Page 50 of Wreck Me

The last thing I wanted to do was hold her back or bring her down to my level, struggling and fighting an uphill battle every single day when the universe continuously made things hard. I wanted her to thrive and be happy. She was too astounding to be weighed down by me, yet I had no interest in saying goodbye to her. If anything, I wanted to make sure the bastard who was nothing more than a mentally abusive sperm donor didn’t hurt her again.

The way he spoke to her—about her—made me want to wrap my bare hands around his neck and watch the light go out of his eyes. But I couldn’t resort to physical violence if I hoped to fulfill my own dreams. One of which included her by my side.

If anything, this just lit an even bigger fire beneath me to get my shit together. To become the man who empowered her independence but still provided her with safety and comfort. I needed to be someone she could rely on when shit got tough, and that started with having the finances to keep us afloat, or at least keep a roof over our heads.

Was it too soon to ask her to move in with me? It’d only been a couple of months, but it wasn’t like I wasn’t practically living with her already. Maybe once I started working for Dave, we could get a studio somewhere. Something modest we could split the rent and afford.

I fuckinglovedthat plan.

As the bus whined to a stop in front of a crowded bench, I hopped out of my seat, ready to jump out as soon as the doors opened. The thought of stepping foot back into my house made my stomach churn, but it was late enough in the evening where I could shower and retreat to my bedroom for the rest of the night and he wouldn’t even realize I was there.

Tonight, I would wait for Isla to call and make a list of studios available for rent to call this weekend—see if I could get ahead of the game. Tomorrow, I’d give notice at Pack N Mail, then go to the library and use their computer to apply to the police academy. And if all went according to plan, maybe I’d be able to see some rentals by Sunday.

I was excited, and as I stepped through the door of my house and found my father passed out on the couch once again, I didn’t let the anger take over. Instead, I shut the door behind me, and went into my room, feeling exhilaration spike and hope bloom. This weekend would be full of preliminary steps to jump-start mine and Isla’s life together, and I was going to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

The night my father stomped on the last sliver of my heart that was loyal to my family, I cried myself to sleep and hadn’t woken until late the next morning. My eyes were heavy and swollen from crying. The sun streaming in from the open curtains stung to where I snapped them shut again.

Tapping my fingertips against my nightstand, I felt for my phone, gripping it in my hand and pulling it toward me. I peeked through one eye to check the notifications, only mildly surprised to see I had none.

My heart sank at not seeing Caleb’s name lit up on my screen, and a deep-rooted fear gnawed in the pit of my stomach. What if he was giving up on me? On us? Was the altercation with my father the wakeup call he needed to realize his initial hesitations were justified?

I wouldn’t accept him just walking away. I couldn’t. Not now. I refused to give him up after I’d already walked away from everything else in my life. Which I did willingly, and so far, without regrets. But Caleb mattered to me in a way nothing else did. I wouldnotsay goodbye to him.

Pressing his contact, I brought the phone to my ear and listened to it ring while I waited for him to answer. Rings switched to his generic voicemail, and I hung up, not wanting to leave him a message. It was late morning, so he was probably at work.

Not wanting to lie around and sulk, I forced myself out of bed and went to get ready. I had one week left of classes before finals hit and I needed to put myself in the headspace to study, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do. Regardless of what the degree was in, it was one step closer to getting me into veterinary school. And that was the mindset I needed to push me through these last two weeks.

Grabbing my laptop, I shoved it into my oversized purse and adjusted the straps comfortably on my shoulders before grabbing my car keys. While I locked up, the sound of heels against the linoleum clicked up the hallway, catching my attention. Facing the sound, I smiled at my property manager as she approached me. Liliana, was in her late forties and took a lot of pride in managing the apartment building. Every time I crossed paths with her, she was always dressed to the nines, with a huge smile plastered beneath her cherry red lips.

I lifted my hand, giving her a small wave before pulling the key from the lock. “Hi, Liliana.”

“Isla! How are you, sweetheart? I’m so disappointed to hear you’ll be leaving us at the end of the month.”

My heart seized up, and I felt my face fall. He had already made the call to the leasing office. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours. Suddenly I felt desperate for information, but I knew I needed to save face if I had any hope of getting it from her. I may live in the building, but it was my father’s name on the lease, and that meant Liliana could be as tight-lipped as she wanted to be with what she told me.

“I know!” I faked enthusiasm. “I told my father I really wasn’t comfortable breaking the lease, but he tends to go a bit rogue, and do what he wants. I’m so sorry for any inconvenience it may cause.”

She waved her hand, her wrist bending with a dramatic swipe. “Oh, honey, it’s no big deal. Your dad is a sweetheart and paid out the last three months of rent. I’m just sorry now the apartment has to sit empty until March! It’s such a beautiful place, and we have a waiting list a mile long.”

He paid the remaining months instead of breaking the lease? But why? The better question was why was I questioning it? Of course, he had done it for his benefit. How embarrassing it would be for Andrew Donohue to break a lease.

Just like in the cartoons, an idea formed in my mind and I could practically see the light bulb appear over my head. “So the lease is still in effect? He just prepaid for the last three months?”

“Yep! He was so funny. I told him it’d be cheaper for him to break the lease and lose the deposit, but he wouldn’t even entertain it.”

“So…” I started, feigning innocence. “The apartment is fully paid for, and you can’t allow another tenant to move in since it’s still under contract. Correct?”

Liliana sighed dramatically, flipping through the pages on her clipboard. “Correct. And just look at how long this interest list is!” She flipped the clipboard around and flicked through the pages, showing me the numerous pages of names and phone numbers.

None of that mattered to me though, because at that moment I realized I could solve one of my problems and was about to have three months of no rent payment. “Liliana, since my father already paid through the end of March and I currently am living in the apartment, I can just stay through the end of the lease, correct?”

“Well, yes, of course. But your father said you had to—”

“It’s fine!” I burst, relief and excitement rushing my body in a heavy wave. “It seems so wasteful to let this beautiful apartment sit for months. I’ll speak to my father this afternoon and let him know I’m just going to see the lease to the end, especially since he’s paid for it. Consider this conversation an official retraction of leaving early, and instead a little more than a ninety-day notice.”

“Oh! Well, that’s wonderful then. I’m so happy you’re staying, Isla.”

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