Page 55 of Losing Sleep
I trailed off, my next words even harder to speak than sharing Lyle’s betrayal. I swallowed, determined to press forward, show him all my hidden places.
“My mom was in a car accident involving a deer at night driving down a canyon. It messed her up pretty bad.” My words were quiet. Even now I could remember that night, Dave’s desperate phone call, me frantically booking a flight and packing, trying to get to Mom and the girls as fast as I could. It wasn’t until after I’d landed that we’d known how bad she really was, those hours on the plane the longest of my life.
Grey stopped, snagging my arm and turning me to look at him.
“Was that why you were so determined to stay on schedule when we were driving to the cabin?”
I bit my lip and gave a small nod.
“Now I’m the idiot. I’m sorry, Audrey! If I had known…” He trailed off, his face stricken.
“The only people who know are Tory and my roommates,” I said, my voice quiet. “I don’t like talking about it. I went toCalifornia for a few weeks to help Dave with the girls while Mom recovered.”
“Wow. That must have been hard.”
A melancholy smile touched my lips as we continued crunching along the gravel trail. “You could say that. Though Mom’s fine now, and those few weeks meant I got to spend quality time with my sisters.”
“That’s a relief!”
I could leave it there, pretend like that was the worst of it, but knew I couldn’t. “The story gets worse, if you can handle it.”
I tried to keep my tone light, but this was veering into dangerous territory for me and my emotions.
“Hit me with it.” He nudged my arm in encouragement.
“I was engaged when I went to help Mom. It was that guy who didn’t like nature. His name was Lyle, and I thought he’d be my forever. He quickly proved me wrong. Not long after I left, he started cheating on me with my best friend, Emily.” I choked on the words but pushed forward, desperate to let someone see my scars fully. “I found the two of them making out at his apartment when I got home.”
“That’s—” Grey broke off, for once at a loss for words as he reached for me and hesitated, shoving his hands into his pockets. “That sucks.”
“That’s the understatement of the century.”
“With your best friend? The gal you used to hike with?”
“Yep.” The “p” gave a distinct popping sound as I said it. That was probably the part that hurt the most. Emily had been my first phone call when I’d found out about my mom, encouraging me to take the trip, promising everything would be okay. Her betrayal still tasted bitter on my tongue.
“That proves they’re both dumber than I thought.” Grey’s words caused an unexpected warmth to settle in my chest.
We started walking again, and only a moment later he brought his hand up, nudging my pinky with his. The brave little pinky leading the charge. I accepted the invitation, lacing my fingers with his, not caring who saw, as warmth stole up my arm and settled in my cheeks at the surprisingly comforting gesture.
“They might disagree. They got married the day we left for this trip.”
Grey remained quiet for a moment, processing my words before a mischievous grin crept across his face.
“I hope he gets gored by a bison on his honeymoon. Nothing fatal. Just something that might impede other activities.” Grey’s eyebrows danced suggestively as he squeezed my hand.
“Grey!” I laughed in surprise.
“Stampeded by a moose? Chased by a bear? Really, any of those options sounds appropriate.”
I shook my head, not even trying to hide the grin Grey’s words triggered. “You’re assuming he’s honeymooning somewhere like Yellowstone. What if he’s somewhere tropical?”
“I’m sure we could come up with some appropriate alternatives. Bit by a shark? Allergic reaction to his sunscreen?”
“Sunburned where the sun doesn’t shine,” I said before I could think about it.
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.” Grey nodded sagely, his face schooled into a serious expression that only lasted a moment before his smile returned. “The question is, what activities are they participating in that would result in a sunburn in that location?”
I bit back a laugh and shook my head. I’d actively spent this week trying not to think of Lyle and Emily, and now here I was, freely sharing the most painful parts of myself with Grey and finding humor in them. We’d come a long way since those first moments in the car when I had been ready to strangle him.
