This afternoon she’d called again to tell him that they’d be home in two days, and asked permission to give them his address. Of course he’d permitted it. He wasn’t an asshole.
Okay, so he was an asshole, but he wasn’t that bad.
You were an asshole to Lydia, the little voice in his head reminded him.
Was he? He’d just needed some space to think. And he knew that she’d want to spend time with her sister. He’d monopolized her time for the past few days, after all.
Liar.
He shook his head, trying to ignore the voice. But the words echoed in his mind.
Liar.
Damn it. He stood and poured himself a glass of water, swallowing it down as though it would wash the dark thoughts away. But it didn’t. Because they were the truth. He was lying – to himself. He didn’t tell Lydia to go home because he thought she should spend time with Autumn.
He sent her home because he wanted to wallow. And maybe protect himself from getting hurt.
In his mind, he’d somehow consoled himself that though Lydia was leaving, at least he’d have Eddie. A reminder of her. A connection, even. And when she came home to visit Autumn, she’d want to visit Eddie as well.
The same way your mom visited you and saw your dad. Yeah, great one.
Damn it, this wasn’t the same. Lydia wasn’t his mom and he wasn’t his dad. She was different. Stronger, kinder.
Yeah, so why are you pushing her away?
Leaning on the kitchen counter, he blew out a mouthful of air. Pushing her away was definitely an asshole move. Right out of the player playbook. And he wasn’t a player, goddammit.
So show her.
He blinked, tipping his head to the side. He had two choices. He could wallow and be angry and push her away even more. Or he could throw caution to the wind and enjoy the time they had left.
One way led to regrets and misery. The other? He’d probably still be miserable, but at least he’d have better memories.
And no regrets.
He picked up his phone and glanced at the screen. It was later than he’d thought. Nearly midnight. For a moment he considered putting his phone down, but then he unlocked it, bringing up Lydia’s contact detail, and pressing the call button.
She was leaving, he had no control over that. But she was here for a few more days.
And he was determined to make the most of them.
Lydia climbed into bed, a nice buzz rushing thought her veins thanks to the bottle of Cabernet she and Autumn had shared. Pulling the covers over her, she wriggled and turned, trying to find a comfortable position, annoyed because she prided herself on sleeping like a baby in the worst of conditions.
Her sister’s guest bed in the beautiful town of Angel Sands definitely wasn’t the worst of conditions.
Sighing, she threw one of her pillows on the floor. A minute later, she picked it back up again, pummeling it to make a cozy dip for her head. Just as she was about to give up the fight and grab a book from the shelves in Autumn’s hallway, her phone started to buzz.
She lifted it to her ear. “Jackson? How’s Eddie?”
“He’s doing good. Slept most of the day curled up at my feet. But he ate some rice this evening, and we sat out in the yard and he ran around a bit. Hopefully within a few days he’ll be back to his normal self.”
“And how about his owners? Have they been found?”
“Not yet. Apparently, they’re away on vacation. Left the dog with a friend who lost him out on a walk. They arrive back in a couple of days and I’ve arranged to meet them.”
“I’m so sorry,” she told him. “I know how much you love Eddie.”
He cleared his throat. “It’s good. He deserves to be with his family. They must love him, too.”