Page 84 of His Bittersweet Regret

That boy doesn’t exist anymore

My heart is in tatters

My trust in love shattered

Promises broken

And left with a token

A tiny heartbeat

A love so sweet

But he was gone

And it all seemed wrong.

I fell in love with the boy next door

He broke my heart

He broke my trust

All in a stupid search for lust

He wanted excitement

He wanted to pretend

He wanted me still

To be there in the end

He betrayed our love

Shattered my trust

And all for what?

Unslaked lust

I fell for the boy next door

But the girl he left behind

Doesn’t exist anymore

I strummed a few more chords before glancing up through glassy eyes at the audience, who were so quiet that I wasn’t sure what to expect until the entire room exploded in applause. I didn’t want to look, but curiosity got the better of me.

Jimmy and Marsh were no longer at the table where I’d seen them before I started. The rest of the family appeared somber and defeated. I’m not sure what they expected when Marsh put me on the spot. The early part of my pregnancy was spent writing and singing either heartbreakingly sad, or maddeningly angry songs about lost love. I didn’t have any upbeat, happy material to pull from.

“Wow! I’m here to tell you, these ladies are killing it and playing with our emotions tonight!” The announcer stated as I slipped my guitar back into its case.

Ryker was the one to greet me as I exited the stage. He immediately pulled me to the side and gave me a hug, then whispered in my ear that Jimmy had to get Marsh out of sight because he lost it emotionally.

“Well, I guess my date is over, do you think you can give me a ride home?”

“I’m not so sure my brother would agree with that. How about we go find Marsh first?”

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