MattErica not texting me the night before was a little odd, but I blew it off. I wasn't going to let anything small or silly come between us. She meant too damn much to me.I got up to the sound of Damon moving around the kitchen. He'd decided after dinner to stay the night. He was wiped out, and the bastard laid down for a nap and never got up again."Finally," he grumbled as he gave me a look.I moved toward the coffee pot, ignoring him for a few minutes until I got the coffee going. "So, what time did you get up?""Fucking four o'clock. Why didn't you wake me up last night?" He lifted his arms to the ceiling and stretched."Because you were exhausted, man." I grabbed two cups, but he stopped me."None for me. I've already had a pot to myself."I chuckled. "What are your plans today?""I need to get ready for that meeting tomorrow morning, but I can do it later tonight. Why? You wanna go do something."It was nice to have him there. The older we got, the more I appreciated the rela
Erica"Why are we going by Erica's?" Damon gave me a sideways look as we got back in his Mercedes, both of us so full that it hurt to walk."She's not responding to my text." I shrugged and got in the car, buckling up. "She went to some art event last night and was sick over having to see Mitch there."He let out a sigh and pulled away from the restaurant. "I don't understand what the fuck Mitch has to do with all of this.""Did you at least look into him?" I barked and glanced over to pin my brother with a hard stare."Yes, and he's the same guy I told you he was. He lost his wife, he's devoted to dad, and him and his kid don't really get along, but that's pretty normal, Matt. What were you thinking I was going to find?"My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out like it was on fire in my pocket. Erica's text was short, but at least she was texting.We need to talk. I put the phone to my ear to call her. It rang five times and went to voicemail. What the hell?"Alright. So are we going to
EricaThe night before played in my mind's eye over and over as I lay in the bed that next morning. Mitch had been kind and almost sweet when we arrived at his big mansion by the water. The place was decorated warmly, from his wife no doubt. I couldn't have imagined losing someone I loved, and yet there I sat, at the edge of watching Matt walk away.Mitch and I had shared a drink, and luckily for me, I had time to slip a few pills in his liquor, which was insanely effective. He got dizzy pretty quickly, and I pulled him down the hallway and pushed him back on the bed as he passed out.It worked like a charm, and yet, I felt empty on the inside. What if he died in the middle of the night? What if Jonathan got to Matt before I did?I needed to tell Matt everything. I had to.After rolling around in my cold sheets until just before lunch, I finally pulled myself up and walked to the kitchen. Not having Zek there left the apartment filled with an uncomfortable silence. All I had was my th
Erica"Of course I do." I was proud of myself for not skipping a beat."You're a terrible liar, Erica. You've got too much of your father in you." She cackled loudly.I sat in a stony silence, not sure what to say or do. I had nothing left to give, and even if I had... she wouldn't have accepted it. My father's passing hurt her too much for her to be around me. I looked like him, acted like him, was him in feminine form."Everything okay in here?" The nurse poked her head in the room, and I glanced up, not realizing that an hour had gone by. We hadn't said another word to each other. There was nothing to say."Yes. My daughter was just packing up to leave." My mom turned her face toward the window. "Don't bother coming again. I know you don't want to be here, and you know I don't like seeing you.""Mom-""Don't. Come. Again." She jerked her head around and narrowed her eyes. "Period."I nodded and stood up, knowing better than to fight with her. I picked up my purse and walked to the
MattFour days. It had been four days since I reamed Erica on the phone, and I hadn't gotten a text or a call since then. Lanie came and picked up the dog from Damon a few days after our last conversation, but I'd stayed in the bedroom. I wasn't sure what to think or how to feel, so I just didn't."Dude. You have to get out of this fucking house. Today." Damon walked into the living room and glanced down at me. I hadn't gotten off the couch for four days for anything other than to shit occasionally. I wasn't eating much, and my sleep was horribly dicked up. "You look like hell.""Fuck off." I turned over on my side and faced the couch as my thoughts tormented me. All I wanted was to be loved by a woman like Erica. I would have given her everything. The heart from my goddamn chest, but that wasn't enough for her.It was almost comical how stupid I was."Matt. Get your ass up now. I'm not messing around with you."I lifted my middle finger in the air. He might have been able to take me
Matt"Fine, but if he's the one that started this with Erica, I'm going to kill him." I got out of the car and walked with purpose toward the office. Never in my life had I wanted to be violent with someone, but the old fucker who stole my woman was at the top of my list."Matt. Maybe we shouldn't do this here." Sophie jogged up next to me, her eyes filled with worry as she slipped her arm into mine and slowed me a little."I have to know, Soph. I need to start moving toward getting over this." I got into the elevator, grateful that we were the only ones in it. "You would want to know too.""I know. I'm just worried about you making a big scene at your dad's office. That's all." She pressed her cheek to my shoulder as she leaned against me. "I wish I could take this from you. I would."I reached out and took her hand. "I know you would. It's my problem to deal with though. I just need to deal with it.""Agreed," Damon grumbled as he stood at the front of the elevator, facing us. "If t
EricaToday is the day. I laid in my hotel bed and chanted the same words over and over again. Today had to be the day. The day where I felt like eating, touring the city, breathing deeply again.I missed Matt so bad that my body hurt, my brain ached, my teeth even felt sore. Forcing myself into the shower, I turned on the hot water and pressed my back against the cold tile wall. I wanted him so fucking bad that I honestly felt as if I were willing to do anything to get him back."Then tell him what happened. Make him listen to you!" I yelled at myself in the shower as a torrent of emotions raced through me, threatening to force me to my knees in anguish.But he wouldn't listen. I knew it for a fact.Memory after memory assaulted me, each one weakening my resolve to leave the hotel room. I cried out and closed my eyes, pressing my palms against my face and trying hard to hold myself together."What am I going to do without you in my life?" I let another sob go as the first time we mad
Erica"Aren't you beautiful, lass, but so melancholy." A middle-aged bartender with a thick Scottish accent leaned toward me as I slid onto a barstool at the pub down the street."Life has kicked me in the gut." I shrugged and pointed to the bottle of Jack he had behind him. "I'll take a Jack and Coke.""Single or double?" He gave me a warm smile."Double, please." I glanced around to find the little place homely, and quite busy for late in the afternoon. Maybe people got off work early on Thursdays?"Here you go, love." He set the liquor down in front of me. "You look a little piqued. Care for something to eat? We have the best Fish and Chips you'll ever put in your mouth."I nodded. "Yeah. That sounds nice, actually.""Excellent!" He bellowed and rubbed his belly as he walked away.The sight of him caused me to smile. Matt would have loved to mimic him later in the night. I pulled out my phone and checked for missed calls and messages. I had a few texts from Lanie and one from Damon