Page 53 of Pulled Away

“You promised her a honeymoon years ago.” I stare at her. Damn, she’s insufferable. “You might not have seen it as a honeymoon, but everyone else…” She shrugs.

“Fuck, Rose,” I breathe. “I was just trying to do right by Hadley.” Which I now know was a colossal mistake.

“And in the process, you did wrong by Aspen. You hurt her.”

I clench my eyes shut, rubbing at my chest. Damn, that hurt. Aspen is hurting and I’m the cause of it. Just the thought of it makes me want to rip my heart out and stomp on it. Stupid. So damn stupid.

“I know,” I groan. “How is she?”

“How do you think she is?”

“Please. Just give me something. I need to know that she’s safe.” I’m not above begging at this point.

“Do you think you deserve to know anything?” she asks, one brow raised.

“You don’t need to be a bitch,” I mutter. “You’re my sister.”

“And Aspen is my friend. I’m ashamed to call you my brother right now.”

My head bows in acknowledgment because there’s not much I can say to that.

“Aspen asked me not to say anything,”—she holds her hand out when I open my mouth to argue—“but because you’re my brother, and because I love you, even though you’re the world’s biggest, most stupidest, blindest idiot, I will tell you that she has a place to stay. She’s safe.” She shrugs. “More than that, I can’t say.”

“What am I going to do?” I moan, dropping my head in my hands. A future without Aspen in it is inconceivable.

“The first thing is to get some sleep. You’re dead on your feet. After that, I don’t know,” she says, shrugging helplessly. “Where is the bitch, anyway?” she says, looking around.

My head jerks up and I stare at her in surprise. She’s known Hadley almost as long as I have.

“Sorry, not sorry. She’s always been way nicer to you than me, and Aspen is one of my people.”

“I don’t know. I left her there.”

“Finally! Something you’ve done right,” she says, standing up and flicking me on the head. “I have to get to work. Do yourself a favor. Don’t do anything rash. Get some sleep and after that, plan on how to dig yourself out of this hole you’ve launched yourself into.”

I nod because she’s right. My girl is stubborn, but I’m determined. I’m sure if she gives me a chance to explain, we can sort out this shit show and go back to the way we were.

Cursing at the universe that’s conspiring against me, I slam my car door and stride to the entrance of the animal hospital. Aspen always comes in an hour before they open, and I’d been hoping to catch her then. Before her day started. Despite how tired I was, I struggled to fall asleep. My mind was consumed with what I was going to say and how I was going to fix this.

It wasn’t just that. Our bed felt cold and lonely without Aspen in it. I missed her. I missed being able to wrap myself around her, being the big spoon to her little spoon. Missed nuzzling my face in her hair and breathing her in. Her pillow still held some faint traces of her scent, so by the time I crashed, I was clutching it against me, inhaling as much of her as I could. Is this how she felt the nights I spent in the apartment? The thought of it has me wanting to melt into the bed with regret.

Once inside, I make a beeline for Piper, who’s seated at the reception desk, typing away at something. My step falters when her friendly smile fades when she spots me. I’ve always gotten on well with Piper, but by her reaction, it’s obvious that’s not the case right now.

“Hello, Piper.”

The look she levels at me is decidedly frosty. “She’s not here.”

I take a deep breath, my fists clenching at my sides. “Come on, Piper. I know she is. Her car’s in the lot.”

She shrugs and looks back down at her computer, resuming her typing and dismissing me.

“I know I messed up,” I try again, “and I know you’re looking out for her, but I love her and I’m desperate to see her.”

Her head whips up. “You love her?” She snorts and then carries on, flaying me with her words. “You don’t make the person you ‘love’ cry. You don’t prioritize another woman over the woman you ‘love’.” She widens her eyes. “Ever,” she says slowly as if she’s talking to a third grader.

Anger surges through me. This is between Aspen and me, and I’m already feeling like a piece of shit. I don’t need anyone else pointing out how much of one I am. The only one who has a right to do that is Aspen. But I beat it down. All she’s doing is being a friend to Aspen, and my back’s already against the wall. Fighting with Piper will only make everything worse.

“Please, Piper. I need to fix this, and I can’t do that if I can’t see her.”

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