When We Fall

by E. L. Todd

  “And that’s even worse,” he snapped. “Because it’ll be too late. Actually, it is too late.”

  I hoped he was just saying that out of anger. It was clear he was bitter. And I couldn’t blame him. If Trinity left me…I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. “So, what’s your plan now?”

  “I was just looking for an apartment.”

  “You can have my old one.”

  “No thanks,” he said. “I need something bigger. Since this move is permanent I may as well find something I really like. I found a place pretty close to work. It’s an apartment but since Skye has a yard I don’t think it’ll be a big deal.”

  “A yard?” I wasn’t following.

  “For the baby,” he answered. “The place has three bedrooms so he’ll have plenty of room when he comes over.

  This is getting more depressing. “I’m sure it’s nice.”

  “Yeah…” A distant look came into his eyes.

  I thought now would be a good time to change the subject. “Trinity and I are seeing a specialist because we can’t get pregnant.”

  His attention returned. “How’d that go?”

  “We had to do some procedures…it sucked.”

  He smiled. “Had to jerk off into a cup?”

  “Yeah…it was weird.”

  “I bet. They had some videos in there?”

  “I looked at a picture of Trinity.”

  Sadness came over his face.

  I had no idea why. “Everything alright?”

  “It’s nothing…”

  “You can tell me, Cayson. When have you ever told me something and regretted it?”

  He was quiet for a long time. “I can’t masturbate because my body only responds to Skye. But when I think about her I get depressed. So, I’m horny and there’s nothing I can do about it. But I can’t picture myself with anyone else but her…ever. I just can’t.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  “And when I picture her with someone else…it makes me want to die.”

  I bowed my head.

  “Somewhere down the road she’s going to get remarried. And I’m going to get remarried…isn’t that the most depressing thing you’ve ever heard?”

  I nodded because I couldn’t find my voice.

  He looked around at the apartment. “How did my life come to this? Why did I have to go on that trip? Why did I have to meet Laura? I only went so I could help people but that bit me so fucking hard in the ass.”

  I kept my mouth shut.

  “Now that the divorce is final, you need to tell the gang.”

  “What?” I blurted.

  “Tell them about the divorce. They’re going to find out sooner or later, and I’d rather not be there for it. Just tell them what happened and tell them not to ask me about it. I don’t want to talk about it.”

  I guess it had to be done eventually, and I’d rather them hear my side instead of Skye’s lies. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thanks. So…do you think anything is wrong?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know, with you and Trinity?”

  “Oh…I’m not sure. I think it might be her though.”

  “Why?”

  “According to my research, it’s mostly women whom are responsible for infertility. I sincerely hope it’s nothing because I don’t want her to go through that.”

  Cayson nodded. “It would be heartbreaking.”

  “Yeah…I hate it when she’s sad.” It makes me sad.

  “Well, I’m sure everything is okay,” Cayson said. “You guys are both young.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I’m sure I am. And then you guys have a baby crawling around. I know my son isn’t here yet but I know it’s going to be amazing. Even now, when I’m insanely depressed, it still makes me happy. Honestly, my son is the only thing keeping me going.”

  Now I felt even worse for him. “I’m sure he’ll be great.”

  “I know he will. I have a beautiful wife so it’s a guarantee she’ll give me beautiful children.” He smiled slightly.

  At least he didn’t hate her.

  But I couldn’t say the same thing about myself.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sean

  I arrived in London then found her apartment in the center of town. She lived in a building directly next to a coffee shop and a bakery. It had just rained for three days straight so the pavement was slick and wet. Snails were crawling out of flowerbeds and worms were all over the sidewalk.

  Scarlet remained at the hotel because I wanted to speak to Laura alone. If Scarlet came it might bombard her. I asked Mike to keep an eye on my kids while I was away. They didn’t even know I was here—especially Skye.

  I entered her building then walked up to the fourth floor. When I found her apartment number, I knocked. The hallway was eerily silent. It was too quiet. The lamps on either side of the door glowed dimly. It was unusually dark. I could barely distinguish the details of the wallpaper.

  Feet sounded on the other side of the door. They approached the door and then stopped. Then I heard the sound of the peephole. She didn’t recognize me so she might not answer. “Hello, Laura. My name is Sean Preston. I’d like to speak with you if you had the time.” I wasn’t wearing my suit so I didn’t look as credible. I was dressed down in jeans and a jacket.

