Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
“ F uck her. Excuse me, Pops.” Agitated, Damon paced the length of his living room with the phone glued to his ear.
His father had brought up Audra, and the curse word slipped out. He was accustomed to using colorful language around his father, but he’d never dropped the F-bomb before.
Chadwick let out a sympathetic sigh. “Are you telling me you’re done with Audra?”
“It’s been four weeks since I saw her. My calls go to voicemail, and she doesn’t respond to my texts. I’m fairly certain she blocked me.”
Despite the blunt way they had spoken to each other, he had reached out with the hope of reconciliation. He figured that since he had cooled off, she probably had too. Clearly not.
“I’m done chasing her. I told her the truth, and she doesn’t believe me. That’s her problem.” He stopped at the window and stared at the cars going by on the highway.
He still wondered who the man was she had been having drinks with when he saw her at the tapas place. Had she already moved on, and that’s why she hadn’t wanted to fix their relationship?
He didn’t believe that for one second, but knowing the truth didn’t stop the acidic burn of jealousy from eating him up from the inside out. Maybe he shouldn’t have come at her with so much anger, but he had been pissed off because she had been ignoring his texts.
Because of traffic, he had shown up late to her job. When he saw her car parked in the lot, he realized she had to be somewhere in the vicinity—or he hoped so. Then he found her calmly sipping a chocolate martini with another man while he was going crazy missing her, and something inside him snapped.
He deeply regretted his behavior, especially since photos of them arguing on the sidewalk had shown up online. The articles identified Audra as the woman he’d gone to dinner with months ago and speculated about a love triangle between him, her, and Nami.
“You do understand why she might be keeping her distance, don’t you?” Chadwick asked.
“Whose side are you on?” Damon demanded.
“I’m on your side, son, but I also know you can be less than forthcoming with information.”
Damon sank onto the sofa and let his head fall back. “I know my limitations when it comes to communicating, and I’m working on getting better. But as soon as she sent me the text, I reached out to explain. I didn’t avoid her.”
“True, but you were quite the ladies’ man before you became involved with this young lady, so surely you can understand her doubts.”
“That’s in the past. I’m not that man anymore.”
“It seems she’s not so sure.”
Damon blew out a frustrated breath. “Doesn’t matter now. We’re done,” he muttered.
How could everything have gotten so messed up? One minute he was in a dream relationship with his woman in the stands during his home games, and the next he was dismissed and cut off.
“For the record, she had no reason to doubt me. We talked all the time, and for months I hadn’t been seen with anyone else but her.”
“I suppose her relationship with her daughter’s father didn’t help.”
Damon had told Chadwick about Audra’s problems with her ex.
“He’s the one who sent her the link,” Damon informed him.
“He was trying to create problems.”
“Worked like a charm.”
Damon’s gaze landed on the set of colorful pillows Audra had suggested he buy after their first date. He’d also purchased a few other items she suggested, including plants that didn’t need constant attention since he traveled so much.
“You need the greenery,” she had said. “They add visual interest, and bonus, studies show having plants reduces your stress levels.”
The silence on the other end of the phone forced him to reflect on his true feelings, and the anger and frustration drained out of him.
“I lost her.”
His father didn’t respond right away.
“Sounds like you’re in love,” he finally said.
There it was—the truth Damon had been avoiding all along. What he felt for Audra was undeniable and unlike anything he’d ever experienced with another woman. It wasn’t just attraction or fleeting passion—it was deeper and terrified him as much as it pulled him in.
There was so much more he could have said—so much more he should have said. He should have told Audra that he loved her. He should have said the thought of living without her was unbearable.
He would never wake up next to her warm body again or reach out in the middle of the night to pull her closer and press his nose into the curve of her neck. He couldn’t believe he’d never see the laughter in her eyes or listen to one of her funny stories about her daughter or something a member of her family had done.
He wanted her at the condo when he came home. He wanted surprise dinners that she had cooked, and he wanted to shower her with everything her heart desired. There was so much more he wanted to do for and with her, but they were done.
“You’re sure there’s nothing you can do? You were happy with her. I could tell this relationship was different,” Chadwick said.
“She’s stubborn as hell. The truth is, she didn’t want to get involved with me in the first place. I spent weeks trying to get her attention. She was worried I’d be like her daughter’s father. The guy’s a real piece of work. He had a good woman like Audra that he let go because he’s busy living the rock star life. Meanwhile, his adorable daughter never sees him because he apparently can’t find time to spend with her.” Men like Kerry disgusted him.
“So it’s truly over?” his father asked.
“Yes. It’s over.”
A few more minutes passed in conversation before Damon ended the call and sauntered into the bedroom. He walked over to the dresser and opened the drawer filled with Audra’s blouses, slacks, and other clothing. This was everything she’d left behind, minus a few accessories like purses and a couple of pairs of shoes he had placed in a box in the closet.
With a clenched jaw, he retrieved the box and piled her clothes on top of her other belongings. Each item was a piece of her, a reminder of the days and nights she spent at his place, turning his bare, empty condo into a warm space filled with joy.
There was nothing else of hers in the room, so he emptied the bathroom drawer that held her toiletries and removed her vitamins from the medicine cabinet. He tossed all of those in the box, as well.
He exhaled slowly, his chest tightening as his gaze lingered on the contents.
Baseball season was almost over, and the Braves would play their last game in a couple of weeks. After the season ended, he’d contact Claudia to send a message to Audra. Tell her to come pick up her things, or he could send them to her—whatever she preferred.
Once her personal belongings were out of his home, that would be the end. Maybe that was why he hadn’t returned her things yet.
He released a bitter laugh.
Her clothes leaving his home signaled the end of them for good. After that, there would be no reason for them to have contact with each other. Her absence would become permanent, not only in his house, but in his life—leaving a void he feared he’d never be able to fill.