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All Chapters of Bitter Love: Chapter 41 - Chapter 46
46 Chapters
Chapter Forty one
Bitter Love/Emily Goodwin
Chapter Forty-oneJosieI glance in the rearview mirror, gripping the steering wheel tightly. The roads are still wet from last night’s storm, and there are branches and leaves scattered on the pavement. But, despite my nerves, my hopes are soaring high right now.I’m on my way home with my first official personal rescues—and my new thoroughbred is related to my childhood dream horse. If that’s not fate, then I don’t know what is. I decided to name him Loki, continuing with Aunt Kim’s Norse God theme, and Everly wants to run an online contest for the rescue’s social media followers to name the gray mare.We’re taking them, along with the three ponies Jacob is hauling, right to the clinic. He already talked to Crystal, who set up stalls. They’ll stay there until we can be sure they’re healthy and not contagious; though, Jacob told me not to be surprised if the mare needs to stay longer. She’s in rough shape and lacks the light in her eyes Pongo has, looking like she’s completely given
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Chapter Forty Two
Bitter Love/Emily Goodwin
Chapter Forty-twoJacobMy ringing phone stirs me from my sleep. Blinking my eyes open, I reach for it on my nightstand and then realize it’s not there, but in the pocket of my pants which I discarded on the floor. It hurts to pull myself away from Josie, who’s still sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, I practically fall out of bed to grab my pants, dragging them over so I can get my phone from the pocket. It’s an unknown number, and I send the call to voicemail. If it’s an emergency, they’ll be directed to a call center who will then, in turn, call me back. That number is one I do know, and I’ll answer.But it’s a holiday, for fuck’s sake. All I want to do is sleep next to Josie, feeling her small body against mine. The second before I flop back down, I look her over. She looks so fucking good in my bed. I want to wake up to this every damn morning. Her hair is messy, and she has pillow creases on one side of her face. Wanting to remember this moment, I scan my eyes over her again
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Chatper Forty Three
Bitter Love/Emily Goodwin
Chapter Forty-threeJosie“Time for bed,” I tell Everly, plucking the TV remote from her hands. “It’s late and you should have showered and packed your backpack for the morning already.”Everly goes to protest but yawns instead. Both Louisa and I see it, so she knows there’s no point in arguing.“Can I borrow something from your closet?” Ev asks as she starts up the stairs. “I’ve worn everything I brought a million times already.”“You haven’t been in school for a million days,” I counter and turn my head as I sit on the couch. I’m exhausted and ready to crash into bed myself. “But yes, you can borrow something.”“Thanks, Mom.” Everly hurries up the stairs and I take a mini break on the couch. I lean back, letting my eyes fall shut. I can hear Louisa in the kitchen, struggling to get the cork out of a wine bottle. I only have an old-fashioned corkscrew here, not a fancy electronic one like she has at home.“Hey, Mom,” Everly calls from the top of the stairs.“Yeah?”“Why do you have D
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Chapter Forty Four
Bitter Love/Emily Goodwin
Chapter Forty-fourJacob“Is everything okay with the horses?” Crystal walks swiftly back to the desk in the barn. “I saw Josie leave in a hurry and she looked like she was holding back tears. Did we get blood work back already and it wasn’t good news?”Fuck.I didn’t want to lie to her. I didn’t want to start something with anything less than total honesty. But now…now I think I ruined things before they had a chance to even blossom.Swallowing hard, I keep my face neutral. “Nothing has changed since this morning with the horses.”“Oh, good. That scared me. Did Josie just get emotional?”“Yeah. She got upset,” I say and I’m telling the truth. I need to focus on my job, but my mind is blanking. It takes me a few seconds to get my brain working again, forcing myself to think about anything but Josie. “Pongo can go for a walk and the thoroughbred can go in an outside run next to the gray mare. Put her out first and bring her in last. He was very buddy-sour at the auction and got upset w
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Chapter Forty Five
Bitter Love/Emily Goodwin
Chapter Forty-fiveJosie“Am I doing it right?” I take a few quick steps forward, moving my hands above my head.“No.” Everly shakes her head. “That’s not even close. Watch and follow me.” She shows me the dance move again and I can’t for the life of me follow along. I’m not very coordinated when it comes to any sort of dancing.Everly and I both laugh when I trip and almost fall, catching myself at the last minute on the pasture fence. We’ve been out here for the last half-hour or so filming videos for social media. Phoenix Horse Rescue and Rehab is official now, though we’re still waiting for our tax exemption paperwork to come back from the IRS. Louisa helped me file everything before she left two weeks ago, and while I read online that some charities got their paperwork back within weeks, it’s most likely going to take at least three months before we see anything.“Just watch, by the end of summer. I’m going to be a TikTok dancing sensation.”Everly laughs a little too hard and th
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Epilogue
Bitter Love/Emily Goodwin
EpilogueJacobNew Year’s Eve…“Do you have it?” Rory asks, eyes wide.“I regret telling you anything,” I hiss, kicking her under the table.“You needed to tell me so I could help,” my sister counters and eyes Everly, who’s about to burst with excitement. “Do you have it?”“Yes,” I whisper-yell back. “I didn’t set this whole thing up only to forget the ring.” We’re at Josie’s house, and a glistening blanket of fresh snow fell overnight, giving me a perfect excuse to go on a trail ride through the woods.Where I’m going to propose to Josie.I’ve known she’s the only one for me since the moment I first kissed her and not long after that everything became clear to me. We tried taking things slow, figuring out our lives together, but being apart is painful and any night I lay down to go to sleep and Josie isn’t next to me fills me with a sense of emptiness.I love the nights when Josie, Everly, and I sit around the living room, playing a game or watching a movie together. And getting up a
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
