[Time for Love 01.0] 8 Weeks
Page 14
I stood immobile as he spoke, everything he said washing over me in waves of emotion. Everything he said was perfect, he was perfect, and yet I was still terrified. Terrified of the thought of life with him, and terrified of the thought of life without him.
I looked around as he waited patiently for me to speak, and smiled at our friends watching and waiting in the sidelines, just as they had the night of our engagement.
But tonight wasn’t about our friends … What we’d been through was totally about us, and not about them … So, although I loved them, I didn’t feel like sharing this moment, and my decision, with anyone but Cal.
“Come with me,” I whispered softly.
His face fell as he realized I wasn’t going to respond to his declarations right away, but he nodded and let me lead him off the roof and toward his car.
“TJ drove me,” I explained when I walked him to the Mustang.
He unlocked the door and held it open for me, closing it once I got inside. I knew that I was probably torturing him by not answering him right away, but I needed to respond in my own way.
If the past few weeks had taught me nothing else, they’d taught me to stand up for what I wanted and voice my opinion.
“Can you take me to my place?” I asked.
Cal drove the car out of the parking lot and headed toward my condo. You could cut the tension with a knife, and I almost broke down and put him out of his misery, but I couldn’t, not yet. I needed to do this the right way, so there’d never be a question, and there’d never be any regrets.Once we got to my place, I led Cal inside and into the kitchen. His shoulders sagged, and I could tell by the look on his face that he knew I was about to tell him it was over.
I walked over to the table and picked up the packet of legal documents that were sitting on top.
I flashed the divorce papers at him, then looked him dead in the eye.
“This was my plan from the second you told me you cheated on me. I walked out of our home and went to my dad’s and I knew that I’d never be able to forgive you. Never. But you wouldn’t listen, and you came up with this damn eight weeks plan, promising to walk away once the eight weeks were over. Yet here you are … proposing to me as if nothing ever happened.”
“Shel,” Cal started, stepping toward me with his arm outstretched.
I held up my hand to make him stop.
“No … you had your say, now it’s my turn. You pushed me … You pushed me and pulled me until there was nothing left. You took me to do things that I’d always wanted to do, and you showed me how vulnerable and sweet you can be. You accepted me for who I am, never wavering … never losing hope. How am I supposed to fight that? How am I supposed to fight, when the only man I’ve ever loved is putting his whole heart into keeping me with him? I hate you for cheating on me. I hate the fact that we will never know for sure who that woman is, or if you actually slept with her or not. I hate that there’s a possibility that I’m not the only woman you have had sex with, and will have sex with for the rest of your life. I hate that someone else touched you, tasted you, and may have had the pleasure of having you inside them. But … I love you, Cal, and I can’t stand the thought of living my life without you in it.”
I started to sob, but used every ounce of willpower I had to hold it in, especially when the expression on Cal’s face was blinding me with its intensity.
“I don’t want anyone else … Only you. I love who you used to be, who you are, and who you will become. I have loved getting to know more about you over the last few weeks, and getting to know more about myself. And as much as I have loved making this condo my own, it will never be home without you in it.”
I could tell that Cal wanted to speak, wanted to move, wanted to pull me to him, but I had to get it all out first.
I took the divorce papers and ripped them in two. The sound of the paper being torn was one of the most satisfying sounds I’d ever heard.
“I forgive you, Cal, and I’ll forget, because I want you as my partner for the rest of my days.”
My hand was still up, telling him to stop, so I dropped it and rushed into his arms.
“I love you,” was murmured by both of us as we held each other close.
I don’t know how long we stood there, holding each other, but when I pulled away to look into his beautiful face, my heart filled.
I stepped back and held my hand out. “Come to bed?” I asked softly. Cal’s face broke out into a huge smile, and he placed his hand in mine. I led him back toward the bedroom, ready to spend the rest of my life in his arms … where I belonged.
Please keep reading for an excerpt of book 2 in the Time for Love Series, 21 Days.
This is Sasha and TJ’s story.
Chapter 1 – TJ
I huddled underneath my covers, quivering uncontrollably, and praying to God that my parents would stop fighting and go to sleep. Fearful that their anger would shift, and they would come looking for me.
“I saw the way you were looking at her,” my mother screamed from somewhere down the hallway of our little trailer. “That stupid slut! I could tell you’ve fucked her.”
I heard a crashing sound and willed the bed to swallow me whole.
“You’re crazy,” my father bellowed, the sounds of glass breaking filled the trailer, and I assumed they’d begun throwing things at each other.
Soon they’d begin hitting each other, and eventually, they would turn their rage on me, or they would make up. Either way, I wouldn’t be getting any sleep. I tried my best to start replaying “The Neverending Story” in my head. If I was lucky, I’d lose myself in the world of Bastian and Atreyu, and by the time their story was over, the house would be quiet.
