Page 43 of A SEAL's Heart
He says nothing, of course. He just looks at me with a troubled expression.
“Are you leaving Hope?”
His gaze darts to the real estate agent, who’s looking extremely interested in his hammer.
Ed takes my elbow and tries to guide me into the house, but I shake him off. “Just answer me, Ed. Nod your head if you’re leaving town.”
His gaze finds mine, and he lifts his shoulders in a shrug.
“You don’t know? But you’re selling the house?”
He nods at that.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
He takes my arm, and I shrug him off. But this time I do move toward the house. I don’t want my parents to hear the words I want to throw at him.
He closes the door, and I spin around as soon as it shuts behind us.
“All this.” I indicate the empty walls and the empty entryway where furniture once stood. “Selling off Jake’s furniture . . . it’s so you can sell the house and leave, isn’t it? You never had any intention of staying.”
He eyes me warily and there’s pain in his expression, but he doesn’t deny it.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ed indicates his mouth and lifts his shoulders, and it’s the first time he’s ever showed that not being able to speak bothers him.
“You could have written it down. There are other ways to communicate, Ed. You were happy to leave love notes posted to the window for me to read, but you didn’t ever think to writeby the way, I’m selling the house and leaving town?”
He reaches in his back pocket for his notepad but comes back empty-handed. He looks frustrated and tries to move past me, I assume to find his notepad, but I block the way.
“I don’t want to see your excuses, Ed. You’re a coward. You think you’re a big tough Navy SEAL, but you’re really a coward who’s too scared to stick around.”
My chest heaves with the hurt and I grit my teeth, willing the tears away.
Ed told me not to expect anything from him. He wrote it down clear as day. And stupid me let my heart get carried away.
But I will not let him see that. I can do casual, I remind myself.
I hold my hands up. “I know this is casual. It’s only sex.”
He looks hurt and like he wants to say something, but I don’t want to read his excuses.
“It was good while it lasted. I wish you a speedy house sale.”
I pull the door open and rush down the stairs. The real estate guy looks very busy on his phone as I stride past.
It’s only when I’m in my house, back in my room with the curtains firmly closed, that I let the tears fall.
I’m a stupid girl for falling for a guy who told me not to expect anything from him. Paige was right. I’m not cut out for casual.
23
ED
Rain splatters the window, cooling the air and curling the page of the note that’s been stuck on my window for the last three days. The note that saysI’m Sorryin big block capital letters. The note that Avery hasn’t seen because her curtains have remained closed since our fight.
I watch her room for another twenty minutes, wondering what’s going on behind the curtains. She refuses to reply to my texts, but at least I’ll see her at my therapy session today.
