Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 111038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111038 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 555(@200wpm)___ 444(@250wpm)___ 370(@300wpm)
I held her gaze, reading a promise there. It hit me that she could disappear. She could easily pack up and take off, and I’d not know where she was until she decided to show up.
Well, fuck.
That just meant I had to sneak another app on her phone, ’cause if it came to that, she’d delete the other one.
I nodded. “Got it.” Yeah, right. She wasn’t going camping alone, not ever again. Was I an extra asshole for worrying about her? Who were the assholes that knew she did this and let her go? ’Cause they were the real assholes.
But she seemed appeased and nodded, lifting her drink again. “Thank you.” Then she frowned. “What are you doing out here anyway?”
I gave her a crooked grin. “Hiding. Same shit as you.”
ASPEN
I jolted when he said that.
Hiding.
Yeah, I was hiding, I guess. I was hiding from school, from my parents. I was hiding from being alone at the house. But I wasn’t only hiding. Who was this guy to come in and declare that I couldn’t do it anymore? He was the dick I’d heard stories about, that’s who. He wasn’t God. He didn’t get to decide these things about my life. He wasn’t my dad or my brother.
I mean, yeah, we’d kissed, and those were some amazing kisses, but that was it.
Were we even friends?
I had no clue.
All I knew was I was confused.
I’d been doing my own thing and then bam, Blaise DeVroe was in my life in a big way. He was at my campsite. That was about as big as it got for me, and he was here, shoving his weight around.
I sighed.
I missed Owen.
Why wasn’t I feeling my brother? It always happened when I went camping.
He’d abandoned me, and Owen was the one that never abandoned me.
I was nuts. That was the only answer for this. But I wasn’t. I was fine. It was normal to do something you’d enjoyed with a loved one to carry on the tradition, and with the idea that they were still with you, just on the other side. I wasn’t crazy for believing in that stuff. There were enough signs when Owen was around—like his favorite song coming on the radio or hearing his voice say my name.
“What are you thinking about over there, weird girl?” Blaise tossed a piece of bark at me.
I frowned, tossing it on the fire. “Don’t call me that.”
“Weird girl?”
“It’s insulting.”
“Okay.” He smirked. “How about Hottie? Hottie with the legs? Legs?”
I tried to glare at him, but I kinda liked the names.
“What?” he mocked, grinning. “Want me to go with Colorado? Colo? Asp? That sounds weird.”
“How about just Aspen?”
“Nah. I’ll go with Colorado. Or I can go with Tree? Birch?” His grin turned wicked, and I could almost imagine the next word to come out of him.
I held up a finger. “If you dare call me a female dog, I will slice your tires when you’re sleeping tonight.”
He paused, holding my gaze, weighing my words.
“Shit,” he muttered. “I think you’d actually do that.”
“Don’t mess with the Birch Lady.”
And he was back to grinning. “Noted. I will forever fear the Colorado Tree Lady.”
I grunted. “Damn right.”
Then he laughed. “Man, you’re a trip.”
I smiled too, but his laugh abruptly stopped, and he pulled out his phone.
He swiped over the screen and sighed audibly. “I gotta handle this. My mom’s throwing a fit.” The screen lit up, and he hit a button, putting it next to his ear. “Mom.”
A pause.
“I’m hanging out with friends.” More silence, then a small growl. “Don’t even start with that. Mom! Mom.” He stood, his drink in one hand and the phone in the other. “I swear to God, Mom.” He stopped, his head falling back to look at the sky. His voice rose. “I didn’t ask him to come out here. I don’t want him here. That douchebag’s not here for me. He’s here for you. He’s sniffing around you, hearing you’re shacked up with your real baby daddy. I’m the goddamn excuse, and I ain’t dealing with it. Let’s go back to New York. Let’s pretend we’re back there, and the same shit would be happening. You and him are fighting about stuff that’s got nothing to do with me, and I’m gone. I’m not even in the house, and here you are calling me, trying to get me to come back, so you and him have a reason to be fighting. He doesn’t want you, but he doesn’t want to let you go either. It’s called a toxic relationship. I’m eighteen. I’ve got my own money. You’ve got nothing to ‘make me’ come back, so I’m not coming. As long as he’s there, I ain’t.” He stopped, listening again. Then his next words came out softer. “I know you’re hurting. He cheated on you, but I knew he was going to decide he wanted another go with you. That’s why I was going out there this summer. I wanted to see what he was going to do to mess with you. I can’t imagine what Stephen is thinking, and Stephen seems like a decent guy. Don’t let Griffith get in there and damage what you have with Stephe—” He stopped.