someone else to pick on now. Most of the drop-off and pickup parents now ignore my existence which is fine by me.
“In a second. I’m waiting for Henry.” She continues circling me, her hands running along my shirt as she rounds each side of me.
I glance at my phone. “It’s getting late, maybe he’s not coming.”
“He’s coming,” she singsongs, not stopping.
“One minute, Jade then you have to go into school.”
“He’ll be here.” She skips around me.
I roll my eyes, waiting for the minute to be up.
“Jade doesn’t want to go to school today?” Darcie asks, and I glance her way.
“You know Mondays.” I’m polite instead of telling her to piss off and mind her own business which is what I really want to do.
“I knew it,” Jade murmurs.
I turn, and the familiar sight of Abe’s car unleashes the butterflies in my stomach.
Henry runs out, heading right toward Jade and my breath is stuck in my throat waiting to see who else is in the backseat.
“Ready, Jade?” Henry asks.
Jade hugs my legs. “Bye, Mom.”
“Bye, Bug.” I pat her back, my attention solely focused on the car.
The back door opens on the street side. A few cars passing by honk and then he circles around—a silver tie clip gripped between his teeth as he ties his tie. Just like the first time I saw him again, his blue suit is pressed and tailored to his body, his hair gelled to messy perfection. I refuse to take my eyes off him in case I really have lost it and my imagination has conjured him up.
He holds up his finger in my direction, walking past me and up the stairs to the school. “Henry,” he says, holding his fist out.
They fist bump and then he descends the steps, his eyes never leaving mine. I’m still in a state of shock as he comes to stand in front of me.
“Ready?” He holds his hand out.
“For?”
“The rest of your life.”
I smile, fitting my hand in his. He pulls me into his chest and we couldn’t get closer if we tried.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs. Pulling back, he holds my head in his hands.
“I’m sorry, too. I love you, Reed. I should have never made you choose. We can do long distance. We’ll figure it out.”
He shakes his head. “No, you were right about that. If we’re going to give this a chance, we can’t be seven-hundred miles away from one another.”
“Then what are we going to do?” I ask and press my lips together, waiting for his answer.
“When I first saw you again, my heart skipped a beat. I never believed in that shit. I mean I knew I’d eventually fall in love, but for your body to have a physical reaction? That stuffs for fairy tales and TV. With you though, I’ve never been surer of anything. You were meant for me.” He tucks my hair behind my ear and leans in close. “Victoria Clarke, I choose you. I’m not taking the job in New York.”
His lips fall to mine and I close my
eyes basking in all the love and adoration of his kiss. We break apart and I glance at the faces around us. Jade’s giggling at the top of the stairs, her hand over her mouth and she smiles at me before heading into the building.
“Are you sure?” I whisper.
“One hundred percent positive.”
He holds his hand out for me and I take it. And I’ll never let it go again.
Epilogue
One month later…
“Ready?” Reed walks into the office as I finish typing my email.
“Almost,” I say.
He sits down in front of my desk looking gorgeous in a navy blue suit. He props one foot up and rests it on his knee.
“Did you win?” I ask.
I would watch Reed in court every day if I could, but after the last case, I’ve kept my distance. He’s absurdly paranoid and it’s hard for him if I’m there.
“I did.” A huge smile crosses his face.
“I’ll have to make sure to give you a congratulatory kiss.”
“Just a kiss?” He sits up, grabs a Post-it note and a pen.
“Is that for me?” I ask, eyeing the note in his hand. With my hand on the mouse, I close out everything and log off.
“It’s not always about you.” He winks, scribbling something in his lawyer handwriting which reminds me of a doctor’s.
“I’ll be right back.” I pretend to say goodbye to Chelsea, so he has an opportunity to hide the note for me to find on Monday.
“Hurry. Abe’s waiting.”
“Only you can get an Uber to act like your own personal chauffeur.” Hannah comes out of her office, leaning her shoulder on the doorframe with a manila folder in her hand.
“Hi, Hannah,” he says.
“Where are you taking our girl tonight?” she asks.
The two talk and I peek my head into Chelsea’s office.
“I’m leaving.”
“Thanks for the update, I’ll be sure to call NBC and let them know,” she jokes, standing and following me out. “Reed ‘The Steak’ Warner, how the hell are you?” She acts like she didn’t just see him yesterday.
I’ve been granted with a pickup and a drop-off every day for a month. I can’t complain. There’s something about almost losing something that makes you hold it tighter.
“Chelsea,” he says and smiles, tossing the pen into my holder and standing to his feet.
“Would you guys mind dropping this off at the tax attorney’s office? His office isn’t too far.” Hannah holds out the envelope and I snatch it up.
“Sure.” Then I look to Reed. “We have time, right?”
He nods.
The envelope is snatched out of my hands. “I’ll do it. You two go.” She shoos me with her hand.
“Thanks, Chels.”
“I’m going that way anyway. I’m on a search for penis paraphernalia and I might just grab myself one of those Unicorn Cock vibrators. My cousin’s bachelorette party is coming up.”
She rolls her eyes like having to go into a sex store is such an inconvenience for her would upset her. Having to go into a sex store. This is Chelsea we’re talking about.
“Want to join me?” she asks Hannah.
“Me and you in a sex shop?” Hannah shoots her an expression that says never. “I’d rather not get arrested tonight.”
“Fine. Leave it to me to be the curator of cock on my own then.” Chelsea shrugs like she doesn’t really care, which she probably doesn’t.
“Okay, have a great weekend, girls.” I wave goodbye and Reed pats my lower back to get me going.
