Page 69 of Snowed In With The Second Chance Daddy

“Gladly.” I step aside. “In fact, I’ll open it for you.”

“No need, I don’t need anything from you.”

Both our hands race for the door handle and collide at the same time.

Iris yelps out like I’ve hurt her. “Let me do it!”

I back away a step, giving her the space to grab the door handle.

Iris gives me one last look, her mascara starting to run, and her eyes wild with fury. “You opened the door for me last time, and this timeI’mleaving. You’re not making me leave,I’mleaving.”

She wants to leave.

“Have a nice life, Trevor.” She tears the door open, and then disappears out the door.

And the second she’s gone, all my anger dissipates.

What’swrongwith me? I’ve suffered all these months without her and it was my fault then and it will be my fault again.

No.No. I can’t let that happen.

“Wait! Iris, wait!” I call out following her down the hallway. I don’t even care that I’m only in my boxers.

Whatever. Fuck it. Let someone get mad at me, let someone call the cops.

Iris stops so suddenly I stop too. She gives me a scathing glare. “If you can’t wait for me, I can’t wait for you.”

And there’s the wall, the one that was up at the beginning of the week between us. The one I was so eager to keep up.

Now it’s hers.

“Don’t follow me.”

And I don’t. I watch her go to the elevator, press the button, and disappear inside.

Gone. She’s gone. My fault. Again.

This time, I know I’m an idiot. People hardly ever get second chances, and I’ve just blown it. I doubt I’ll get a third.

I trudge back down the hallway and lock myself inside. Alone. Like I’m meant to be probably forever. The rest of my life.

It’s better this way.

I crawl back into bed and stare at the blue strands of her hair on my pillowcase.

13

IRIS

ONE MONTH LATER…

Seattlein the winter is miserable. In fact, it’s miserable all year round. If it’s not cold, it’s wet and cold, and on the few days it’s bright and sunshiny, I can’t even get outside because I’m stuck working.

I hate my job. I do.

I’m biding my time, trying to survive and make it through so that I can get on the other side. I want to prove myself and get ahead to make my own games. I don’t want to work some soulless job during the day and do my passion projects at night.

But being in the industry can sometimes be one step forward, two steps back.

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