Page 2 of The Only Time

“You guys are insane,” I pause to let out a sigh. “That settles it. I’m going to go stay with Layla in Georgia.”

“Didn’t she just get engaged?” Ma speaks up for the first time.

“Yeah, she did. Her fiancé Josh is super nice—I’ve talked to him on the phone while chatting with her. I’ll actually be staying with Layla’s brother, Eric. I guess he has a lot of extra room at his place and I didn’t want to get in the way of the newlyweds. Even though they kept on insisting that I wouldn’t be.”

“How long do you plan on staying?” Lucas asks as he pushes off the wall and comes further into the kitchen.

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “I guess that all depends on Don. The police said they would talk to him, but they couldn’t arrest him or anything. We’ll see if he follows the restraining order.”

“Well, you threatened a restraining order several times,” Gabe says with frustration. “I don’t think that means much to the guy.”

I’m afraid that he’s right. That’s why I want to get out of here. Last night shook me to my core. I barely slept a wink thinkingabout what he would have done if he got inside. Does he want to hurt me? The thought of it sends goosebumps down my spine. I never thought I’d be in a situation like this. It all feels like a terrible nightmare.—one that I’m desperate to wake up from. But this is reality, and I need to find a way to make this work. I need to leave for a while.

“That’s why I think I should go away for now. I can bring my laptop and work from the house.”

Lucas shakes his head back and forth. “I think you should take some time off. We could get Michelle to take over some of your urgent tasks. Right now, you just need to take a breather.”

“He’s right,” Savannah agrees. “And I’ll pitch in any way that I can. Lucas can train me on whatever he needs help with.”

“You’d do that for me?” I ask with a shaky breath.

Savannah’s head tilts to the side. “Of course, I would. You’re my sister. I’d do anything for you.”

Growing up with three brothers was great—I wouldn’t change a thing. But I always wanted a sister for as long as I can remember. I never dreamed that I would be gifted with three amazing sisters. My brothers may be idiots, but they sure picked amazing women to marry. Having the love and support from them means the world to me.

“Thank you,” I reply softly. “That’s so sweet.”

I might take the first week off to get settled in, but I’m not making Savannah learn my job so I can sit around a lone man’s house all day long doing nothing. I have no interest in fighting with them right now about how long I need to rest, so I don’t say anything more.

I don’t want to admit this to them, but I’m nervous about staying with Eric. I don’t know a thing about the guy. Just that he works long hours and generally keeps to himself. I wonder what kind of man would want a life like that. I keep picturing a tall,lanky guy with glasses and the inability to look me directly in the eyes.

Is it going to be awkward whenever we’re home together? At least he doesn’t sound like the type to habitually bring girls home. That eliminates having to explain why he has a random chick staying at his place.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Gabe looks at me with concern.

He’s always been the decider between me and my other brothers. Marcus is the youngest of the three boys but older than me. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Lexi. I just talked to him before I got to Ma and Pa’s house and promised to call him after I left to let him know how it goes.

With him being the youngest and craziest, he is able to worry about me in a normal way.

I look around the room at everyone’s unsettled faces. I know I’m going to miss them, but hopefully I won’t be gone for very long. Maybe a month away will be enough time for everything to calm down.

It doesn’t sound like a long time, but I’ve never been away from all of them for that long. We’re a close family and we run a large wine distribution company together.

It took a long time to recover when Marcus moved to Chicago for Lexi. Our Sunday dinners didn’t feel the same without him for a while.

“Yes,” I say with as much confidence as I can muster. “This is what I want. This is what Ineed.”

Gabe nods his head at Pa, as if it was somehow their decision to make and not mine. I want to tell them that I don’t actually need their approval, but it’s not worth it.

“When are you leaving?” Alexis asks sadly.

“Tomorrow morning.”

A silence falls upon the room. I would have never thought I’d be chased out of my own home, fleeing for safety. This is so surreal. It’s the kind of shit you see in the movies.

Ma wipes away a tear. She’s trying to be strong in front of me, but I know she’s going to break down as soon as we all leave. This is not the way I saw my life going. How could I have been so wrong about Don? What did I ever see in him in the first place?

I feel like such a failure.

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