by Len Webster
He watched the smile on her face fade a fraction. “Oh. Well, that’s so nice that you’re supporting her school.” Then she handed him back his card and his receipt after she rang up his purchases. As Evan returned the receipt, his card, and his wallet to his pocket, she said, “Have a great day.”
“Thank you. And you, too. Say bye, Miller.”
His daughter waved her toy at the cashier before he walked out of the shop. Then he set his daughter down as she held Einstein up for him. Evan took her toy as she held his hand. Feeling his phone ring in his pocket, Evan shoved the toy between his arm as he pulled out his phone to find his wife had texted him. He unlocked it and read her message.
AJ: Hey. I’ve just finished my last class for the day. Professor Miller is just giving me some feedback and I’ll be right out.
Evan: All good, baby. We’ll see you soon.
Returning his phone to his pocket, he removed his daughter’s toy from under his arm and smiled at her staring at the dog plush that had a Harvard shirt on. “Ready to go back to the car, Miller? Mummy will be there soon.”
“Yes,” she said, the excitement to see her mother rang in her voice. It had been some time since Miller had spent a whole day away from AJ. He knew his daughter missed her mother. She had even cried for a little bit after her nap looking for her in his office. It would take Miller some time before she was used to AJ being at school.
As they walked back toward the car, he heard how cute his daughter was from the students and faculty. Evan would laugh as strangers high-fived his daughter. Miller loved it but hated when she would drop her toy. In the end, she got too tired to walk, and he carried her toward the car. When they had almost made it, he noticed his wife walking with the man they named their daughter after.
Evan stopped and smiled, watching AJ so engrossed in her conversation with her professor and Ph.D. advisor. “Hey, Miller, look.” He pointed at his wife. “There’s Mummy. Do you want to go see her?”
His daughter’s green eyes widened as she turned her head, noticing her mother. Evan set her down as she tightened her grip on her plush Harvard dog. Then he watched his daughter run toward her mother, yelling, “Mama!”
AJ immediately stopped and turned, a smile stretched proudly and lovingly across her face as she bent down and set her briefcase on the ground. Then she held out her arms for Miller to run into them before they wrapped around their daughter in a matter of seconds. AJ closed her eyes as she embraced Miller and whispered in her ear.
Evan stood by and took in this moment.
His wife and his daughter.
Their love was the purest thing he had ever witnessed and experienced.
Their love was what he wanted for the rest of his life.
As AJ lifted their daughter, Evan made his way toward them. He smiled at her professor and held out his hand. “Hello, Professor Miller.”
“Hello, Evan,” the professor said as they shook hands. “Hello, Miller. How are you?”
His daughter tilted her head. Though she was named after Henry Miller, she was still getting to know him. All Miller did was smile.
Professor Miller grinned. “Your mommy had a good first day. You must be very proud of her.”
Miller nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, Alex, I better get back. Thank you for today. You were excellent,” Professor Miller said before he smiled at AJ and Evan’s daughter. “Have a good day, Miller. I’ll see you next time.”
“Say bye-bye, Miller,” AJ said.
Miller waved her dog. “Bye. Bye.”
The professor waved before he returned to the building behind them. Evan stepped closer and kissed his wife. “How was your day?” he asked as he pulled back.
AJ sighed. “Long but amazing,” she replied. She looked down at their daughter. “And how was your day, my love?”
Their daughter didn’t reply as she stared at the toy in her hand.
His wife took in the jacket, and her brow arched. “Evan, why is our daughter in a Harvard varsity jacket?”
Evan laughed. “She looks cute, right?”
“We’re not pushing Ivy League on her, are we?”
He shook his head. “No. I thought your daughter should support her mother’s school. She’s very proud of you.”
“Good. Because, you, Miller, are going to whatever college makes you happy. That’s what I want for you, my love. I want you to be so happy. I want you to have every dream. I want you to succeed. I want you to find love and feel love. But most importantly, I want you to be you. I want you to be you, every single day of your life. Just be you, Miller Gilmore.”
Just be you, Miller Gilmore.
His chest burned with the sincerity in his wife’s voice.
He wanted the very same for their daughter.
AJ brushed Miller’s curly brown hair back before she peppered kisses all over their daughter’s face. Miller laughed with every kiss. “I missed you so much, my love,” AJ whispered as Evan picked up her briefcase from the ground. “Did you have a good day with Daddy?”
Miller nodded. “Yes, Mama.”
“Are you ready to go home?” Evan asked as he slipped his daughter’s other toy in his wife’s briefcase.
“I am.” AJ set Miller down and grasped her hand.
“Dada,” Miller said, getting his attention.
Evan bent down so that he was eye level with Miller. “Yes, my love?”
Miller stared into his eyes as she said, “Eight.”
His heart stopped.
“Eight?” he breathed.
His daughter smiled.
Evan lifted his chin to find tears in his wife’s eyes as she whispered, “Eight.”
