I make my way over until I am standing in front of him. Landon moves behind me, and I find myself pissed off by his protectiveness, even in the midst of this shit storm.
“David, what happened the night of the accident?”
He places his head in his hands, refusing to make eye contact. His voice comes out as a whisper and I find myself leaning closer so that I can understand him.
“Jess kept calling. I called her back and she told me…” He pauses to compose himself, “She’s pregnant, Beth. I fucked it all up.”
Landon makes a sound and I turn to look at him, my expressions mirroring his. He’s just as thrown as I am.
David latches onto my arms, pulling me into him. I struggle to break free, “Get your hands off of me. Get your goddamn hands off me!” I’m weeping, but the urge to hit him is strong. I howl with rage, “How could you do this? My best friend?” I raise my fist and Landon pulls me back.
“Beth, please let me fix this.”
“How in the fuck are you going to fix this? You let her come to the hospital. I told her everything! If we were fighting, she knew. She used all of to drive a wedge between us. You two deserve each other!”
His head shoots up and he’s on his feet in seconds, “Yeah, I messed up! I take full responsibility for that. Don’t forget that you’ve been fucking this guy behind my back though. Your hands are just as dirty as mine!”
Landon’s fist comes up and I step between him and David. “Landon, go. I need you to leave right now.”
He shoots me an incredulous look, “You’re kidding me right now! After that admission, you want me to leave?”
“I can’t do this right now. I can’t process all of this at once. Get. The. Fuck. Out!” My hands come up and maneuver him to the front door. If looks could kill, I’d be a pile of ashes right now.
His voice is cold, “You’re going to regret this, Elizabeth.” He turns away from me and storms out, slamming the door behind him.
I take one last look as his taillights illuminate the darkness, before turning back to David. He still sitting in the same position on the couch. As if sensing the mood change, the music shifts to something more somber. Birdy’s voice is almost haunting as she sings about how she was the one worth leaving.
My head is pounding, from the accident and in an attempt to process the influx of memories. David’s voice startles me, “Beth, I’m so sorry.”
I stand frozen, my hand using the wall for support. “David, when did it start?” I must be a masochist to need these details.
He keeps his eyes downcast as his hand strokes his beard. “Right after my Dad died—and then the night you admitted you were on birth control. I took off and ended up drunk in a bar. She showed up and uh, one thing led to another.”
There is nothing sweet about my tears. It’s ugly. My nose is running and I’m making hiccupping sounds. David comes over and attempts to embrace me. “Please let me hold you, Beth.” His voice is just above a whisper and a part of me wants nothing more than to cling to him until the hurt goes away.
“This is why I thought you both hated each other isn’t it? Jesus, David.” I gasp as another sob works its way out. This has definitely turned into a nightmare.
He takes another step toward me, “Beth, baby, I fucked up. I don’t know what to do to fix this!”
I place my hands on his chest, pushing him away. “Get out. I can’t—just leave.”
My voice is so soft I’m not sure if he’s even heard me until I see his hands come up to roughly rub at his eyes, “Please don’t do this. Let’s talk this out.”
“I-I-I nnneed y-you to leave, r-right now!” I try to sound authoritative, but with as hard as I’m crying, I sound more like I have a speech impediment.
He holds his hands up, “C’mon, baby, calm down. If you want me to leave, I’ll leave. This isn’t over though. You owe me just as many answers,” he turns back to me before reaching the front door, “Dammit, Beth. You can’t play the victim in this either. You fucked me over too!”
I scream and grab a figurine from the mantle before launching it at his head. It shatters when it hits the wall next to him. “Just leave!”
I sink down to the floor as he storms out, my crying has turned to wailing. My head feels as though it may explode. Deep breaths. Don’t panic. Everything is going to be okay.
EPILOGUE
DAVID
I sit in my truck on the street outside the house. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving her here alone. I can’t believe it’s turned into this. I knew my lies were a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any minute, once Jess announced she was pregnant.
“Fuck!” I slam my hand into the steering wheel. How did it come to this? When did we become not enough for each other?
The situation is so beyond fucked up that I don’t even know how to begin fixing it. I told Jess I wanted a paternity test the night she told me—it seems like so long ago. The night I almost lost my world.
I refuse to accept that Beth isn’t mine anymore. She’s been by my side for so long, I can’t even begin to imagine her not there. No, by God, I’m gonna fix this fucking mess. There is only one woman I want in my bed the rest of my life and that’s Beth. I can’t believe it took almost losing her in a car accident to realize it. I’ll either get her back or die trying. Landon Scott won’t lay a hand on her as long as I’m around. If he tries, he’s a dead man.
To be continued…
About the Author
Shannon lives in Lubbock, Texas with her husband, two sons, and the family dog Elvis. She is a sucker for a good romantic story and has a tendency to develop crushes on fictional characters. She will graduate with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in May 2016. When she is not doing homework or writing, she enjoys cooking, reading, and weekend DIY projects around the house.
Find her online at:
http://shannonshaemyers.com
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without the help of some amazing people.
I want to start by thanking my family for their patience while I was writing this. I really do have the best husband and kids around. They are always so supportive of me.
To Stephanie- you pushed me to give Beth a proper ending and I only hated you a little bit for it. You have been the best beta reader and I’m so happy I get to call you my friend.
To Ashley- Thank you for taking a chance on me and letting me use you as a cover model.
To Rebecca Marie-Thank you for designing such a beautiful cover that really captures who these characters are to me, and for being so responsive to my five thousand emails explaining the subtleties of my fictional characters.
To my work girls- You know who you are. Thank you for pulling a broken person out of her shell and showing her what true friends are.
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