Page 86 of Four Dates and A Forever
“Whatever it is you just decided,” was all he said and then disappeared, leaving her with her thoughts. Thoughts of what a future with Rhett would look like.
She knew that there was the possibility for devastating, gut-wrenching disappointment and heartbreak, but hope sprang eternal. And she couldn’t ignore the fact that life with Rhett could be as freeing as it would be exciting. So what if he shared the same profession as Axel? They weren’t the same person. And Rhett knew, firsthand, what it felt like to be overlooked and underappreciated. His ex had treated him with the same callousness as Axel had treated Elsie. So if anyone knew how awful it felt to be lied to and taken advantage of, it was him.
He’d been honest and open and always in her corner. Even when she’d been stubborn and fickle, giving him every reason to walk away, he’d stuck it out. Never once showing her anything other than honesty. He was the sort of man a woman could fall in love with.
Oh boy.
Elsie stopped dead in her tracks because she was the woman in that scenario. Somewhere along the way she’d fallen for him hard and deep. She fallen for his humor and kindness, and she’d fallen forhim. Period.
Oh god, Elsie was in love and she was terrified.
She looked at her man on the miniscule stage that barely held a drummer, a guitarist, a bass player, and the lead singer. Then there was Rhett, on the edge, hyping up a kid who had to be no more than sixteen. Rhett’s tone told Elsie that this was one of the musicians Rhett had mentored. Her belly fluttered with pride and, yes, love.
Elsie wrapped her arms around her center trying to hold back the emotion that was taking flight in her body, making her head light and her body buzz. She was in the beginnings of love, and it felt good.
It felt right.
“Of all the bars in all the world, you had to walk into this one,” a familiar voice said. At her rat bastard of an ex’s voice, Elsie closed her eyes for a moment, wishing she could disappear. Not only did she not possess that superpower, she could barely move because of the sheer amount of people.
She turned and rolled her eyes. Axel was dressed in shredded jeans, a vintage Slayer shirt—that she’d bought him for their last Christmas together—and hair that was effortlessly messy. He gave off enough rock-star energy to gain the attention of a group women around them—whose cleavage were winking his way.
Disappointedly, he looked good, like the divorce hadn’t even affected him, while Elsie felt like she’d aged a decade. He’d always had this inexplicable factor about him that drew people to him. He looked famous even though he was just background noise in an overcrowded industry.
Portland wasn’t that big of a city and he had family there too, so she knew they’d bump into each other eventually. She’d hoped it would have been after her company was up and running, after the magazine article had come out.
At that moment she would have settled for her plus-one to be there to hold her hand. She glanced around and saw that Rhett wasn’t on stage and the young artist had started his set. She also noticed that Rhett’s entire family was a few feet away watching the fireworks between them.
“You always were a cliché. I guess that’s why you were never any good at writing,” she said, then immediately regretted her words. Axel was the master at verbal annihilation and she’d just thrown the gauntlet.
“Funny thing there. I haven’t ever been as creative as I have since our separation. So who’s the problem now?”
Elsie swallowed the pain and disappointment, then decided Axel didn’t have any say in her life anymore. She was over the pettiness, the arguing, and the pain. She’d moved on. Or so she’d thought, until she’d came nose to nose with the man who’d stolen eight years of her life.
Eight years of hopes and dreams gone. Eight years of planning for a family that never came. Eight years of wondering why she wasn’t enough. Except this time, she knew she was enough. For the right man, she was enough and that was all that mattered.
“Where are they?” he asked.
“Where are what?” she said sweetly.
“Cut the crap, Els. Where are my lucky drumsticks? Just tell me they’re safe.”
Anger rose every second he stood there acting as if he belonged. Acting as if she were the unexpected addition to this super fun evening. “Safe like I didn’t put them through the wood chipper?”
He blanched. “Please god, tell me you didn’t.”
She considered stringing him along a while longer, but she didn’t want him to ruin her good mood. “They’re safe and sound, in a box in storage.” With the rest of the stuff she’d acquired in the divorce. She’d never wanted the drumsticks, but she’d taken them to piss off Axel. Which seemed childish now.
“Storage? They need to be kept in a dry environment.” He pulled out his wallet. “Name your price. Anything.”
She crossed her arms. “Fine. I want my house back.”
He choked. “Are you crazy? I don’t have that kind of money.”
“I was your wife, remember? I know exactly how much money you have stashed in your hidey-holes.”
“You can’t seriously expect me to buy back the house.”
She didn’t really want the house. Maybe at one time, but not anymore. She was just fine with how things had worked out. And thinking back to her conversation with Rhett moments ago, she was happy with where things were headed.
