Elouise
“Stupid.”I chastise myself out loud. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”
I can’t believe I fell for it. The bullshit Nice Guy act. The way he made me feel special. Made me feel like… like he wanted more from me. All of me.
But a wife?! A fucking wife! What am I supposed to do with that?
And I can’t even try to pretend that she’s just some delusional woman, like she’s lying, since Beckett’s own mother let her into their house. Let her sit there as we walked in. Let her shake my hand, introducing herself as Beckett’s wife, as though she wasn’t plucking my heart straight out of my chest with her words.
My knuckles drag across my chin, wiping at the tears dripping down my cheeks.
I’m so disappointed in myself. How did I not see it? A 38-year-old man living with his cousin and nephew. A man who doesn’t even seem to have a job. Who hasn’t really told me anything about his life.
Seriously, what do I even know about him. Like actually know about him.
Is he really even back? Or was this just some sort of extended visit home and he decided to have a fling?
My brain fights back at that last thought, because why would he invite me to his parent’s house if this was supposed to be some sort of secret sex-cation for him? And why would he not have taken the opportunity to hide when my parents showed up that one day in their freaking RV?
But I can’t think about those moments right now. There’s no point in trying to reason this one out. This isn’t going to be a “it’s not what it looks like” incident like it was when I saw him with his cousin at the restaurant. This one is pretty cut and dry. The evidence crystal clear in front of me.
With angry movements, I swipe through my phone and select Maddie’s name.
She answers on the second ring, “Calling me from the bathroom already?”
Her laughing tone catches me off guard and I end up replying with a strangled sound.
“Oh my god!” Maddie’s playfulness switches instantly to concern. “What happened?”
I take a moment to pull in a breath and calm myself, but the lack of response just sends Maddie into more of a panic.
“Elouise! What’s wrong? Oh my god, talk to me!”
“I’m fine,” my voice is quieter than I’d like, but it’s steady. “I just need you to pick me up.”
“Okay,” I can already hear the sound of her grabbing her keys and running out of her house. “Where are you?”
Knowing this neighborhood well, I give her the name of a small park a few blocks over.
“Be there in four!” Maddie confirms before hanging up.
My fingers flex around the phone and I make my next right, moving further away from thoughts of Beckett and closer to my escape.