Page 57 of When You're Gone
“I’m off tomorrow. I’m not leaving your house until you get here,” Jake declared.
Rhett blew out another long, exasperated breath. “She’s not going to like that.”
“Yeah? Well, this isn’t fucking about her.”
Gratitude radiated through him as Jake made his position clear.
“Listen, bro. I need to say one more thing to you before we hang up.”
Rhett stilled at the seriousness of his tone. “Go ahead,” he encouraged. Was there more? There couldn’t be more. This couldn’t get any worse.
“This sucks. I know it fucking sucks. But this isn’t the night you fall off the wagon. You know that, right?”
Rhett gulped instinctively. It wasn’t that Jake’s words reminded him of his desire to drink. No one could remind him of it because it never left him alone long enough to be forgotten.
“It won’t be,” he promised somberly. His voice echoed through the line, the assurance reverberating in his brain. “I love you, bro. I’m sorry you’re stuck in the middle of this. But I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.”
“Yeah, yeah. Alright, enough mush from you. I’m starving, so I’m going to raid your fridge and eat all the good snacks,” Jake joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Hey, why don’t you call me back in a few hours?”
Rhett would have side-eyed his best friend had they been in the same room. He knew what Jake was doing. He appreciated the concern, but he wasn’t going to spiral.
“I’m good bro, seriously. You don’t have to…”
Jake cut him off before he could finish. “We both know you’re not going to sleep tonight. I don’t care ifyoudon’t need to call me and check in for your own benefit. Maybe I need you to,” he asserted.
Rhett nodded to himself. Whether Jake was softening the blow or sharing his truth, he owed it to his best friend to follow through.
“Fine. I’m going to hit the gym in my building, then shower. I’m going to call Will, too, just to check in and update him. I’ll get with you in a few hours.”
He ended the call and stared at his home screen.
Still nothing. The fact that she hadn’t called—texted—anything—wasn’t sitting right.
He needed to book a plane ticket. He needed to run off some of the anxiety ravaging his nervous system. He needed to call his sponsor. But mostly, he just needed to hear from his wife. Her silence spoke volumes tonight.
Chapter twenty-one
Tori
Afterafewhours,she crept down the stairs as quietly as possible. She knew Jake was still hanging around, even though she’d made it clear she didn’t want him here. She could hear him on the phone from their room but couldn’t make out who he was talking to or what they were saying. She could only hear the low murmur of voices.
Perched on the second to last stair, she could see the back of Jake’s head where he sat on one of the two living room couches. She tugged at the hem of her sleep shirt, disgusted with herself in so many ways and for so many reasons. She let out a lengthy sigh and closed her eyes.
She was angry. So fucking angry. Angry at herself, yes. But also angry about being caught in that moment of fault. That’s what it all boiled down to: she was angry and drunk and feeling sorry for herself tonight, and she had pushed Fielding too far. Never mind the things he said or the words he confessed when she’d egged him on… she couldn’t think about that now. All that mattered were her intentions. What she had been doing. What she had stopped from happening. What she wouldneverdo.
When Jake arrived, she had literally been pulling back. She was certain that wasn’t what it looked like from his angle, though. The whole night was hazy around the edges because of the tequila, but she knew in her heart of hearts she had been putting a stop to whatever had been about to happenbeforeJake showed up.
She was so angry that he had caught them like that. Thirty seconds sooner, or thirty seconds later, and she wouldn’t have been straddling one of Fielding’s legs, sharing breath with a man who was not her husband.
Nothing would have happened, of that she was sure.
She slumped against the stairs when she heard her husband’s voice come through the phone. She knew Jake would feel compelled to call Rhett and tattle on her the first chance he got. Her heart lurched at the idea of having to explain to her husband what happened, what Jake thought he saw. Damn him for being so moral and good. He used to be rowdy in high school—wild, borderline reckless—couldn’t he recognize that in her now? Couldn’t he cut her a fucking break?
The anger inside her ebbed and flowed as she strained to hear what the guys were talking about. It sounded like a lot of nothing, honestly. They were shooting the shit. Joking around. That pissed her off more than it should have.
She hiccupped, smacking her hand against her mouth two seconds too late when the sound caught her by surprise.
“Hold on…” she heard Jake mutter.
