That's a Relief (Promises, Promises Book 3)

by Victoria Klahr

  “I know, Sethy,” I say, stumbling over the knot in my throat. He nods his head vigorously and looks away.

  The door to one of the patient’s rooms opens and Brandon walks out with his mother. Brody, Breanna, and I all stand and face them. Brandon’s eyes lock on Breanna’s and a wide grin breaks out on his face.

  “Little sis!” He walks up to her, picks her up, and swings her around. “When the hell did you come home?”

  “Today,” Breanna says, trying to hide her smile.

  “Well, come on over to the house and meet Alec. You’ve been gone so long. You should stay with us.”

  Breanna sends a quick look to Brody—looking for confidence or guidance—and then nods her head. “Sure. That sounds good.”

  “How’s Blake?” I chime in.

  Brandon and his mom turn to me. Joyce used to look on me with affection. That all changed when she found out I broke Blake’s heart by getting an abortion. Now all I see is apathy.

  “He’s alive. Just woke up. The doc says his leg is broken and there was some damage done to his spine. He’ll be due for another surgery later, but they seem pretty confident he’ll regain full use of his leg once he heals. They were worried about a punctured lung, but he’s breathing on his own now, so that’s good. Other than that, he’s just pretty banged up.”

  “What the hell happened?” I ask on a gasp.

  Brandon clears his throat and sends a quick look to Seth before answering me. “It was a car accident.” He looks back at me and pushes the curls of his shaggy, dark-brown hair out of his eyes. “Josie …” He sends me a calculating look and pauses, like he’s assessing what kind of state I’m in to hear what he has to say.

  A gasp echoes in the room and everyone turns to Breanna, who turns away from me to look at Brody, eyes wide and a hand covering her mouth. I can see some sort of communication going on between the two of them, a bond only they understand. Before she turns to walk out of the waiting room, I notice tears shining in her eyes. Which makes me even more curious about her than before. Brody sends me an apologetic look and takes off after her.

  Brandon turns back to me, looking more upset after seeing Breanna run off. “He’s awake now. He wants to talk to you.” Again, he looks to Seth and gives him a commiserative look. “Just her.”

  My body sags, not sure if I’m relieved or even more worried. Seth looks at me, clenched jaw and hard eyes. “Remember what I told you, Josie. Do not forget it.”

  “Thanks, Brandon,” I say quietly as I pass him. My hand shakes as I reach for the door knob, knowing that whatever is about to be said in the next room is going to change my relationship with Seth forever.

  Chapter 22

  Seth

  I watch her make her way inside the room of the man I’ve grown to hate through time. Someone who has never deserved Josie’s affection but still got it. Someone who just a few hours ago spent time alone with my fiancée, saying and doing who knows what.

  What if he convinced her to go back to him? What if she walks in that hospital room and realizes she made a mistake being with me and wants Blake again? What if she walks in that room with my ring on her finger and walks out with it off?

  I’ve felt it in the way she’s looked at me all night. She’s been trying to say something, but the words are too hard for her to get out. And honestly, I don’t want to know. I don’t want to know what it’s going to feel like when she pushes me away for that final time and my heart shatters in a million unrepairable pieces.

  The roar of my racing heart is too loud in my ears. With every inch of that door shutting, I can feel the chord between us severing.

  Until, finally, it snaps.

  Chapter 23

  Josie

  “Oh, Blake,” I say quietly as I shut the door, taking in his appearance.

  He’s hooked up to multiple machines, bandages are around his head and ribs, bruises, cuts and stitches scar his face and body, a cast sits on his wrist, and his is leg supported by a sling. He looks terrible.

  “Looks worse than it is, love.”

  “For some reason, I doubt that,” I mutter, pulling up a seat next to him. I start to reach for his hand, but I think better of it and fold them in my lap. “What happened to you?”

  His eyes turn serious and he takes multiple labored breaths. “It was a hit and run.” I inhale sharply. His good hand reaches out to touch my arm, grabbing my attention. “This is really important, Josie. So you need to listen very carefully before I pass out again from the drugs. Got it?”

