Page 38 of Meet Me in the Vines
My hands fall to the grass below me as my vision blurs, unwanted tears welling in the brims of my eyes. I grip the soft blades in my fingers and squeeze, willing the painful memory to leave me.
I hear a door shut and whip my head up to see my dad standing in the doorway. I quickly stand to my feet, my breaths ragged. The hurt is too much, swelling my heart into a painful ache that I can’t escape. My dad slowly walks toward me, looking ironically like a father who cares about his son. He’s the last person I want to see right now. And he’s about to get caught in the middle of my storm.
“This is allyourfault,” I grit, quickly approaching him. “She left because ofyou.You did this!” I shout, pressing my index into his chest. The rage boils in my blood, pumping through me and pulsing in every vein. My dad lifts his hands in surrender, slowly backing away. “Son, let’s calm down and talk.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down,” I seethe, my face just inches from his. I breathe like a bull through my nose, huffing hard, as if I’m ready to charge straight through him. Wyatt and Kerry slip through the door with hurried steps, rushing toward my dad andme in a standoff. Wyatt places a gentle hand on my shoulder, but my eyes stay fixed on my dad. I don’t miss the hurt in his eyes. The sadness that dances in his irises.
“Hey, brother. Let’s go inside. Come on,” Wyatt pleads softly, tugging my arm back. Kerry stands by my dad, his hand placed on his shoulder. “Dad, give him some space,” Kerry tells him. I shrug Wyatt off of me, storming my way out of the gate toward my truck. I need to get out of here.
“Donovan, wait!” Wyatt calls after me, nipping at my heels. I fix my gaze forward. Away from my dad. Away from Audrey. “Not now, Wy. I gotta get the fuck out of here,” I clip, unlatching the gate, pushing my way through it. Wyatt’s steps halt, and I trudge my feet back to my truck, wading through years of anger and resentment. The weight on my heart hangs heavier, knowing that Audrey is choosing a life in New York. Withhim.
I fumble with my keys in my pocket, hands trembling as I unlock the front door. As soon as I slam it shut, my head drops into my hands. “Fuck!” I yell at the top of my lungs, slamming my fists on the steering wheel. My head falls back against the headrest, tears spilling involuntarily.
I look toward the front porch of the Winthrop estate, seeing a ghost of my eighteen-year-old self sitting in a chair with Noah and Violet. The summer Audrey left for New York, I sat on that front porch as a broken kid every chance I got when I’d come home from college on the weekends. Violet would make me lemonade, and they’d sit and listen to me grieve for Audrey. The guilt consumed me, but never once did they judge me.
Violet would embrace me in her arms, stroking the back of my head.“Oh, my sweet boy. Don’t worry. It will pass,”she’d say. The days I couldn’t look my father in the eye, I’d come running to Noah and Violet.
I tear my eyes away from the porch, jolting me out of the memory. I start the truck, slowly making my way down thewinding driveway. My jaw clenches as I hold back the tears, watching my future with Audrey once again fade away in my rearview mirror.
“Yes, Donovan! I’m going back to him!”
I flinch at her admission, sending a sharp pain in my gut. Of course she’s choosing him. What have I done to prove to her I deserve her? All I’ve done was cause her pain. Pain I wish I could desperately take away.
Losing Audrey once nearly broke me. Losing her again might just finish the job.
Chapter Twelve
AUDREY
My pen moves fluid on the paper, the words flowing out of me as natural as water streaming down a steady river.
“No matter how hard I try, I can’t escape you. And I don’t think I ever want to…”
It’s been a month since Gran’s funeral. A month without speaking to Donovan after he came crashing back into my soul. The ache of missing him has become too much to bear. I’ve willed myself to deny the pull, to cut the invisible string that connects us. But I can’t. I won’t. How can I? I pour my heart onto the page as I scribble sweet nothings, a mixture of heartache and arousal swirling inside me.
“I miss your touch. Your taste. The way I feel when you hold me…”
I squeeze my legs tight under my desk as heat forms in the apex of my thighs. I chew on the tip of my pen, a small grin forming on my lips as I daydream about Donovan’s intoxicating kiss. His large hands gripping me.
“Little bird, let’s go,” Kellan interrupts, opening the door to my office so suddenly I nearly jump out of my chair. He cocks his head to the side as warmth heats my cheeks. I carefully shift my purse in front of the letter, my feet wobbling slightly as I standfrom my chair. “Yes, darling. Let me just grab my things,” I say in a light tone, sliding the letter under my laptop as I place it stealthily in my bag.
Kellan’s eyes study my body, and I do my best to lower my heart rate before approaching him. Thankfully, his phone buzzes, stealing his gaze from me. In that brief respite, I move quickly to make sure the letter is safely out of sight, deep within my bag. I have no intentions of sharing it with anyone, not even Donovan. Especially not Kellan. I’ll probably burn it later.
I step behind Kellan with my bag slung over my shoulder. I remind myself to breathe normally since this letter could burn a hole through the leather with its heat and secrets. With Kellan’s eyes fixated on his phone, I fight the smirk that wants to play on my lips as my mind once again wanders to Donovan.
Focus, Audrey.
Walking side by side with Kellan down the hall en route to this meeting, it’s like I’m not even there. His hand grazes mine as we walk, but no sparks fly. No electricity buzzing between us. It’s hollow and all business. Emptiness.
“We’re meeting SuiteSync Systems today, a tech company from upstate,” he says dryly, his eyes glued to his phone. “They’re pitching for smart rooms for the East Coast launch next year. Take notes.”
“Okay,” I reply quietly. He pushes the door open to the conference room with the Empire State Building in full view out the window. It’s buzzing with casual conversation and a lot of men in tailored suits. Expensive cologne and a waft of aftershave fill my senses. My eyes draw to a flash of long, blonde, silky hair. Jesus, her tits are massive. The swell of her breasts push up toward her collarbone, where the top button of her white dress shirt is undone. Well, that’s one way to do business.
Kellan places his hand on the small of her back as I watch from a distance. She turns to face him, showing off her pearlywhite teeth and full lips. His eyes draw straight to her breasts, earning a tiny scoff from me.
I wait for the tinge of jealousy to settle in my stomach…crickets. Nothing. My boyfriend is practically taking a swim in a pair of massive tits, and I feel absolutely nothing. Not like the way I felt when I saw multiple women flirting with Donovan at the happy hour. Caressing his arm, laughing at his jokes. Now that? That pissed me off. But it shouldn’t, because Donovan’s not mine.
Kellan grasps her hand, turning his charm up to max volume. With a subtle eye roll, I find my seat at the table, opening my laptop for yet another boring meeting that I have to endure. I’d rather be baking cinnamon rolls, hand-feeding them to Donovan.
