Page 65 of Between the Stars

Lillian drops her phone onto the desk and leans in toward me. “You’re being difficult.”

“No, Carly is being difficult.” I laugh, thinking of Morgan’s divorce drama. “I’m real.”

“Right?” Lillian’s eyes widen as she watches Kacy behind me trying to teach Sev her ABCs and she keeps ending onFand wanting to start withU, and then giggling. “She took his bed.”

I glance at the girls, and then Lillian. “What?”

“Their bed. She took it but left the mattress.”

“She’s entitled to half,” I point out.

“And she’s literally taking half. She left the coffee cups, but took his coffee pot. Took his shampoo, but left the conditioner.”

“Well at least she can’t take his other ball. He only has one of those,” I tease, walking outside into the drive. Rhett and Granger are out there talking to a customer. I turn and walk the other way toward my Jeep with my phone in hand. I have physical therapy and missed the last five, so I might as well go today. I can’t even hold a wrench in my hand.

Inside my Jeep, I stare at my phone and think of her. Am I being too harsh? Should I try again?

I don’t know if I can put myself in that position again, or if I want to. What I do know is there is less than thirty days until she’s tied to another man forever and then I won’t be able to do anything about it.

* * *

After physical therapy,where they tell me if I get another infection I’ll be heading in for a third surgery, I head home. I’m searching for something to ease the pain when Josie walks in. “What are you doing?”

I stare at the liquor cabinet trying to pull out the whiskey without knocking over all the other bottles. Doing shit one-handed isn’t easy, in case you were wondering. Sighing when I send the tequila to the floor, I look up at Josie. “Trying to decide what to wash Vicodin down with. It’s such a tough choice.”

“Hmmm. Sounds fun.” She sits on the couch. “Give me one.”

Reaching for the bottle on the counter, I stand up and toss the bottle over my shoulder at her. “Knock yourself out.” I take the whiskey with me and sit next to Josie.

She helps me open the bottle and I down two pills. Don’t go crazy. I’m a professional at this. It’s not going to kill me. “Kacy’s pregnant,” she tells me, staring at the orange bottle of pills in her hand.

“I don’t care.” I already knew Kacy got knocked up. Sev spilled the beans last night and I’m surprised Barron didn’t say anything.

Josie rolls her eyes and sets the bottle down. “Wow, you’re in a great mood. Still being a bitch?”

“If you couldn’t use your arm, you would be too.” I’d love to list all the things I can’t do for myself, like take a goddamn shower by myself, but it’s such a long list you’d lose interest in my pity party.

“You’ll get to use it again. At least it’s still attached.”

I’m sure there’s a bright side to whatever she’s trying to tell me, but I don’t see it. I stare at the ceiling, wishing the pills worked right away like the IV drip in the hospital did. “I can’t even feel my fingers,” I admit. I haven’t told anyone I lost the feeling in my fingers last week but hell, might as well.

“Did the doctor say anything?”

I think about the guy who smells like lavender and tells me constantly, with time, it’ll get better. I still can’t decide if he’s talking about Abbi, or my arm. Groaning, I run my hand over my face and let my fingers rest on my chin. “Didn’t tell him.”

“Jace….”

“Oh stop.” I roll my eyes and move my hand to the bottle between my legs. “It’s fine.” I don’t know if it is, and though I’m terrified I might lose the arm still, I don’t want to face reality enough to acknowledge it’s fucked up.

“Abbi called me the other night,” she says, and then I can feel her stare burning into mine.

“So?”

“Are you going to do something? The wedding is in a few weeks.”

My heart pounds in my chest. “I haven’t decided.”

“Jace, you know you’d never forgive yourself if she married someone else.”

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