I hand Duke my beer, grab my keys, and I’m out of the house. I call Nora. She doesn’t answer. I call again, and this time I leave a voicemail.
; She doesn’t call me back.
I drive to Nick and Jessa’s, but the lights are off, and the Ford truck is gone. That’s okay. Maybe she went for a drive to clear her head. That’s a good reason to be gone at this time of night. I walk around the back of the house just be sure she didn’t park there, but nothing.
I climb into my car, content to wait for her, but she never shows.
Well, shit, how am I supposed to apologize if she won’t come home or answer her phone? Then again, after the things I said to her, I don’t deserve to have her answer.
I wait like a stalker for her show back up. At one point I even consider calling Nick and dragging his ass out of bed to ask if he’s talked to her, but I decide against it. He might not know about what happened, and there’s a good possibility he’ll murder me when he finds out.
Kinda hard to win the girl back when I’m buried six feet under.
For three hours I wait for her, leaving voicemail after voicemail, and nothing. I finally give up and go home, but I send her one last text before I crawl into bed.
I made the biggest mistake of my life, and I’d like to make it right. I want to apologize, but not over the phone or via text. I want to talk to you. I want to see you, baby. Please call me. Right now I just want to know you’re safe.
The next morning, there’s still no reply. I’m thankful Duke stayed the night because it means he’s still at the house and can keep the kids while I go back over to Nick’s.
“Thanks, brother,” I say on my way out the door.
The kids are wrapped up in whatever movie is on TV and don’t seem at all bothered that I’m leaving.
Duke lifts his coffee into the air. “Anything for love.”
“She’s not here,” Jessa says as soon as she answers the door.
I notice right away that she props a hip on the doorframe and doesn’t invite me in.
“Where is she?”
“None of your damn business.” Nick pushes his way in front of Jessa and backs me off the porch. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I came to apologize.”
He blinks. “It’s too late.”
My heart slams hard inside my chest. “What do you mean it’s too late? Where is she?”
He shakes his head. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because she’s had her heart broken enough in recent months, and she deserves better than that.” He shoves a finger into my chest. “You promised me you wouldn’t hurt her.”
I stand strong, refusing to back down, but also refusing to fight him. He can kick my ass. Lord knows I deserve it. “I need to apologize to her, but I can’t do that if I don’t know where she is.”
“I’m sorry, Grayson, but I can’t give you that information. My sister is always looking out for everyone else, and now it’s my turn to do the same for her.”
“Jesus, Nick, you know me,” I say, fear churning in my gut. He’s all that’s standing between me and finding Nora.
“I’m sorry. Go home to your kids, Grayson. Give Nora some time.”
“How much time?”
“However much she needs.”