CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE
Eli
In the best jewelry store I could find, I hold the 8-carat diamond which is held in place by the platinum eight-shaped ring. A symbol which shows our forever… if she’ll still have me.
It’s been a tough few weeks, made tougher by the knowledge that Audrey can’t remember a thing about our time together. The only thing I’m holding onto is the fact that if she fell in love with me once, she can fall in love with me again.
“I got to admit, that’s one hell of a ring.”
My eyes reluctantly peel away from the ring and onto Jack, who insisted on coming with me today.
“I can’t believe I’m standing here next to my brother-in-law as I buy another woman an engagement ring.” Laughter bubbles from his chest as he lays a hand on my shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “You know I love you like you’re the brother I never had. Besides, Audrey’s one of the good ones. I saw that the moment we had our first conversation that day in your kitchen.” He then leans forward as if to whisper. “Sorry… my sister’s kitchen.” He then shakes his head. “I can’t believe you gave her the whole house.”
I shrug my shoulders. “That’s it, though, Jack. It’s just a house. It was never a home.”
Patting my back, he replies, “I get it. Audrey is your home now.”
The mention of her name warms my heart as I hand the ring back to the jeweler to pack up for me.
“Are you sure you want to come with me tomorrow? Kendra’s going to hate you if she finds out.”
Tomorrow is the day I file my divorce decree, which officially makes me a single man again. Ever since this journey began, I have been hoping and waiting for this day to come. At first, Kendra placed obstacles in front of me, but when she realized what a handsome settlement I was willing to give and that several men had agreed to testify in court that she slept with them, she quickly dropped her demands.
“Kendra hates everyone, so why should I be any different?”
“Well, you are her brother,” I point out. A fact which I shouldn’t have to.
He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, but I see the sadness coating his light blue eyes. “She made plenty of beds, Eli. Now, she must lie in them. I have tried so hard over the years to be a good brother, but she never really appreciated me. She only wants to be around people who worship at her feet, and no matter how much I love my sister, I’m not willing to go to those lengths.”
“You shouldn’t have to.”
“Exactly.” We smile at each other before he asks, “How’s your mom?”
I take in a much-needed breath. Seeing my mom suffer lately has been ten times worse than the loss of my father.
“She struggled with the knowledge of the affair. It made grieving that much harder.”
Jack inhales an angry breath as he shakes his head. “I can’t believe they slept together. Kendra is a lot of things, but I never believed she would stoop that low.”
I close my eyes as I think about the chaos Kendra caused with the news. At first there were the accusations, but then in a spark of rage she admitted that he only slept with her just so he could get even with me for “ruining his business,” as he apparently eloquently put it. When I put the question to her as to why she slept with my own father, her simple reply was that she wanted to see what it was like. An answer which has made me sick to my stomach ever since.
“It is what it is, Jack. I can’t change anything, so I just have to accept it—no matter how ugly the whole thing is.”
Jack leans his over six-foot stature against the doorframe of the store as he studies me. “I can’t believe you’re being so calm about it all. If it were me, I think I would have murder on my mind.”
I laugh at that. “I have more important things on my mind now. If I hold onto resentment, I will never live. It eats away at you until you’re left a bitter, twisted person who shouts at the world like Mr. Scrooge.”
“You’re weird.” Jack chuckles at his own joke.
“Better to be weird than boring.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” he blasts back.
Just as he says this, my phone pings, alerting me of a message from Trent. Since he’s had my number, he’s become my favorite spy, updating me on everything Audrey. There’s no message of such, but instead, a photograph. It’s of Audrey, standing at the counter of her café, her head turned as she stares out of the window. She looks equally lost and beautiful at the same time. Her coffee-colored hair is tied up in a messy bun, a tiny strand tickling the base of her cheek. She wears a simple pair of jeans with a red cashmere top, making me wonder if it has buttons and if the top ones are missing. From the angle, I can’t see the front of her, but what I can see takes my breath away.
“Is that your new best friend?”
I smile at his teasing. “Yes.”