Page 25 of Final Goodbye
Paige: His last attempt online was six months ago. Then my dad’s funeral. And then again at Peaks.
There was no way in hell I was getting any sleep tonight after the info dump Paige just laid on me. Instead, I’d probably end up awake, staring at the ceiling, plotting different ways to get away with murder.
Me: Promise me something, Paige?
Paige: What’s that?
Me: If he EVER shows up at Peaks when I’m not there, text me. If he shows signs of any of his erratic behavior around you, text me. If you feel unsafe, text me. Call me. Use me. Promise me that you won’t be alone around that guy.
Paige: I promise… Thank you. I know this is a lot and isn’t your problem, it’s mine. But I really appreciate you, Declan.
Me: I have no problem taking on your problems if it makes your life easier. I’m going to try and get some sleep. Goodnight, Paige, I’ll see you soon.
Fuck, I was exhausted.?
Running off four hours of sleep, I rolled out of bed in desperate need of coffee and a cold shower. Anything that would help wake me up.?
Even after I said goodnight to Paige last night, I was still up thinking about everything she said. I found myself remembering every interaction with Logan or any time I saw him in town or at the bar. What lengths would he go to if all these years later, he was still obsessed with her?
I knew one thing was for sure, I’d be keeping a close eye on him. After last night atPeaks, I hope he knew not to mess with me. But something in my gut told me it wasn’t going to be that easy. Logan was like a fly. He would stick around and annoyyou, constantly having to swat him away until eventually… you snapped.
Luckily, I knew she had the next couple days off work so she shouldn’t have any run-ins with him. Which got me thinking, I didn’t know when I’d get to see her next or get to catch a glimpse of her again.
On my lunch break, I reached out to my therapist I hadn’t seen in a while in hopes that he had an emergency opening for this afternoon. After everything that went down yesterday, I needed to talk with someone. I was desperate to unload everything I was feeling before I exploded.
After work, I headed straight for therapy, luckily, he was able to get me in last minute. I walked into the waiting room, immediately being hit in the face with the smell of orange blossoms coming from the diffusers. As I waited for him to invite me into his office, I rested my elbows on my knees and took in the smell, allowing it to relax me.
“Declan Cooper, come in.” His door creaked open and I gave him a nod as I stood up, walking into his room. “It’s been a while. Nice to see you again,” he added.
“Thanks for seeing me on such short notice, Doc. I know it’s been a while since we’ve met but I’ve had a rough couple of days.” He motioned for me to sit across from him on the brown leather couch.
“It’s not a problem at all. Let’s dive into it so I can see where I can help.” I sank into the plush couch and thought about where to begin.
“Her name is Paige.” I lifted my hat and ran my fingers through the shaggy strands that covered my forehead, pushing them back and placing the hat backwards on to my head.
“Paige. Tell me about her.” Doc peeked up at me from his thick-rimmed glasses.
“She came back into town. We’ve kind of reconnected after not knowing each other since we were kids. I’ve been spending a lot of time around her lately, and my life went from smooth sailing to a fucking tornado in the matter of weeks.”
“Tell me, what is it about her that has you feeling like your life has been flipped upside down recently?”
“Her fucking ex-boyfriend. That’s what. Or I guess,who,” I huffed in frustration.
“I sense some discomfort at the mention of him. Tell me what it is about him that has you feeling this way.” Doc had such a calm demeanor, while I felt my heart rate start to pick up just thinking about all the ways Logan had pissed me off lately.
I ran through the last couple of interactions with Logan between the funeral and yesterday’s events atPeaks,and how I’ve found my anger increasingly worse than it had been in a while. Logan being the common denominator.
“He’s really testing me, Doc. I thought I had my anger under control. But being around him makes me feel like a teenager all over again, going through puberty and growing into my emotions and all that bullshit. My testosterone has been through the roof lately, and sometimes, I’m afraid I’m going to snap and lose every ounce of progress I’ve made over the years.”
“Have you talked to Paige, or anyone outside of this room, about how you’re feeling lately?” he questioned.
I shook my head. “I can’t tell Paige about my anger. She wouldn’t want anything to do with me. It would put me on the fast track to losing her.”
“And what’s holding you back from telling her?” he asked.
“Her ex is bipolar. He put his hands on her just a day ago. If I fly off the handle, especially in front of her, how am I any different than him?”
“Would you ever do anything to harm Paige?”