  Surprisingly, Laura opened the door. “I don’t know a Sean Preston.” She was thin and long. She had darker skin like she spent a lot of time in the sun. She had exotic features, like large eyes the shape of almonds and exaggerated cheekbones. She was a beautiful girl.

  “We’ve never met.” I should extend my hand to shake hers but I didn’t want to touch her. This woman ruined my daughter’s marriage. Shaking her hand in a gesture of friendship was a betrayal to my family. “I was hoping you could answer a few questions.”

  “Are you from the police?”

  “No.” I pulled out seven hundred euros from my wallet. “The cash is yours if you answer my questions truthfully.”

  Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I don’t like this…”

  “It’s about Cayson Thompson.”

  That changed her reaction. The suspicion diminished and the concern emerged. “Cayson? Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine. I just have a few questions.” I continued to hold up the cash.

  “What do you want to know?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Did you have a romantic relationship with him?”

  The suspicion returned. “Why are you asking?”

  “Just answer the question—honestly.”

  “Preston…” She spoke the name slowly. “I know that name.”

  I stared her down.

  “That’s his wife’s maiden name…which means you must be her father or uncle.”

  I didn’t lie about it. “I’m Cayson’s father-in-law. Well, I may not be much longer.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “Please answer the question.”

  “I don’t understand why you’re all the way in London asking me these things. Tell me why and I’ll answer you.”

  She backed me into a corner. “Skye found the letter you left in Cayson’s bag.”

  “Oh…” She covered her mouth and gasped. “I see…”

  “So, you did have a romantic relationship with him?” It’s what I suspected all along but I didn’t get any pleasure from being right.

  “No.”

  “No?” Did I hear her right? “In the letter you said you slept together. How is that not romantic?”

  “No, I never slept with him.”

  “That’s what you said.”

  “I think I would know if I slept with him or not.”

  “But you talked about all the nights you spent together…”

  “Talking. I meant all the nights we spent talking. Cayson protected me when he didn’t have to and he was a great listener…he was a good friend. I can’t believe all of this is happeni
ng because of that letter.” She took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  “What about the kiss?”

  “I kissed him and he pushed me off. That was it.”

  Shit.

  “Didn’t he tell you all of this?”

  “He did…but we didn’t believe him.”

  “You didn’t believe him?” she asked in surprise. “Cayson is the most noble person I’ve ever met. All he ever talked about was Skye.”

  Damn, I felt even worse. “Then why did you give him that letter at all?”

  She shrugged. “It was a long shot but I wanted him to know I was always available if he ever was. He’s a pretty amazing guy. I didn’t see the harm. I thought he would read it and throw it away. I didn’t realize his wife would find it.”

  I felt sick to my stomach. This entire time Cayson was telling the truth but nobody believed him.

  “His wife is a very lucky woman. Cayson would never hurt her. He could have had me during that entire trip but he was never even tempted. And I made it very clear he could have me whenever he wanted.”

  I was too upset to care about her slutty behavior. Skye didn’t believe him and neither did I. All of this would have been cleared up if I just visited Laura to begin with. But instead, I sided with a piece of paper.

  I was such an idiot.

  “Is there anything else you wanted to know?”

  “No…” I handed over the cash.

  She didn’t take it. “I don’t want your money. The least I can do for him is clear his name. But if you guys didn’t believe him anyway then perhaps he’s better off without you.”

  I was too numb to care.

  “Good bye, Mr. Preston.” She closed the door in my face.

  I stood there for a long time, thinking about all the damage I caused. Cayson told me the same story over and over but I never believed him. I didn’t even give him the benefit of the doubt. The light left his eyes when I didn’t trust a word he said. The close relationship we had disappeared. I should have been a father to him but I wasn’t.

  Instead, I let him down.

  Check out MONDAY, the free book found at the end of this story!

  I don’t believe in destiny.

  In fate.

  Or in soul mates.

  But I believe in Hawke.

  My life has never been whole since my parents left forever. I have my brother, someone I can barely tolerate most of the time, and I have my best friend, Marie.

  And I have myself.

  But when Hawke walks into my life, there’s an immediate connection. Our eyes lock and an unspoken conversation is exchanged. For the first time in my life, I actually feel something.

  But he doesn’t.

  He keeps me at arm’s length and pretends there’s nothing between us when there clearly is. I’m not the kind of girl to wait around for any guy, so I don’t.

  But that doesn’t mean he isn’t in the back of my mind.

  Our paths cross again in a way neither one of us expect and it changes everything. Was it destiny that made it happen? Was it fate?

  Or was it something else?

