Page 48 of Embattled Ever After

As Duncan walkedaway from Alex’s bedroom, he truly felt like a piece of shit. For the first time in his life, he’d used a woman. Even if she’d agreed to the use, encouraged it even, it still made him feel like the lowest of low. But he couldn’t give her up without connecting with her one last time.

Walking to the fridge he grabbed a beer, his emotions more tangled than he could ever remember them being.

***

Alex was upbefore dawn, packing. Today she would either be flying out or moving to a hotel. She’d gotten a couple of hours of fitful sleep, but it had done her no benefit. She should have just stayed awake. Now she felt gritty-eyed and sluggish. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, she called the airport. There was a flight leaving at ten, so Alex booked it. When she left the bedroom after the sun rose that morning, she had reset her emotional armor and was ready to go.

Duncan looked up from his cup of coffee, looking ragged and disheveled. There were bags under his eyes and he hadn’t shaved yet this morning. Alex appreciated that she’d not been the only one tossing and turning the night before.

She gave him the details of the flight and he nodded. “Give me a few minutes to get ready and I’ll drive you.”

Alex moved to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup, hanging onto her composure by her fingernails. She so didn’t want to leave, but he was giving her no options. It was better to go now and salvage her self-respect. She was disappointed that she would probably never see Aiden again, either. Even hours later, she was still sure it had been him she had seen on the street in front of Harmony House.

Duncan returned a few minutes later, as promised, leaning heavily against his cane. Alex would have asked him if he was okay, but she didn’t feel like opening herself up anymore to bare her feelings for him. Yes, she loved him, had basically told him that last night, yet they were still going their separate ways.

She wanted to cry at the injustice of it. In her heart though, she couldn’t blame him for feeling the way he did.

In spite of her protests, he loaded her bag into the truck bed, then climbed behind the wheel.

When the silence became too much she turned to look at him. “Please tell your people goodbye for me. I should have at least called Shannon.”

“I’ll let everyone know,” he told her, voice incredibly deep.

It had been a grand plan, coming out to surprise him and expecting the world, dreaming of a happily ever after. And if asked, she would do it all over again. Duncan Wilde was an amazing man and she’d enjoyed getting to know him. No, apparently he wasn’t the man for her, but she hoped he would find someone who could give him what he wanted.

And she would look for someone who could give her what she wanted.

He pulled up to the drop off loop in front of the terminal and slid out of the truck. Then, dragging her suitcase from the bed, he set it on the concrete in front of her.

When she looked into his deep brown eyes, she could have cried again. He wasn’t happy with the way things were ending either. “If you ever need anything, I want you to call me. Anything at all.”

She nodded. “Same goes for you. Or if you hear from Aiden, I would appreciate you letting me know.”

He nodded once, looking away from her for a moment. When he turned back, his eyes were a little glossy. “I want you to know that if I could change how I feel about things, I would.”

She nodded again. “As would I. Goodbye, Duncan. Take care of yourself.”

Leaning up, she pressed a kiss to his lips. Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away, dragging her ten-ton suitcase. She didn’t look back, though, because she didn’t want him to see the tears rolling down her cheeks.

***

Duncan swallowed the knotin his throat, wondering what people would think if he broke down in angry tears. The feeling was so foreign to him he had to clench his fists to keep from yelling out. Something incredibly precious was walking away from him, and he had no idea what to do. A security guard motioned for him to move, otherwise he would have stood there till he could no longer see her. Turning, he climbed back into the cab of the truck, started the engine and pulled away from the terminal.

His gaze drifted to the doors one last time. No, she was gone.

He could understand her reluctance to stay. The longer they were together, the more connected they would become, and the harder it would be to part. If it was this hard after only a few days with her, he couldn’t imagine what it would be like if they’d been together for months or years.

Alexandra was a young, vibrant, beautiful woman. If she actively looked for a husband, he had no doubt she could snag any man she wanted.

A vision of her twined in the arms of a healthy young man haunted him. A picture of them holding a tiny, auburn haired baby haunted him even more.

Chapter Fourteen

Excitement curled through Lora’sbody and she peered around, wondering if anyone else noticed her. Nope, they didn’t seem to. One of the benefits of being a wallflower.

Chad would argue with her about the word. Seemed like he challenged her about a lot of things, but most especially her perception of herself. But it was hard to change something in months what she’d been perfecting for years. The sad truth was, she’d worked for a long time to fade into the background. With her former husband stalking every move she made, she’d needed camouflage, especially when she’d broken away to protect Mercy.

Luckily, Derek was gone. She had to remind herself of that fact several times a day still.

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