“TJ?” the voice of my boss pulled me out of the memory. I shook my head slightly, then brought my eyes to his.
“Yeah? Sorry, boss, I wandered off for a minute,” I admitted, slightly embarrassed at being caught drifting off.
“Can you come back into the office for a minute?” He asked, before turning and walking back towards his office, without waiting for my reply.
I looked over at my buddy Cal, who’d popped his head out from under the hood of a Chevy he was working on. He met my gaze and shrugged, indicating that he wasn’t sure what the boss wanted this time.
I picked up a rag and made an attempt to wipe the grease off my hands, before proceeding down the hall. I knocked lightly on the open door and peeked my head around the corner.
“Come in and have a seat TJ,” my boss said in greeting.
I walked in, running my hand nervously through my hair, not caring that I was probably streaking my dirty blonde hair with grease. Being called in to the office always made me feel like I was a kid getting in trouble again. Or worse, like I was being called in to answer questions about the bruises on my body, when the last time I’d eaten was, or when was the last time I’d bathed and changed clothes. Either way, I hated feeling weak and uneasy.
I sat and waited.
Our hours had already been cut, and I knew business was bad, so I figured whatever the boss wanted to say couldn’t be good.
“TJ, you know things have been going downhill here for a while, and I’ve tried to do what I could to preserve the business and get back on even ground, but I’ve come to a decision… There’s no way easy way to say this, so I’m just gonna rip the band aid,” The defeated look on his face made my stomach clench. “I’m selling the business. Mary and I have raised four kids, and I’ve had this shop for over twenty-five years, and it’s just more stress than I want to deal with. We’re going to retire and head down to Florida to be by our oldest. She’s having her second baby, and Mary wants to be by her grandkids. I know you and Cal will take a hit from this, but you’re both hard workers and good at what you do, so I know you won’t have any trouble finding another job. I’ll be happy to write a letter of recommendation if you need one.”
I felt a mixture of anger and hurt at his words. Not because I didn’t understand his posi
tion, or wish he and his wife the best, but I needed this job. I depended on it. I loved the work, and the privacy of living on the grounds. I’d been picking up painting jobs with my friend Brock’s company, but it wasn’t full time work, and it didn’t pay as much as working at the shop did. The clenching of my stomach turned into a burn.
I hated the thought of losing my job and my apartment. They weren’t much, but they were mine. I made a decent living and had a stable environment, something I’d never really had before. The thought of not knowing where my next paycheck was coming from, or whether I’d have money to eat and pay rent, tore me apart.
But that wasn’t my boss’s problem. It was mine.
I’d start looking for another job and see if I could pick up some extra jobs with Brock.
“When do you need me out of the apartment?” I asked warily.
“This weekend,” he responded with a frown. “I’m sorry I can’t give you more time, TJ, but we’ve already had a couple of people interested in the property.”
I nodded absently, my mind reeling as I tried to plan what my next step could be. Scott had just gotten Cal off his couch, and he was having issues with his fiancée, Victoria, so I didn’t want to impose on him. Cal and Shelly had just worked out their marital problems, and Cal had moved back in with her, so there was no way I would ask them to put me up. Not when they were just getting back on track.
I thought about my grandparents, and felt the familiar rush of sadness. I’d only had them in my life for a few years, but they’d been the best years of my life. They’d taught me what it was to feel loved, and they’d done their best to rebuild my trust and faith in people. They’d passed away last year, so they wouldn’t be around to save me this time.
I was going to have to figure this out on my own.
Acknowledgements
Thank you so much to the readers. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the fact that you give my books a chance. Thank you!
Thank you to the wonderful people who agreed to Beta Read 8 Weeks: Marilyn Almodovar, Jennifer Snyder, Kristi Strong, Taneesha Freidus, Autumn from the Autumn Review, Shanyn Day, and Brooklyn Skye. Thank you all so much for your input!
Thanks to Shanyn again, and Inkslinger PR, for the encouragement and support. I love you guys!
Thanks to Kristina Circelli for editing, Kelsey Kukal-Keeton for the wonderful portfolio of photos (I’m so happy with the picture I chose), to Karen at White Hot Formatting, and to the scrumptious Allie at B Design for the beautiful cover. You have all truly become a team to me, and my books are made better because of all of you!
Thanks to Raine, whether you feel the same or not, I view you as my partner in crime. I’m so lucky to have “met” you two and a half years ago, and I cherish your input!
Thanks to the fabulous women from my Story 4 Story group, for giving me a safe place to talk, vent, and share thoughts and ideas. I’m so happy to have you all in my life.
Finally, a huge Thank You to my family for allowing me to live my dream, and supporting me every step of the way.
About the Author
Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Other Titles
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Coming Soon
Preview
Acknowledgements
About the Author