Chapter 58

Chapter 58

*Damon*

I was miserable and that was putting it nicely. I felt like I was suffocating without her but I needed to get

out of LA. However, in doing so I also had to get away from her which hurt more than anyone can

imagine. Things had escalated drastically and we were not in a good place.

I couldn’t tell you the number of times I picked up my phone to text her or call her and tell her that I

loved her and that I was coming back to her.

But every time I mustered up the courage to text her I always deleted the words on the screen.

She was back from Canada, that much I knew but other than the fact that she was at home I didn’t

know how she was feeling, if she was feeling even half of the misery I was.

I had seen her texts and her calls but I couldn’t ever bring myself to answer them. I had been the one to

do the chasing. I had been the one to always try and fix things and I wanted her to meet me halfway for

once.

I wanted her to show me that she wanted this to work. I needed to see that I was still a priority for her.

But the waiting was killing me.

I laid on the hotel bed looking up at the ceiling wondering how I let it all get to this point. But as I slowly

divided deeper into the deep waters of heartache and depression my phone cut through the thick fog

drawing me back to reality.

Lacey: Hey bozo

I had been drowning in my own depression and Lacey was a literal gift from the heavens.

Me: Hello knucklehead

Lacey: Cute… you’re not funny.

Me: You started it. Anyway, what’s up? How can I be of service to you today?

Lacey: Open the door.

I was confused at first until I heard a knock at the door. I shook my head. Of course, she would just

announce herself this way. She was a woman of flare and dramatics but who was I to judge?

I hopped off the bed, dressed in nothing but my sweats, and opened the door for my friend.

Her smile dropped from her face when she saw my outfit. “Oh my, you’re definitely depressed.”

“Screw you.” I gave her a deadpan look and moved aside so she could get in but she just stood at the

door. “Are you coming

in?”

She shook her head. “The opposite actually. You’re coming with me.”

“Umm coming with you where?”

“It’s a surprise,” she said in a sing-song voice that already had my suspicions up. “You can come like

this, it’s fine.”

“I don’t really feel like leaving the confines of my home though.” I pouted. “Why don’t we just stay in and

watch the new Maddox movie?”

“No.” She stood firm in her stance. “We’re leaving and going to breathe fresh air. You’ve been cooped

up in here for the entire day. We’re leaving. Grab your shoes and let’s go.”

I opened my mouth to protest but one look from her and my mouth shut back up real quick.

Chapter 58

“Shoes”

“Mhmm,” she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yes ma’am.” I hurried to get my pants on and left the room with her. I had no idea what kind of

adventure she had planned for us but I was sure that whatever it was would be better than what I’d

been doing.

We pulled up to the driveway of her house.

“So you pulled me out of my hotel to bring me to your house? That’s the surprise?”

She cut the engine and opened her door. “Just follow me.”

I did as I was told and followed her to the front door. She had just moved into this new gated

community that was so peaceful and beautiful. The house was big but not overly big in the way that it

was a mansion but big enough to have a few kids and a pet or two.

I loved just how domesticated my friend was. And to think within our prime we had been downing shots

of vodka like water

and here we were.

She placed her hand on the knob but then paused. “Shoot I left something in the car, you can head in.

I’ll be right in.”

She scurried off and I walked into the house. I had been half expecting to find her partner, Kathy there

but I was greeted with nothing but silence and this tantalizing scent that had my stomach grumbling.

Was that? No. It couldn’t be, there was no way that Lacey had managed to replicate my wife’s coconut

curry

for me.

I followed the scent to the kitchen ready to dig into whatever had been cooking but then I stopped short

when I saw Adelaide standing in the middle of the kitchen looking as stunning as ever. Her hair was

pulled into a messy bun. She wore tight black leggings, a white crop top, and her face was void of any

makeup-just the way I liked her.

It wasn’t until now that it hit me just how much I had missed her. Her face, her eyes, her scent. These

three days had truly been torture for me.

“Hey, baby.” She stood by the counter with a small smile on her face. I could tell she was nervous from

the way she was biting down on her lip. “I know I might be the last person you want to see right now but

I-

–

I crossed the tiled floors in record time and pulled her into my arms. I nuzzled my nose into the crook of

her neck and breathed in her sweet and addictive scent.

So very perfect.

I pulled away just enough so I could look into her eyes. Tears brimmed in them as she stared at me

with a smile playing on her lips.

“I’m so sorry,” the first broken sob left her lips. “I was being selfish and I should’ve been more

considerate of you. You’ve been such a huge help for me and I should have supported you when you

needed me most.”

I stared at her, my eyes moving all across her face. “My God, I’ve missed you.

She let out a string of broken sobs, her forehead coming to rest on my chest. “You don’t hate me?”

“No.” I pulled her in tighter against me. “How could I ever hate the woman I’m madly and undeniably in

love with? You’re my heartbeat. Adelaide. My whole fucking oxygen supply.”

Her body wracked against mine. And it broke me to hear just how broken she had been.

72 hours may have seemed like nothing to ordinary people but for me and her, it might as well have

been a year or two.

Chapter 58

I kissed the top of her head holding her there, just committing her presence to memory. I never wanted

to forget this moment. I never wanted to remember how gut-wrenching it had been to not have her.

From this moment on I was not letting her go. To hell with the fights and the arguments.

She pulled away from my arms so she could look at me. “I made you dinner.”

It was then I noticed the pot on the stove and the plates that had been set up with forks and wine

glasses.

“You flew all the way from LA to make me coconut chicken?” I said, feeling my heart swell.

She shrugged. “It’s date night and I didn’t want to miss it.”

She was right. Every Thursday and Saturday we had date night. She had missed a few the past few

weeks but now she was here and making an effort in the grandest way possible. All I had been wanting

from her was just to see that we mattered to her. And she was showing me that now with her actions.

Not being able to take it anymore I grabbed her face and pulled it to mine kissing her soft lips.

We both moaned, our bodies melting into one another, a perfect fit.

Home.

That’s what she was for me and what she continued to be. I knew that when we went back to LA things

would be different. Our marriage was what mattered most and we were both willing to put in the work to

make it work. We wouldn’t be our parents.

Love always found a way to win.

Had I known then what we would face in the future, maybe I would have told her to get the hell out of

LA as fast as we could.