  I nod and try to swallow the anxiety exploding within me. “Yes. Got it.”

  Dread pools in the pit of my stomach and I beg the Universe that what I think he’s about to tell me isn’t true.

  His voice is raspy and it takes him a minute before he finds the strength to talk. “I saw him hit me. I tried to swerve out of the way but he kept gunning for me. I ended up in a ditch, and smashing right into a tree.” He winces as he tries to turn toward me, forgetting that his body is wrecked. “Josie, I’m so sorry. I thought he couldn’t get to us, but …” he chokes on his words, eyes turning misty. “This could have been Brandon. Or Alec or Brooke! It could have been you! And I told you not to even worry about it.”

  “This is all my fault,” I say, covering my face in my hands. How close was he to dying out there today? “He told me, Blake. He fucking told me that no one I loved was safe. Including his family.”

  “No,” Blake says, voice firm despite the effects of the drugs. “Do not blame yourself for this. This is all my dad’s fault.” He chews on some ice chips before he speaks again. “I thought you should know first. I’ll have to tell the cops that it was him, and I’m worried he might target you a lot sooner than we thought.”

  “I’m going to tell Brandon to get Alec and Brooke out of the state, and you need to start thinking about what you’re going to do about your family. About Seth,” Blake continues after catching his breath.

  My knee bounces as I try to process everything. Michael did not back down, despite being caught by Blake earlier today. It didn’t stop his mission, it just set it into motion. And maybe the fact that Blake—

  A text buzzes on my phone.

  Blocked Number: I knew you were a little slut but I didn’t realize you were still fucking my son. He got what he deserved.

  Another text chimes before I can even process the sick words.

  Blocked Number: At least you have a backup when I kill your fiancée.

  “Jesus fucking Christ.” My hands shake—fear clawing its way into my mind and heart. How did this happen? How did my life go from worrying about him catching me and hurting me, to him killing the man I love?

  Blake’s raspy voice brings me back. “What’s wrong?”

  I show him the text messages and he closes his eyes with a harsh exhale.

  “Blake, he’s going to kill Seth. He’s not going to let him live, and as long as Seth is still a huge part of my life, Michael’s going to go after him.”

  “Damn,” Blake grumbles, trying to sit up. He winces and stops moving, and I watch as his mind works in overdrive, trying to find a way to protect everyone involved with me.

  “Are you going to tell everyone about what happened behind your building? About what Michael said?” I ask.

  “I want them safe, but I don’t want them freaking out. Brandon already knows this was Michael, and I imagine he won’t keep that to himself.” Meaning he’ll tell Seth since they’re best friends.

  “Dammit.” I rub my hands over my face. If Brandon tells Seth it’s Michael who hurt Blake, then Seth will start piecing everything together. He’ll know Michael is gunning for people close to me. Which means he won’t let me walk away.

  “Josie, calm down. Seth is a grown-ass man. He’s fully capable of defending himself. Don’t underestimate him.”

  “You don’t get it, Blake! This isn’t your fucking soulmate’s life on the line here. I won’t lose him! I can’t.”

  Blake winces and re
aches for the cup of ice chips on his portable table. “I could lose you,” he says quietly to the ceiling.

  I ignore that and keep pushing for a solution to protect Seth that doesn’t involve crushing him and me in the process. It doesn’t seem possible.

  “Blake,” I whisper, a sob catching in my throat, forcing his gaze back to mine. He’s almost gone to the medicine so I don’t have much time. “I have to call off the wedding. I can’t marry Seth if Michael’s going to hurt him. I have to make it look like I don’t love him.”

  “Tell him why, Jo. He’ll understand.”

  “He won’t, though,” I say, getting frustrated, pushing back from my seat and pacing the floor. “He won’t let me go to keep himself safe, especially if it means I’m in danger. If I make him think it’s over, he can walk away free.”

  Blake looks at the ceiling and lets out a slow breath. “Why is it always your first instinct to lie, Jo? Why can’t you trust someone for once?”