He gazed back at his daughter as he palmed her cheek. “Eight protons. Eight neutrons, Miller.”
The four words he whispered to his daughter every night.
The four words his wife woke up and fell asleep to.
The four words his girls would always know to be theirs.
“Eight, Dada.”
Evan brushed his tears away as he wrapped his arms around her and stood with his precious daughter in his arms. AJ stepped closer, setting her hand on Miller’s shoulder.
“And what does eight protons and eight neutrons mean?” AJ asked, no doubt for their daughter to hear the true meaning of the words she heard before sleep found her.
As Evan stared into Miller’s green eyes, he felt it all.
The peace.
The contentment.
The happiness.
And all the love she gave him.
“It’s what I feel for you and your mother, Miller.”
Then he peeked over to find the sweet smile on his wife’s face. “And what is it you feel for us?”
For years, those four words were AJ’s.
For years, she had his entire heart.
And for the past year, their daughter had joined his wife’s place in his heart and life.
For the past year, Evan Gilmore had it all.
He had his beautiful wife and best friend.
And most importantly, he had his daughter.
The daughter who made him a better man and husband.
The daughter he would forever love and strive to be a better father for each day.
The daughter he was honored to raise with Alexandra Gilmore.
Eight protons.
Eight neutrons.
Eight.
Eight letters that spelled I love you.
Eight.
The atomic number for oxygen.
Oxygen that represented his wife and daughter.
They were the oxygen his life needed to thrive.
Alexandra and Miller Gilmore were his eight protons and eight neutrons.
So with a loving and true smile, and with pride and con
tentment coursing through his veins, Evan Gilmore simply said,
“Love.”
THE SONGS OF UNREQUITED PLAYLIST
The Theory of Unrequited:
Say Love (3:38)
-JoJo
The Solution to Unrequited:
Hearts (3:33)
-Jessie Ware
The Results of Unrequited:
No Peace (4:43)
-Sam Smith Ft. Yebba
The Dissolution of Unrequited:
When We Say It’s Forever (3.43)
-The McClymonts Ft. Ronan Keating
Listen to The Songs of Unrequited, AJ & Evan’s entire playlist, on Spotify
“Ask yourself, how many days does it take to fall in love?”
Start at the very beginning and find out with
Noel & Clara
in
Read on for an excerpt.
Book one in The Thirty-Eight Series.
Ask yourself, how many days does it take to fall in love?
Nolan Parker and Clara Lawrence never saw eye to eye. In fact, if you asked Clara she would tell you that Nolan hated every thing about her. They never shared any form of connection besides Alex Lawrence.
She was Alex’s bratty sister and he was Alex’s best friend, they never stood a chance.
Five years have passed and almost 12,000 miles have kept them separated, both living completely different lives. Unchanged perceptions and expectations should have kept them apart but when Nolan returns, the foundations of their ‘relationship’ is sure to change.
CHAPTER ONE
Noel
“Hey, Nolan. Did I wake you?” Alex Lawrence’s hazy voice asked over the phone. Noel rubbed his eyes to see that it was ten past seven in the morning and groaned.
“Nah, what’s up?” Noel replied as he climbed out of bed and opened the window to the smell of Boston in the morning. As he looked out at the grey and cloudy view of the city, he could hear his best friend sounding frustrated over the phone. Noel shook his head in an effort to properly wake up before making his way out of his bedroom and into the living room.
Noel and Alex had been best friends since they were babies. They both had the same dreams and went after their own pursuit of happiness. They worked hard at school and grew up in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. When Noel and Alex were accepted to Stanford University, they were the talk of the town as two Melbourne boys headed off to the States for college. Noel owed everything to Alex. If it weren’t for him, then Noel would never have survived Stanford or received the promotion in Boston, which he felt Alex had deserved instead of him.
But Noel knew that Alex wouldn’t call him at such an hour if it weren’t important. Even at seven in the morning, Noel knew the importance of Alex’s early call from the New York office. They both worked for G&MC, one of the leading accounting firms in the country. Although New York was lucrative, Noel held one of Boston’s head office positions, practically Alex’s boss.
“Mate, you know the Owens account?” Alex asked as the clatter of papers and erratic typing pitched higher.
“Yeah.”
“IRS is looking into it, claiming fraud. G&MC’s in trouble, Noel. I could be fired. I handled the account, remember?”
“Shit! That could be our asses on the line. What the hell happened?” Noel asked, utterly shocked at the circumstances his best friend was in. Having once worked in the New York office, by association, Noel would also be looked at.
“Fraud’s gone back long before we picked up the account. But it doesn’t look good, even for us. This account could ruin the company’s reputation.”
“Anything I can do?”
“Nah, I don’t want to put this kind of pressure on you. You have your own problems in Boston. But listen, I do have one favour to ask,” Alex asked as Noel moved towards the kitchen counter.
“Anything, Alex.” For all the times Alex had come through for Noel, this was the time to be the best friend.
