I know he's about to object, but I press a finger to my lips and smile at him as I retreat from his office.
"I'll send movers with your stuff to your parents’ house," I tell him, already deciding that it's for the best. "You'll have everything in a couple of days."
Then, I turn abruptly on my heel and rush outside, needing the fresh air to wake me up from this nightmare. I ignore Adrian's voice calling after me.
Stepping out on the pavement, the scorching heat hits my face, but it feels good. And for the first time in four years, I feel hopeful.
My stride is relaxed, my hips swaying as I walk towards my car. I mentally promise myself to never change who I am for a man again. From now on, I am Cassidy Lynn – the real thing. What you see is what you get.
I arrive at the house and seek refuge in my old bedroom, the one room in the house I left unchanged. I fall back on my bed and have the sudden urge to call Susie. She's always been there for me these past few years, always had my back.
I wonder how she'll take my news.
She answers her phone right away. "What’s up, Cass?" she asks enthusiastically.
I contemplate how I should tell her what happened, but before I can stop myself, I'm already blurting the truth. "I broke up with Adrian."
A long pause follows, after which I hear a strange noise on the other end of the line. "Susie? Are you okay over there?"
"I'm laughing," she admits. "Finally, you’ve see some sense, you stupid woman!"
I move the phone away from my ear and stare at it in shock. Susie has always been supportive of my relationship with Adrian. "Huh?" I ask in confusion.
Susie sighs, her voice laced with giggles, just like when we were younger and used to gossip on the phone for hours. "It’s about time, Cassidy. He wasn't right for you, and deep down, you knew it."
I let her words sink in, realizing she's totally right. But it's a realization I needed to come to by myself, and I appreciate that she didn't tell me her real thoughts sooner.
"I know what prompted this," Susie says with more seriousness this time around. "I always knew he'd come back for you, Cass–"
"Stop," I cut her off, knowing she's talking about Dom.
"No," she says stubbornly. "Not this time. You've been a fool, my dear, and it's time to fix that, before it's too late."
My heart starts pounding, my eyes fluttering through the window towards the guest house. I see Dom standing in front of the window, wearing shorts slung low on his hips, a glass of juice in his hand.
He pulls his hand out of his pocket and raises it in greeting. It makes his shorts slide lower. I gulp.
"It's play time," Susie gushes over the phone, almost as if she's right here, seeing the delicious view in front of me.
Chapter 29
DOM
My mother is getting married today, and my heart is pounding like it's my day of doom, not hers. I have something planned for today, and it might be the very thing my future balances on.
I haven't talked to Cassidy since yesterday at the beach, and I have no idea what she's feeling and thinking. I've been around to the house, but she never answered the doorbell. I took it as a hint and spent the extra time preparing the surprise I have planned.
I start getting ready, knowing my mother expects me at the venue in an hour. I got a tux specifically for the occasion, and I feel like a goddamned penguin in it. The fact that some of my ink is still visible under my sleeves makes me feel a little better.
Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I take a deep breath. I'm taking a big step today, and I hope it’s in the right direction. I hope it pays off, because I'm realizing my life up to this point has been a farce.
A car is already waiting for me, and I get in, my palms clammy with sweat. We arrive at the destination too quickly, and I'm not ready yet. A too-enthusiastic wedding planner tucks a rose in my buttonhole. Meanwhile, she's yelling into her headset and hissing instructions to her bedraggled-looking assistant.
Both of them are attractive, and it surprises me that it's just a fact I acknowledge, not something I want to act on. Had this happened a month ago, I'd be eager to get them both in my bed – if possible, at the same time. But today, my mind is preoccupied, swimming with thoughts of one particular redhead.
"You go see your mother now," the planner says tiredly. "She'll be waiting for you to make last-minute arrangements. You're walking down the aisle in twenty."