  I look away, to the door where the man I love is waiting on the other side. “I don’t trust I’ll survive another broken heart, Blake.”

  Taking in another haggard breath, Blake closes his eyes and drifts off mid-sentence. “I’m hiring a bodyguard for my family and one that’ll stand outside the door. You’re welcome to stay here if you need to.”

  As I’m wrapped in the silence of the room, I slide down the cold wall, bring my knees to my chest, and start sobbing.

  ***

  My hand pauses before turning the doorknob, shaking uncontrollably. I shake it out and try again, swallowing back the pain. I build a wall around my emotions. One that Seth can’t penetrate—where he can’t convince me I’m making a mistake.

  Even though this very well could be the biggest mistake of my life, my gut is telling me that I need to do this. That this is the only way Seth lives.

  Finally, I get the door open and walk back out into the waiting room. Brody and Breanna sit with their heads close together laughing quietly amongst themselves. Brandon’s passed out in one of the chairs, snoring loudly. Another couple sits in the back, playing on their phones.

  Finally, my eyes land on Seth, who’s already looking at me—observing me—his forearms on his knees and hands clutching his sandy-blond hair. The corner of his mouth tilts down and he closes his eyes as he exhales. He gets up from his seat and moves to a corner on the other side of the room, tilting his head so I know to follow him. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and keeps his eyes on the carpet.

  “Seth,” I try to say, my voice catching.

  He looks up and pins me with his blue-green eyes, filled with desperation and fear. He lifts his hand to my face, stroking his thumb across the apple of my cheek. “Jos, whatever you’re about to say, I’m begging you to rethink it.” The rasp in his voice pierces me. “Don’t push me away.”

  I place my hand on top of his and shake my head. “I’m not pushing you away, Seth. But we need to talk.”

  He pulls back and crosses his arms as if it can ward against the words I’m about to say to him. Every nerve ending in my body feels raw. For too many seconds or minutes I stand there looking at this handsome man, and I can’t breathe, let alone get the words out that will break his heart.

  I’m hit with the reality that I might very well lose him forever after this conversation. That he will stop trying when he realizes I’m not worth the effort anymore—because I’m always hurting him or pushing him away. This could be the end of Josie and Seth.

  “Fucking A, Josie. Would you spit it out?” He shoots me a hard look. “You stand there looking like what you’re about to say is devastating you, when I know—I fucking know—I’m the one about to be devastated.”

  Tears sting my eyes, and I turn my face away from him. Because he’s right, and I’m a coward. Do I have any right to be upset when I’m about to ruin everything?

  This has to be done. I have to be strong. This is my decision—one I know will keep him alive. That’s the only thing that matters.

  “I can’t marry you,” I say, looking back at him.

  I almost lose my resolve when I see the way he reacts to the words I’ve just said.

  Chapter 24

  Seth

  I can’t marry you.

  A punch to the gut would have hurt a hell of a lot less than those four words. For too much time, it feels like the wind has been knocked out of me. My knees threaten to buckle under my weight, and I keep gasping for a breath of air.

  Josie reaches for me when I bend over my stomach, no longer able to hold myself together, but I shove her arm away. I just need a minute. A minute to process and figure out a way to change her mind. There has to be a reason.

  But those words.

  I’d expected her to push me away, but to tell me she can’t marry me…. No. I wasn’t ready for that.

  “I’m so sorry, Seth—”

  For some reason, those words snap me out of the pain. I straighten up and loom over her small frame. “Do not apologize to me right now, Josie.” I lean in and keep my voice low. “You go into that room intent on marrying me and come out and say you can’t. Tell me what happened.”

  For the first time in so long, the hurt on her face doesn’t faze me. Of all the things she could have done to me, this is by far the worst.

  “Nothing happened, Seth. I decided that now isn’t a good time to get married. We’re bickering all the time—”

  “Bickering?” A surprised laugh escapes. “Are you kidding me right now?” When she straightens her shoulders and looks at me head on, I start shaking my head in disbelief. “You’re the fucking queen of lies, Josie, and the best you can come up with is that we bicker too fucking much?”

