Page 69 of Wild for You
Just when I thought my life couldn’t get any better, I had to go and fuck around and find out. That’s what I get for trying to be the hero. We could’ve lived out the rest of our lives on that island as far as I cared. Maybe we were never on the same page after all? Maybe it was the island and the sun playing with our emotions? Maybe it was all a lie, and I let myself get so wrapped up in it that I actually believed it was real.
I grab the phone and type out a text.
Jack: So you’re just going to leave without saying goodbye?
Jack: Are you mad about the accident? You know I’d take it back if I could.
Jack: I hope this doesn’t change anything …
CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE
Gwen
I stareat the phone in my lap and read the text messages for what seems to be the millionth time.
Jack: Are you mad about the accident? You know I’d take it back if I could.
I wipe the fresh tear away before Maggie sees me, then shove the phone into my back pocket. The wordsaccidentandtake it back if a couldjump off the screen as if they’re taunting me, and it takes everything I have not to respond by telling him to go fuck himself.
I want to throw this phone into oncoming traffic as if all my problems would disappear with the destruction of the device.
We just landed in Chicago, and Elliot’s driving us home from the airport. I was surprised when the hospital discharged me this morning, and I wanted to wait there for Jack, but I needed space to process everything. By the way he’s handling the news, I guess I was right to leave.
Fucking Sam must’ve told him about the baby. I’m so mad right now I could strangle him.
I had it all planned out. I was going to fly home and figure out a game plan, maybe get some balloons and cake, and throw a surprise party to tell him the news. Taking out my phone again, I stare at my background photo, an image of the sonogram, I wonder if any of it was real at all. Maybe the Jack I grew to love on that island was just another alter-ego for him, like Wombat Willy.
I guess I’ve got to find a new plan now, one that doesn’t include the three of us living happily ever after.
“Oh, and my in-laws are in town. You’re going to love them! I’m hosting brunch on Sunday if you’re feeling up for it …”
Elliot’s voice pulls me from my trance when I realize she’s talking to me.
“Gwen’s probably exhausted,” Maggie answers for me. “Why don’t we just play it by ear and let you know.”
She meets my eyes in the rearview mirror, and I mouth a silentthank youfrom the back seat.
* * *
“Oh my God,it’s so good,” I moan. I grab the ramekin of honey and drizzle it over my slice of pizza before shoving half of it into my mouth. I’ve slowly been stretching my stomach back to its normal capacity, and I’m so grateful because it’s prepared me for this exact moment. Right now, it’s just my girls, this delicious pizza, and me.
We’re settled on Maggie’s teal velvet couch in her modest studio apartment conveniently located near all the great restaurants in town, one of which is Tony's pizza, which is why I’m close to having my first foodgasm.
Yeah, I didn’t know that was a thing until this moment.
She’s recently downsized to save up for the downstairs studio, which she plans to renovate into her own yoga studio.
“I know it’s tiny, but the studio will be right downstairs when I get it up and going.”
“Maggie, this is perfect. Are you kidding me?” I take in the lush greenery covering every bit of the room’s surface and feel a peace wash over me for the first time since I got in that helicopter.
Who knew Maggie’s plant addiction would be the thing that pulled me out of my anxiety spiral? I make a mental note to get more plants once I find a new apartment.
A rush of anxiety floods my system at the thought of finding a place to live. The world didn’t stop just because Jack and I were MIA for three months, and I don’t blame my friends for moving my things out of my luxury high rise when my landlord evicted me after the bills weren’t paid for two months in a row.
A memory of Jack curled into my side, watching the sunset flashes in my mind, and I close my eyes and shake away the memory. I can’t think about him right now or what any of this means. I just need to focus on keeping myself healthy, fed, and safe.
A rush of gratitude warms my heart when I take in my best friends. Without their searching, I know I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. “I don’t know why I haven’t asked you this before, but why did you keep searching after so much time had passed?” I nuzzle into to soft velvet couch, caressing the soft fabric. It’s such a contrast to the gritty sand I’d been so accustomed to.
