Page 35 of Unsteady in Love

PRUE

I criedthe entire way home. Two days of gut-wrenching sobs while strangers stared at me, but I didn’t care. My life was over. When I got home, I headed straight to bed where I stayed for the rest of the night. The next day, I called Alex, needing a friend and someone to tell me what to do.

“Prue?” she answered.

Alex had once again saved me. She didn’t know the details because I hadn’t known much, only that Holden had been injured and was being flown to a hospital in Germany. She called Josh, who had come by and picked up Atticus while I was gone.

“Yeah, it’s me.” My voice was nearly gone from all the crying I’d done the past week.

“How bad is it?”

“It’s over,” I cried out.

“What do you mean, it’s over?” she asked, confused.

“Me and Holden. Our marriage. He sent me away,” I barely choked out.

“Wha…what? That doesn’t make sense. He worked so hard to get you back. Tell me everything,” she demanded softly.

I told her everything from the time I’d gotten to the hospital until the moment I left Germany.

“Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to tell you. I think Holden needs more time to come to terms with what happened to him. It can’t be easy to wake up with half your leg missing.”

“I know, but I don’t know how to convince him that I don’t care about his leg. How do I get him to come home when this isn’t really even his home? I just assumed he would be moving to Fairlane when he finally got out. He had asked if he could visit, but now I don’t know.”

“From everything that you’ve told me, I think he was planning on staying. Does he have a house somewhere else for him to go to when he gets stateside?”

“Not that I know of. I mean, he has the money to do whatever he wants. He could have bought three houses since I left.”

“I seriously doubt it. You’ve got to get him to Fairlane,” she said, determined.

“How am I going to do that? He’s an adult. I can’t make arrangements for him and expect for them to be followed.”

“Does he have any way to communicate? A computer or phone?”

Good question. I knew absolutely nothing.

“I should have stayed in Germany, but after what he said, I was too upset to think clearly. I could have ambushed him when he was leaving.”

Alex laughed. “I don’t think that would have worked the way you’re thinking. Maybe you can call and see where he’ll be sent once he’s back. He’ll have to go through therapy and learn to walk again. He won’t go straight home wherever that is.”

“So, you’re saying to stake my claim there and make him come back to Fairlane?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. If it was the other way around, he would throw you over his shoulder and manhandle you into doing what he wanted. Well, I don’t know that Holden would do that since I don’t really know him.”

“Luke wouldn’t do that,” I told her knowingly.

“No, he wouldn’t,” she laughed. “I’ve read too many romance novels.”

“You can never read too many romance novels.” I leaned my head back and let out a frustrated breath. “God, I don’t know what to do. Tell me about Hawaii. I need to hear something good.”

“Are you sure? Because,” she sighed, dreamily, “it’s perfect here. If I could, I’d live here. You know I love the beach.”

“I do. I know if you could have, you would’ve moved with your friend, Taylor to Florida.” I laughed for the first time in days.

“There was no way Decker would have ever let me move, but you’re right, I would have.”

“Tell me what it’s like there.” I needed to get my mind off Holden.

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