“Go back to Melbourne without me. Get your ass home. I know we were meant to meet up in L.A. together, but I’m going to have to stay here in New York till this gets sorted. But could you please take care of Clara? I booked flights that land back home a day earlier than she expected just to surprise her. She’s going to be disappointed that I’m not there for her birthday.” He could hear the desperation and pleading in Alex’s voice.
“You want me to babysit your sister?” Noel blurted out. He hadn’t seen her since he and Alex had left for Stanford, almost five years back. She had been fourteen when he left Australia. And after he was gone, he never really thought much of her.
“Please, Noel, you know our folks are cruising all around the world, and she needs company right now.”
“Doesn’t she have a boyfriend or something?” Noel asked, hoping he could offload Clara to anyone else.
“Don’t get me started on that little shit. Wait till I get my hands on that son of a bitch!” Alex was never angry, not even when Tori, his ex-girlfriend, had told him it was over. She was tired of Alex’s dedication to his job rather than to her.
“What’s Little Shit done for you to be angry?” Noel laughed as he settled into the barstool next to the counter. He watched as rain started to pour down on the streets below. Tomorrow he’d be on a plane back home to Melbourne.
“He cheated on Clara, that’s what he did! He’s been sleeping around with another girl for months. If this Owens audit hadn’t come up, I’d be on that plane back to Melbourne and straight to his door to rip his balls right off!” Alex fumed.
“Shit. Sorry to hear that. Poor Clara, is she okay?” Noel hadn’t even recognised the concern in his voice for her.
“She’s okay. That’s why I don’t want to leave her alone. With her birthday coming up, she’s going to be dragged through hell once she finds out I won’t be there. So, what do you say? Stop by and look after Clara?”
Noel heard Alex’s name being called and knew this was important to him. He sighed, knowing he would do this for his best friend.
“Fine. I’ll stay at Clara’s until you get back. Just make sure this Owens account gets sorted quickly.” Noel sighed heavily.
“Thanks, man. I owe you big time! I swear it’ll be a week tops, only seven days with my sister,” Alex replied as the sounds in the background started to pick up. “Gotta run. The meeting with Mercer is about to start. Thanks again for helping out Clara.”
“No worries,” Noel replied before he hung up his phone. He wasn’t helping the heartbroken Clara. In reality, he was helping his best friend.
Book one in The Thirty-Eight Series.
NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE!
Grab your copy today!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This Love (4:10)
-Taylor Swift
I have never loved a couple more than I have loved AJ and Evan. I’ve said goodbye to many of my characters, but saying goodbye to these two best friends who fell in love was the hardest and best goodbye. The Dissolution of Unrequited was the only book I have ever rewritten, torn apart, added, deleted, restructured, and poured my entire heart and soul into. I’ve cried, laughed, hurt, and loved over this book and their characters. It took me three long months of rewriting and editing to get to the end.
The end …
I can’t believe AJ and Evan made it to the end. I wrote the ending I felt was true to them, and for them. I always knew AJ would leave Massachusetts for Zürich. I always knew she’d find her way back to her soul mate. I wanted her to reach her dreams, and her dream was always her Ph.D., but she was able to share that dream with her husband and her daughter at Harvard.
Sometimes, dreams change, and AJ’s definitely changed … for the better.
And honestly, I feel like I’m a better author for writing this series. AJ and Evan taught me so much. They taught les
sons and things I’ll hold onto. I hope they did for you, too. No matter who they loved, they always loved each other more. They were always best friends. And their story ended with them always being each other’s best friend and soul mate.
But don’t worry, it’s not entirely goodbye forever for AJ and Evan. They’ll always be here for you.
Always my first to thank, my family. Thank you for all your love and support through the five years I’ve been a published author. When I give up, you’re all there to tell me to pick myself up. Thank you for all your belief. I love you all. And of course, to the best writing partners and dogs in the world, my little Curly and Chloe.
I couldn’t have published and written this series without my own best friend, Jaycee Ford. Thank you for making sure I don’t give up on myself. You are the best roommate and friend a girl could ever ask for.
To my incredible beta readers, Jennifer, Danielle, and Leeann! You input and love for this series means the world. Thank you for making their story even better.
Thank you to my incredible publicist, Veronica Adams. Veronica, you always work so hard to make sure as many people fall in love with my books as possible. I will always love you and your dedication.
My incredible editor, Jenny Sims! You work so hard. And I did not make it easy with every cliffhanger I sent your way. I especially didn’t make it easy giving you 140,000 words to edit this time. But seriously, thank you for making my books so incredible. You always make them better.
The always incredible, Najla and Nada Qamber of Qamber designs & media. Thank you. I don’t even think a thank you is enough to tell you both how much I appreciate the hard work, talent, and love that you pour into The Science of Unrequited’s covers, teasers, and formatting. You both made an idea come to absolute life. You gave AJ and Evan a brand and a concept many now recognise. Thank you both so much.