Once we’re down on the sidewalk, I spot Abe leaning against his car, reading a book while he waits.
“The Realtor is meeting us there?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
Reed has decided he doesn’t want to live downtown anymore, so he’s house hunting closer to us. He says he’s found one he really likes and wants my opinion.
“Hey, Abe.” I smile and wave at him.
“Victoria,” he says, rounding the car to get back in.
Reed opens the door and I slide inside. Reed’s hand plays with mine as we pull away from the curb.
“I firmed up some plans last night with Pete.”
“Yeah?” he asks.
“I’m going to fly out there with Jade to drop her off and then fly back to pick her up. She’ll stay for a month this summer.” I take in a deep breath. It’s going to be horrible, but she deserves to spend some time with her dad and he promises he won’t work the whole time.
“A month?” he asks.
“Well, he’s going to hire a nanny and take two of the weeks as vacation.”
Reed nods. “Nice of you.”
“I was wondering though, would you want to come with us and maybe if it’s okay with Ned and Helen, Henry could come when we go to pick her up? We could stay—”
“I’ll go both ways. You’re going to need me after the drop-off.” He smiles, his fingers tightening in mine. He knows me well.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiles. “I’m pretty sure since I’m his guardian if anything should happen, Ned and Helen will be fine with us taking Henry.”
I slide closer, laying my head on his shoulder. My eyes close briefly from the late nights studying for exams. Three more weeks until I graduate, and I can cross off one thing off my list.
“We’re here,” Reed whispers in my ear.
“Sorry,” I mumble, lifting my head to see my mom’s house. “What are we doing here?”
Reed says nothing and steps out, holding his hand out for me to take. “Have a good weekend, Abe. See you Monday.”
“Bye, guys.” He waves and once Reed shuts the door, he pulls away.
“So…I wasn’t exactly telling the truth when I said we were going to look at a house I was interested in. And I hope you’re not mad, but…” He takes my hands in his. “I bought the house next door to your mom’s. My plan is to renovate it, make it large enough to fit all of us. You don’t have to move in with me, but I want to be close to you.”
He guides me up the walkway, pulls out a key and inserts it in the lock.
“This is not me asking you to choose. This is me wanting to be as close to you as possible. I’d love for you and Jade and your mom to move in here. Or just you and Jade and she can stay next door on her own as long as she’s able. I knew you’d want to be by your mom, so…” He trails off, opening the door and waiting for me to take the lead.
The thing about Chicago housing is that next to one bungalow is a three-story flat and next to that is a renovated single family. It’s a hodgepodge of housing types. Reed’s bought the single-family home that needs some updating, but nothing major.
“It’s beautiful.” The light that streams in through the front windows highlights the hardwood floors and moldings. The place has good energy and being close to my mom makes it perfect. We can get out from under her and she can maintain her independence. But we can still help out around the house and with meals since we’re so close.
I walk farther into the house to take it all in.
“The kitchen needs some work, but I have some ideas.”
Warmth blooms in my chest the more I see, but Reed takes my silence the wrong way.
“I don’t want to pressure you, Vic. If you completely hate the idea, I can renovate it and turn it for a profit.”
I shake my head. “I’m not feeling pressured.” Turning back around to him, tears fill the corners of my eyes, but they aren’t the sad kind this time. “It’s perfect.”
“I’m so happy you think so.” He erases the distance between us and lifts me into his arms. “What does that mean exactly?” A nervous chuckle escapes his lips.
“It means,” I close my eyes for a moment and then let them slowly open to the man who has stolen my heart and soul. “We’re moving in together.”
His arms tighten, and he swings me around. “Thank you,” he mumbles and I’m not sure if he’s talking to me
or fate itself.
My phone rings and Reed lets me go to grab it out of my purse in case it’s the school or my mom.
He ventures down the hall while I press accept on Chelsea’s call.
“What’s up, Chelsea?” I ask. “Did you know he bought the house next to my mom?” I say, unable to contain my excitement.
“Did he? I didn’t know.” Her voice is flat and doesn’t hold any of the humor I’m used to.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
Reed comes back into the room, his eyebrows furrowed wondering what he’s missing. He wraps his arms around my stomach from behind, kissing my neck.
“I saw the tax attorney.”
“Is he hot? You’ve been into good guys lately and what tax attorney isn’t a good guy, right?” I giggle when Reed nips at my neck.
“Hey now,” he whispers.
“He’s not a good guy, Vic.” She sounds near hysteria as she sucks air in and out of her lungs. “He’s my ex-husband!” she screams.
Oh, shit.
What happened when Chelsea was face-to-face
with her ex-husband?
Keep Scrolling!
Cockamamie Unicorn Ramblings
The Charity Case Series was born from an idea for a book Elisabeth (Piper) had before we decided to form Piper Rayne. It was going to be called Divorcee Dating (did you catch the term in the book?) and she’d written the blurb and everything.
So, in order to turn her idea of one book into three, we had to find two more women. After writing The Manny and introducing you to Hannah Crowley, we knew she was born from Elisabeth’s idea and her book, Happy Hour (Book #3) would be the story Elisabeth had in mind originally. Not that it was Happy Hour at the time, we just knew she was our woman to take on the task.
The only thing we did want was three women who had been introduced in previous books to get their own. It’s easy to write snarky and quick witted secondary characters. We’re not in their heads. They can say a funny line and disappear into the darkness. Add on the fact, we needed them to be divorced. It was tricky to figure out who the other two women would be.