Jace arrived ten minutes after I called him. He didnt ask questions. He just agreed to watch Della and call me if she woke up. He seemed to understand that I wasnt ready to talk about this. I started for the door.
"Dont do anything that could take you away from her. Be careful how you handle this. Dont kill a bitch; I dont want your ass in jail. I would want revenge too. Just . . . just be careful. Use your head. "
Rush must have told him. I didnt look back at him. I only nodded, then opened the door and headed outside. I was going to make sure Angelina understood that this was her only warning. She had one hour to get her shit and get on a plane and not come back. I couldnt beat the hell out of a woman but I could make her wish shed never been born. Shed crossed a line.
When I drove up to my mothers house, Angelinas car was missing. She was hiding or she wasnt home yet. I took the stairs to my mothers house two at a time and knocked once before pulling out my key and opening the door.
My mother was walking down the staircase in her robe. "Woods? What are you doing here so late? You scared me. "
"Where is she?" I asked, trying to control the anger in my voice.
"She left. What did you do?"
I let out a hard laugh. "What did I do? I just stood over Della as a doctor checked her for internal bleeding and broken ribs because Angelina beat the shit out of her. If Blaire Finlay hadnt shown up and pulled a gun on her crazy ass she would have killed Della. So tell me now, where is she!"
Mother covered her mouth with both her hands as her eyes went round in surprise. "What? Thats . . . thats ridiculous. Angelina is a sweet girl. Shed never do something so awful. Della has lied to you. "
"No, Mother. Rush and Blaire Finlay found them and stopped Angelina. I have witnesses. She isnt sweet, she was using you to stay near me. Shes a fucking psycho. "
"Watch your mouth in my house. I wont listen to this. The poor girl left here in tears saying youd hurt her too many times. She wanted to stay with me but she was going home to her parents and starting over. "
She was going to refuse to believe me. I shouldnt have been surprised. She had always chosen my father over me. Now she was choosing Angelina because she was my fathers choice for me. What mattered was that Angelina was gone. The bitch was gone. She had better never come back.
"If you speak to her, let her know that if she steps foot in Rosemary again I will have her arrested. I have witnesses and I will press charges. I dont give a fuck who her daddy is. "
I didnt wait for my mother to respond. I turned and left the house, slamming the door behind me.
Page 8
Della
I stared down at my phone after I hung up with Woods. He had called me four times today already to check on me. It had been this way all week. Since Angelina had attacked me he had been afraid to leave me. He had a country club to run but he kept calling me. I mentioned getting a job again and he panicked and begged me not to. He said he couldnt focus on work if he was worrying about me.
We were at a standstill. This wasnt healthy. He needed to be able to live without worrying over me. I needed to be able to live. His protective nature was starting to smother me and I loved him too much to hurt him by saying something about it. I was going to have bad moments. I was going to slip into my head sometimes and he couldnt always be there for me. I just didnt know how to get him to understand this and accept it. How could we make this work? This couldnt be forever.
I wanted this forever but Woods deserved so much more. I was holding him back. This relationship would destroy him. I would destroy him. I felt sick to my stomach. I did this. I let this happen. I let myself fall so helplessly in love with him. I let myself believe he could fix me. That we could fix me. But it isnt happening.
My phone rang and I looked down to see Tripps number. He hadnt called in two weeks. I thought about telling Woods that Tripp checked in with me a couple times a month, but I hadnt found the right words to explain that. Woods seemed jealous of Tripp. He had no reason to be, but he was. I didnt want to give him something else to worry over.
"Hello," I said as I stretched my legs in front of me on the sandy beach.
"How are things?"
"Good, I guess," I replied.
"You guess? That dont sound good. "
"Angelina beat me up and Blaire Finlay pulled a gun on her and scared her off. Woods is now more overprotective than ever and hes always worried about me. "
Tripp was quiet for a moment. I let him digest my words.
"Holy shit. Blaire has a gun?"
I laughed. That was his response to what Id just told him?
"Sorry. I dont think that was the point. But damn, I cant picture that hot little blonde with a gun. "
"Yeah, it was a shock," I replied, smiling out at the water crashing against the shore.
"Jace said she was from Alabama. Maybe Ive been looking for a woman in the wrong states. I need to try out good ole Alabama next. "
Tripp always managed to make me laugh, and he made me forget for a moment that my chest was about to explode from pain.
"Thanks," I said.
"For what?"
"Making me laugh," I replied.
"Anytime. "
We sat there again for a few moments in silence.
"Where are you at now?" I asked, knowing he was on a road trip.
"Im in South Carolina at a place called Myrtle Beach. I like it here. "
"You like those beaches, dont you?" I replied.
"Makes me feel like Im home, in a way. "
"Will you ever come back here to stay?"
He didnt respond right away. It made me wonder what kept him away. There were secrets that he wouldnt share with me.
"Doubt it," he finally said.
"I dont think I can stay," I said aloud for the first time.
"Why?"
"Because this isnt working. Im holding him back. Im not getting better. This isnt going away and he deserves more. He needs more. Someone strong to stand beside him. "
"He wants you, Della. "
"Sometimes what we want isnt whats best for us," I replied.
"Yeah . . . I know that," he said quietly. "But if you leave him it will break him. "
It would shatter me. But I loved him too much to ruin his future. "He will heal and then the woman who can be all he needs will walk into his life one day and hell be glad he didnt make the mistake of staying with me. "
"Dont say that. You arent a mistake. You underestimate your worth. You make him happy. Woods is happy with you. "
"For now he is," I replied.
Tripp sighed. I was frustrating him, but he knew deep down that I was right. "When the time comes and you think you need to leave, just call me. Dont go by yourself. "
"Okay," I replied. I would call him when I needed to. He wasnt tied to me. I didnt control his actions and thoughts. I could travel with Tripp and not destroy his future. At least until I was stable enough to live alone.
"I think you need to talk to Woods about this first. Dont blindside him. "
I wasnt sure that was possible. He would never listen to me. "Okay," I replied.
I stepped out of my car and waved at Bethy as she drove by in a golf cart toward the fifteenth hole. She was a cart girl at the Kerrington Club. It was how she had met Jace. He was a member here and I had heard them arguing over her quitting more than once. He hated seeing the men on the course flirt with her. That had been him once. She refused to change just because she was dating him. I think, deep down, he respected her for that.
After hanging up the phone with Tripp, Id sat and thought a long time. Woods needed help and all I seemed to be doing was whining over not having a job and being a burden on him. I was stronger than that. Why couldnt I help him? I could. He would have me close by and I would have a purpose. So, Id gone back to the house and dressed up.
I was going to go apply for a job as his assistant. I could do the tasks that caused him extr
a headaches. I could handle the staff. I might have been dealing with some mental issues, but I wasnt helpless. If I could prove to myself that I could do this, then I could prove to Woods and the rest of the world that I was healing.
Vince glanced up at me and smiled. "Go on in, Miss Sloane," he said before going back to his work. Woods had informed him that I never needed permission to enter. I was free to come and go as I wanted.
I knocked, then opened the door.
"I realize that, but make it happen. I need the order here tomorrow, not Monday. Ill switch suppliers if it doesnt happen," he said.
"Yes, sir, Mr. Kerrington, we will make it work," the voice said from his speakerphone.