Page 55 of Audra: The Prequel

He would never wake up next to her warm body again or reach out in the middle of the night to pull her closer and press his nose into the curve of her neck. He couldn’t believe he’d never see the laughter in her eyes or listen to one of her funny stories about her daughter or something a member of her family had done.

He wanted her at the condo when he came home. He wanted surprise dinners that she had cooked, and he wanted to shower her with everything her heart desired. There was so much more he wanted to do for and with her, but they were done.

“You’re sure there’s nothing you can do? You were happy with her. I could tell this relationship was different,” Chadwick said.

“She’s stubborn as hell. The truth is, she didn’t want to get involved with me in the first place. I spent weeks trying to get her attention. She was worried I’d be like her daughter’s father. The guy’s a real piece of work. He had a good woman like Audra that he let go because he’s busy living the rock star life. Meanwhile, his adorable daughter never sees him because he apparently can’t find time to spend with her.” Men like Kerry disgusted him.

“So it’s truly over?” his father asked.

“Yes. It’s over.”

A few more minutes passed in conversation before Damon ended the call and sauntered into the bedroom. He walked over to the dresser and opened the drawer filled with Audra’s blouses, slacks, and other clothing. This was everything she’d left behind, minus a few accessories like purses and a couple of pairs of shoes he had placed in a box in the closet.

With a clenched jaw, he retrieved the box and piled her clothes on top of her other belongings. Each item was a pieceof her, a reminder of the days and nights she spent at his place, turning his bare, empty condo into a warm space filled with joy.

There was nothing else of hers in the room, so he emptied the bathroom drawer that held her toiletries and removed her vitamins from the medicine cabinet. He tossed all of those in the box, as well.

He exhaled slowly, his chest tightening as his gaze lingered on the contents.

Baseball season was almost over, and the Braves would play their last game in a couple of weeks. After the season ended, he’d contact Claudia to send a message to Audra. Tell her to come pick up her things, or he could send them to her—whatever she preferred.

Once her personal belongings were out of his home, that would be the end. Maybe that was why he hadn’t returned her things yet.

He released a bitter laugh.

Her clothes leaving his home signaled the end of them for good. After that, there would be no reason for them to have contact with each other. Her absence would become permanent, not only in his house, but in his life—leaving a void he feared he’d never be able to fill.

Chapter Twenty-Two

What am I doing here?

Audra stood beside her car, her gaze lifting to encompass Damon’s condominium complex. She could hardly breathe, her heart was racing so fast. She hadn’t seen him in six weeks—in the flesh, anyway.

She had watched a couple of his games, rooting for him and the team, but seeing him had been unbearably painful—the heaviness of longing stifling her under its weight.

When Claudia said he’d sent a message about picking up her belongings or having them mailed to her, she jumped at the chance to come pick them up.

Pathetic.

She could have even asked him to leave the box with the concierge, but she wanted to see him. Who could blame her? She hadn’t stopped loving him. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him or missing him. Every day without Damon was like standing under storm clouds, yearning for the sun to break through and chase away the chill in her bones.

She entered the building and greeted the doorman.

“Hello, Ms. Connor,” he replied with a nod.

She took the elevator to Damon’s floor and then stood outside his door, staring at the gold numbers—eleven-fifty. This was where it had all started, and this was where it would end.

She rang the doorbell and waited.

The door opened, and Damon stood before her in a cream shirt that molded to his defined chest and showed off his biceps and tattooed arms.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey.”

“I’m here for the box.” Stomach tight, Audra half-expected him to shove the box of clothes into her chest and send her away.

Instead, he stepped aside and widened the door, silently inviting her in. She crossed the threshold and spotted the cardboard box on the floor near one of the sofas.

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