  “We’ve been a mess for weeks now. Ever since you lied and didn’t tell me Michael was out of prison.”

  I take a step back, running my fingers through my hair roughly. She lied about that too, then. She told me she wasn’t upset. She told me not to apologize anymore. She fucking told me to stop blaming myself. All lies.

  “I don’t get it,” I whisper to myself and run a hand over my mouth. I look up at her, and she winces at whatever she sees on my face. “I thought these last few weeks have been amazing. I thought you wanted to marry me.” I’m embarrassed when my voice catches on those words.

  Josie’s face softens briefly. “I did—”

  “Jesus Christ, Josie,” I say through gritted teeth, pressing up against her again, my face dangerously close to hers. “How is it possible for you to keep breaking my heart? How can every word you spit out cut me so deeply?”

  “I’m not trying to break your heart!”

  “Then what do you call this?” My fist hits my chest for emphasis. This pain living beneath my hand is excruciating. “An hour ago I held you in my arms, knowing that despite the problems we’re facing right now, despite the fact that for the first time in a year my trust in you was questioned, we would get through anything. Because you and I—we are the real deal.”

  The hand she swipes over her mouth shakes and she pushes away from me—successfully putting distance where I don’t want any. “God, you’re making this so much harder,” she says to herself.

  “You are my fiancée, Josie! You are my best friend. You are my soulmate—I know that in the core of who I am. You and I were made for each other.” She looks around the room as if worried others will listen in. “You expect me to just walk away? To let you call of the wedding with the excuse that we bicker too much? Newsflash, Josie, we fight all the fucking time. What makes up for it is the fact that I’m so fucking in love with you!”

  “Yes,” she whispers harshly, leaning in. “Let it go. Let me go. I’m not marrying you, Seth. Maybe we can work things out later, but right now, I need a break. I need to get away.”

  I stand still, breathing hard as I look at her. Every muscle in my body is clenched tight. Anger takes over the disbelief and hurt. “So, what? You see Blake today and decide he’s the one you want to be with? He shows you that nice big fucki
ng dream house of his and you realize he can do so much more for you than I can?”

  My vision blurs in my angry haze, but I still see the look of shock on her face. “How …? How … did you know?” she stammers.

  “God, you think I’m fucking stupid, Jos?” I pull at the hair threaded between my fingers. “Brandon is my best friend. Of course I know about the goddamn house. That he designed it for you and planned on asking you to marry him.”

  “Oh, Seth,” she starts, shaking her head and looking back at the door to Blake’s room.

  I swallow past the painful lump in my throat. “Is that what this is about, Josie?” My voice is too calm. Too controlled. “Are you choosing him over me? Again?”

  She sucks in a sharp breath and covers her mouth, eyes shining and refusing to look at me. The guilt is clear on her face. Louder than that is the blatant lack of denial.

  “Fuck!” I wail way too loudly.

  Has this been going on longer than today? How long has she been with him behind my back? I turn and walk away from her, in an attempt to stop myself from falling to my knees and begging her to choose me instead. To love me, instead. She catches my arm to keep me in place.

  “Shh. Don’t yell in here,” she has the nerve to say.

  I point a finger in her direction, breathing heavily and closing the distance between us. “Shut the fuck up, Josie. Do not tell me how to react when you’ve just destroyed everything.”

  “This is a hospital. This can’t be the place you lose control.” I hate the hard and vacant look in her eyes. In the course of an hour, she’s reverted back to the closed-off girl she promised she’d never be with me.

  “You’re breaking up with me. You! In the middle of the fucking hospital, Josie. Outside your new boyfriend’s room.” I throw an arm out in that direction, breathing hard. “If you wanted civility, then you should have picked somewhere else to break my fucking heart.” I corner her into the wall, turning my back to the murmuring and rustling in the waiting room. “Tell me what happened,” I plead again with more emphasis than before.