Page 141 of When Wrecked Meets Ruined
I don’t know why I was thinking about money. Maybe because Ridge and I hadn’t spoken a word to each other since I walked out of his hotel room.
Where was this Uber coming from? Nebraska?
I heaved out a sigh and crossed my arms over my chest. He was leaning against the wall staring up at the sky. It was that weird time of day, just before sunrise, when the sky was inky blue. The loneliest time of the day.
Why did this have to hurt so much?
Arms came around me from behind, and I leaned into him, my head against his shoulder.
“You’re okay. Everything’s okay.”
But we both knew it wasn’t. He kissed the top of my head and released me when the car pulled up.
I slid into the back while Ridge spoke to the driver, warning him that if he didn’t get me home safely, he would hunt him down and make him regret the day he was born. It was such a Ridge thing to say. He handed the guy a fifty-dollar bill and issued another warning. “I have your license plate number.”
We pulled away, leaving Ridge outside his hotel, and I kept my eyes closed for the whole drive.
When I got to Quinn’s house, I couldn’t bring myself to knock on the door or ring the bell. It was too late. Or too early. Either way, it would be rude to wake them up at this hour.
So I walked to the beach, kicked off my shoes, and sat in the sand, shivering. I stared at the Pacific Ocean until the sun rose behind me and warmed my skin.
I thought about Ridge, who had spent all this time blaming himself for something that was never his fault. And about all those years of therapy that hadn’t adequately prepared me for real life. I wanted to call Claire, my therapist, and demand my money back. She told me I’d come a long way, and at the time, I believed her. Now I wasn’t convinced.
I didn’t even realize I was crying until I tasted the warm, salty tears on my lips.
In the months leading up to the wedding, I’d let myself imagine what it would be like to see Ridge again. If I’m being honest, I’d been expecting,hoping for, a different outcome. As if the moment we laid eyes on each other again, all our problems would magically disappear, and we’d ride off into the sunset together. Happy. Blissfully in love. With our whole future ahead of us.
And Ridge and Evie lived happily ever after…
But this wasn’t a fairy tale, and I wasn’t living in the pages of one of Quinn’s books.
CHAPTERFIFTY-TWO
Evie
Jesse answered the door,looking fresh and well-rested. Knowing him, he’d already run a few miles and worked out. Jesse was a morning person. Quinn, not so much.
“I’m not sure I should ask how last night went,” he said, taking in my disheveled state.
“You probably shouldn’t.”
“That bad?”
“Look at me. What’s your verdict?”
“You want some breakfast? I’m a good listener.”
I debated. “Thanks. But I think I’ll just crash for a while if that’s okay.”
He nodded. “I don’t know what happened, and I’m not asking, but I know Ridge still loves you.”
I stopped on the bottom step. “Not loving each other was never our problem.”
“Yeah, I get that. What I’m trying to say is that he was really broken up about whatever happened with you two.”
I angled my body toward Jesse.
“Brody was worried about him. Everyone was.”