  When We Break

  Book Thirty-Nine of The Forever and Ever Series

  AVAILABLE NOW

  Click to Purchase on Amazon

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading Skye and Cayson’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you could leave a short review, it would help me so much! Those reviews are the best kind of support you can give an author. Thank you!

  Wishing you love,

  E. L. Todd

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  Another Day At The Office

  Francesca

  On my first day working at The Grind, a coffee shop in Myrtle Beach, the constant sound of the running blender gave me a headache. Just when it would stop spinning for a damn second, it started up again. Taking orders from customers was a hassle because I couldn’t hear a word they said. And just when I raised my voice so they could understand me, the blender shut off and I looked like a screaming lunatic.

  But now that blender reminded me of home.

  I’d been working at The Grind for nearly three years. It was a great college gig. It was flexible with my class schedule, and when I wanted to blow off work for a party, it was easy to change shifts with another worker.

  It wasn’t my dream job, but it was okay for now.

  The shop was dead that afternoon, so I opened my jar of homemade batter and beat it with a spoon until it was fluffy again. Then I poured it into a pan and shoved it into the oven.

  “What are you baking now?” Marie, my roommate and best friend, grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist. She reeked of smoke, so I knew she lit one up in the back alley. I tried getting her to quit a few times, but that just made her addiction worse.

  “Apple cherry muffins.”

  “Hmm…sounds good.”

  I was notorious for my love of baking. We had an oven at our house, but it wasn’t as nice as the one at The Grind. I took advantage of it whenever I could. “They’re not super sweet so at least they won’t give you diabetes.”

  Marie popped a few breath mints into her mouth to cover up the stench of smoke. “I’m not worried about diabetes.”

  “Just lung cancer?” It was a mean jab but I didn’t care.

  Marie rolled her eyes. “I smoke twice a day…sometimes only once.”

  “If it’s so seldom, why do it at all?” I put my hand on my hip and narrowed my eyes on her face. I wasn’t a judgmental person, but I wanted my best friend to be around as long as possible.

  “Shut up and keep baking.” She walked around me and headed to the front of the café.

  I rolled my eyes even though no one was around to witness it. Then I set the timer on the oven.

  ***

  “Damn, these are good.” Marie picked at the muffin right at the counter. A few customers were sitting at tables in the lobby, but no one was in line. Fortunately, our manager was pretty lenient with all the crazy things we did. One time, a customer complained that Marie was on her phone, but our manager didn’t seem to care.

  “Thanks.”

  “Are they made with real apples and cherries?” She spoke with her mouth full.

  “Yep. Natural is the only way to go.” I tried not to eat everything I made otherwise I really would get diabetes.

  “We could probably sell these for two bucks a pop.” She finished the muffin then sucked the crumbs off her fingers.

  “Two bucks?” I asked. “Maybe ninety nine cents.”

  “Are you kidding me?” she asked. “Our chocolate croissant is $3.50.”

  “Still sounds like a rip off to me.” I noti
ced the crumbs around her mouth but I didn’t say anything because I knew she would get there eventually. Right now, she was focused on her fingers.

  The bell over the door rang as someone walked inside. That bell was a lifesaver when we were doing things we shouldn’t be—like right now. I set the tray of muffins on the counter then smoothed out my apron without checking who the customer was.

  “Oh my god.” Marie lowered her voice so only I could hear her. “That’s him.”

  “That’s who?”

  “That super hot guy that comes in here all the time. He works on homework or something. But he looks too old to be in college…” She immediately straightened her hair then checked her breath.

  I peeked over the counter and saw the guy she was talking about. She wasn’t exaggerating about his looks. He really was hot. He had dark brown hair that was a little messy, but he obviously did it on purpose. It was full and thick, and it was clear he ran his fingers through it when he was deep in thought. He wore slacks and a collared shirt with a dark blue tie down his chest. He had to be over six feet, and he filled out his clothes well. Even in a sleeved shirt, the muscles of his arms were obvious. His chest was wide and his stomach was tight. He stood at the end of the line and stared up at the menu as he tried to decide what he wanted.

  He was definitely a looker.

  “Ask him out,” I whispered to her.

  “Are you crazy?” she snapped. “I’m not doing that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s lame,” she said quickly. “Girls don’t ask out guys.”

  “Says who?” I demanded. “If he says no, whatever. Move on. But if he says yes…take him out for a drink.”

  “I’m not doing that.” She raised her hand to shut me up. Whenever she did that, I knew she really wanted me to drop the subject.

  “Don’t you think a guy finds that sexy?”