Be My Reason: A BWWM Romance (Make It Marriage Book 10)
Page 20
That’s what happened.
I check under the sink.
Nothing.
Heading back into the room, I look for garbage bags filled with her clothes. We’ve talked about going minimalist. Maybe she jumped on it. Maybe she gave all her clothes to charity.
There’s got to be an explanation.
My wife didn’t leave me.
That didn’t happen.
Pattering around to the other side of the bed, I check the outlet for Nat’s charger.
Gone.
It’s all freaking gone.
I sink to the edge of the bed. Something crackles beneath me.
A thick, square envelope. Handwritten scribbles. Nat’s familiar penmanship.
My name’s there, in plain letters.
To Stone.
My stomach drops.
My throat gets tight.
The air thickens until I’m sweating. Suffocating.
This isn’t freaking happening.
There’s no way my wife of eight years just packed up her things and left a note.
I dig under the flap. Open it.
I deserve more than this, Stone. I’ve had enough and I’m moving on.
Don’t come looking for me.
Something else slips out of the envelope. It flutters in the air before it falls into my lap.
A curse tumbles from my lips and I stumble back.
It’s really over.
For three hours, I sit at the bar and stare at the amber liquid the bartender keeps filled in my glass.
I lift the cup. Focus on the way it catches the light. Like the color of Nat’s eyes in patches of sunlight. Honey brown. As warm and sweet and syrupy as her laughter. The perfect song to a perfect day.
What the hell am I thinking?
I’m not drunk yet but I’m getting there.
I shake my head and take another sip. A scrawny man falls into the seat next to me. He’s wearing a wrinkled suit. The wedding ring on his finger flashes as he orders a beer and sets his briefcase on the floor.
Liquor makes my tongue loose. I turn to him. “You married?”
“Ah…” He lifts the hand. Spins the ring around. “No.”
“No?”
He nods when the bartender brings his drink. “You?”
“Not for much longer.” I stare at my gold band. It’s simple. The cheapest in the shop. Nat’s first ring was the matching pair. It was all the twenty-year old me could afford from the pawn shop.
A few months ago, I bought Nat a huge diamond. The kind of ring she deserved. The kind of ring I should have gotten her from the start.
I wonder if she’s still wearing it.
My heart punches a hole through my chest.
My fingers tighten on the glass.
I’m trying to summon the anger. Trying to dig deep to find the indifference.
Maybe if I tell myself it doesn’t matter, it won’t.
Who cares if my wife moved out? I don’t.
I don’t.
The stranger coughs. “She asked for a divorce?”
“Not yet.” I take a swig of my liquor.
“You want to save it?”
I arch an eyebrow at him.
“I’ve been there.” He lifts the glass and ice clinks against the center. “Marriage on the rocks. No idea how to fix it.” He sets the cup down, grabs a napkin and writes an address on it. Sliding the note over to me, he says, “This guy helped me understand where things went wrong. I was already too far gone, but if I’d gotten his help earlier, I might have been able to save my marriage.”
“I’m good.” I slide the note back to him. “I’m not into fortunetellers.”
The guy laughs. “Trust me. There’s no magic to this guy’s system. Just a lot of hard work.” He pushes the napkin back. “Hold on to that.”
I stuff it into my pocket with the intention of throwing it out. Giving him a nod, I push away from the counter and head into the night.
My phone rings when I’m about to throw the note away in a nearby trash can. Switching gears, I tug the cell out and check the notification.
It’s work.
Disappointment cuts me.
Inhaling a deep breath, I stuff my hands into my pockets and head to my empty house. I walk inside. Past the paintings. Past the beige walls.
I don’t go to our room. My room.
Instead, I pull my laptop close, check the numbers for the store and try to replace the ache in my chest with money.
Half-drunk and miserable, I fall asleep on the couch. Alone.
***
Want more? Earn Me is available here.
Leave A Review
Like this book? Please leave a review now.
Join Nia’s newsletter to stay updated with new releases, get free novels, access to exclusive bonus content and more!
Join Nia’s newsletter here.
Join Nia’s Facebook Group
Follow Nia on Instagram
More books about strong yet vulnerable black women and the diverse men who love them are coming soon.
Also by Nia Arthurs
Caribbean Crush Series
His Exception
Her Deception
The Complication
Grudging Hearts Series
Forever Loving You
Forever Craving You
Forever Claiming You
Make It Marriage Series
Be My Always
Be My Forever
Be My Darling
Be My Lady (A Make It Marriage Short)
Be My Light
Be My Spark
Be My Wife
Be My Hope
Be My Bride
Be My Compass
Be My Reason
more coming in 2020
The Token Black Friend Series
Trapped In You
Caught In You
Bound In You
Sign up for the Nia Arthurs mailing list