Page 71 of It's Only Love

Chapter 24

Could this day get any worse, actually not this day, this freaking year? Christy watched as smoke billowed from under the hood of her car as she rolled to a stop on the side of the road. She sighed and hiccupped, tears still streaming, unchecked, down her cheeks. Of course she broke down, why would she catch a break? She switched off the engine and folded her arms across the steering wheel, burying her face as sobs overtook her.

She cried for herself, her mom and dad, the home she decided to give up and for the man who broke her heart, the final nail in the coffin. The image of him half naked and writhing on the bed with that gorgeous woman was seared into her brain, and she saw it every time she closed her eyes. Hurt piercing her heart each time. She was shocked she still had tears left to cry. She woke up in his bed the night before, feeling refreshed from her sleep and clear headed. She decided she didn’t want to keep the house, it wasn’t a home to her and Beau was right, she wanted a clean break. But she also wanted to stay in town, she was ready to try and make the small town her home again. She didn’t have many ties in the city, her closest friends were here and she could write anywhere.

And then there was Dean. At first, she was hurt when she found out he knew about the letters and didn’t tell her. But when he explained, she completely understood, she probably would have done the same thing. No one wants to hurt someone they care about, him especially. And after everything that happened with her father, she learned not to hold grudges, time was far too precious. She trusted him, something she was never able to do before, having had it broken so many times in the past. But she cared about him, knew he cared about her and would never try to hurt her. Until last night.

When he didn’t come home, she went in search of him, worried that he thought she was angry with him. She checked the garage, went to the diner, and then she went to the bar and saw his truck in the parking lot. She went inside, eager to see him. When Kayleigh told her he was in one of the cabins, she went to find him, to bring him home. Then she saw him with that woman and her heart and trust had broken all over again. He had already moved on; he thought so little of her that he was able to jump into bed with the next random woman that came along. Christy had been deluding herself that they had something, she had hoped they could be something special to each other but not anymore.

She drove back to her parent’s house, packed up her belongings, and shoved them in the car. She then grabbed the box of letters, the picture frames, and a few other trinkets that were of sentimental value. She left the house, there was nothing else inside she wanted so she would pay someone to come in and clear the rest of it. She was so done with this town. His betrayal and how much it hurt her had tipped her over the edge and made it so she would never want to step foot here again. She couldn’t leave just yet though, there was something she needed to do first. She slept in the house for the last time and said her goodbyes in the morning. She might have felt relieved if she wasn’t so numb.

She drove to Justine’s, she couldn’t leave again without saying goodbye. She would call Taylor, she couldn’t bear the thought of going to the bar to see her and potentially running into Dean and his woman. Taylor would forgive her, but she didn’t think Justine would if she left her for a second time with no explanation. Justine opened the door and took one look at her and she knew.

“Please don’t go,” she pleaded.

“I have to, I can’t stay here,” Christy said, her voice had cracked at the look on Justine’s face.

“But, what about Dean?”

Christy laughed humorlessly. “He won’t care.”

“Then stay for me and Taylor. We’ll be so happy just the three of us, I know it.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t. I’ll call you when I get back and maybe you can come for another visit soon?” Justine gripped her in a fierce hug, squeezing her so damn tight. Christy was going to miss her so much, she enjoyed spending so much time with them, it felt like they were kids again and they reconnected in a way that she didn’t realize she had been missing. They broke away and Justine implored her again to stay, but Christy just shook her head and got in her car. She drove away from her friend, both of them crying. She made it an hour before she heard a loud bang, and then the smoke appeared.

She sat in her vehicle, cursing the death trap that had clearly wheezed its last breath. She needed to call for a tow, but she couldn’t, she was still too close to the town. It would be Dean’s garage and if he knew it was her then he might turn up. She knew from listening to him on the phone there was a twenty-four-hour towing service, and it was someone else who went out at night so she would have to wait.

So, she sat and waited, cursing the car, the town, and her stupid heart. She felt such longing to be back in his arms, her heart hurt and her stomach ached, was it possible to get homesick from missing a person? He twisted her world upside down, he was unexpected, that was for sure. If someone told her when she arrived home that first night and bumped into him in the bar she would end up getting so close, so intimate with him, she would have accused them of having too many of Taylor’s cocktails.

But he made sense. It felt right, she had never been this happy with someone before, had never cared this much, she loved him. She didn’t know when it happened, but it had. She was foolish and damnit Taylor had been right to tell her not to get involved with him, she ended up getting hurt, when would she learn?

She wouldn’t change it though, not for the world. He made her laugh, made her angry, frustrated, happy, and he had shown her true love. He made her a better person and he helped her become a better writer. He wanted to nurture her creativity and had made changes in his life to support her. Tears ran silently down her cheeks at the thought of never seeing him again, it wasn’t a choice she made though, his actions spoke loudly. She loved him, but he didn’t love her.

She watched the sun set, drowning in her misery. Then when it was officially late evening, she grabbed her cell and dialed the number she knew practically by heart, ignoring all the missed calls she had received. She sighed in relief when a woman she didn’t recognize answered and took some details from her. Christy requested to be taken to the next town over, not wanting to risk seeing Dean, the woman agreed before promising someone would be by within the hour. Christy got out of the car and stretched her legs, not wanting to roam too far in the dark. After an hour of wandering around and around the car in misery, she watched as a set of headlights approached. She flagged the truck down, the lights so bright they blinded her. When the truck stopped, someone got out of the cabin and came towards her.

“Hello?” she called out, holding her hand up to block the bright lights. Her heart thudded in her chest, hopeful and painful, as she realized who had come for her. He stopped two feet in front of her, his arms folded over his chest and smiled, those damn dimples appearing. Her knees threatened to go weak at the sight of them before she pulled herself together.

“Am I gonna find that exhaust of yours buckled up in the passenger seat again?” he asked, his southern drawl warming her skin, teasing her with memories of all the sweet nothings he had whispered to her. She swallowed thickly against the pain and shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. His smile fell and he fixed her with a hard stare, taking a step forward.

“Where are you going, darlin’?”

“H...home,” she stammered, he took another step forward until he was right in front of her, and she had to crane her neck to look up at him. She knew she looked a mess, betrayal and heartbreak did that to a person. She studied him, he smelled clean and fresh, but he looked tired and his eyes were bloodshot. His jaw was dusted with stubble, his hair sticking out in spikes, like he plowed his hand through it one too many times. His features were pulled tight, lines of strain bracketed his eyes and mouth. He shook his head at her.

“New York isn’t your home.”

He was right, but she wouldn’t admit it, even if she did feel like she was running away and abandoning her family. On the other hand, it was because of his actions. She found her backbone and straightened her spine.

“So glad you managed to pull yourself away from your lover long enough to come and help out poor little me,” she spat sarcastically.

“She means absolutely nothing to me, and it wasn’t what it looked like.”

“Said every man ever caught cheating!” she scoffed, and turned to leave before she lashed out even more. She didn’t want to turn into the person she used to be with him. She had matured out of that, but if he kept needling her, she would sink back into her old behavior. As she walked away, he grabbed her hand and spun her around, holding her tightly against him.

“I was wasted last night after I thought you had thrown me over for Beau. I went to drown my sorrows at the bar, trying to forget how much I was hurting,” he said intensely.

“What? I didn’t choose Beau, don’t try to blame your actions on me!”

“I know that now, and I know why, for the house, but I didn’t last night. So, I drank a lot, I wanted to pass out. I left the bar alone, it's important you know that.” He stroked his fingers over her cheek, she was torn between leaning into his touch and trying to pull away. In the end her anger won out, she tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but he held her too tightly, not letting her get away.

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