Chapter 34
Riggs
Rick decided the best damage control was for us to go to California to meet with the CEO of Rev Sports. I tried to get Zoe to come, but she didn’t want to take time off so soon after starting her nanny job. Three days away wasn’t that long, but it felt like forever. I can’t wait to get home, slip out of my suit, and slide inside my wife.
My text to Zoe when I landed in Dallas remains unanswered when I pull into my garage. Her car is here, so I’m hoping that means she’s waiting to surprise me, wearing some sexy lingerie. My dick pulses in anticipation as I grab my bag and rush inside.
The house is quiet. Zoe sits in the living room in the dark. Only the light from the lamp on the side table illuminates her.
“Baby? Are you okay?”
She shakes her head no. I drop my bag, rushing to where she sits. For the first time, I notice the suitcase next to her. It was obscured when I walked in, but now it’s all I can look at. The fucking thing taunts me in silence.
“What’s going on?” There’s no hiding the tremble in my voice.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, sniffling.
It’s dark outside, so I can’t see her well with only the lamp lit. “You’re crying.” Why is she crying?
“I love you. You know that, right?”
My stomach drops. She’s leaving me. “No!” My voice comes out loud and sharp, causing her to jump in her seat.
“Please, don’t make this harder,” she begs.
I drop to my knees in front of her, kneeling between her legs. “I can fix it. Whatever’s upset you, I can fix.”
She caresses my cheek. “I lost my dad. I can’t be responsible for Calla losing hers. I’d never be able to live with myself.”
“That’s not what’s happening.”
“It’s obvious I’ve come between the two of you.” Her chest heaves as she cries.
“Please don’t do this. I’ll call Calla. She’ll come over right now. We can work this out.” I grip her hips, pleading with her to stay put. Desperation grips my chest. She can’t leave me.
She places her hand on my shoulder. “I need to go. My mom is expecting me soon.”
“I love you.” It’s the first time I’ve said this out loud and I hate that it’s in fear, but I can’t let her leave.
She shakes her head. “It’s too late.”
Tears burn my eyes as I realize there’s no convincing her to stay. “I’m not giving up on us.”
She maneuvers out of my hold and stands, reaching for her bag. “I’ll send someone for the rest of my things or come by when you’re not here.”
I sit back on my heels, watching the love of my life walk out the door without so much as a backward glance. I grab the lamp and heave it at the door. It shatters against the wood, plunging me into darkness.
My head throbs. I roll over, reaching for Zoe only to come up short. I frown as memories from last night assault me. After she left, I poured myself a glass of whiskey. The one glass turned into the entire bottle. I grip Zoe’s pillow, and her scent floods my senses. How pathetic am I? I’m a grown man, clinging to a pillow that smells like the woman who walked out on me.
I reach for my phone. My heart pounds against my ears when I see the message alert with Zoe’s name.
Zoe
Please stop calling. This is hard enough without you making it worse.
I drop my phone, pulling the pillow over my head. Even in the middle of my contentious divorce from Gretchen, I never felt this bad. It’s as if my heart was ripped out of my chest and tossed into a meat grinder.
If I didn’t have to piss, I’d stay in bed, but the pressure on my bladder is enough to propel me onto my feet. I stumble into the bathroom, ramming my shoulder into the door frame. Maybe I’m still a little drunk. I pull my cock out of my pants and aim at the toilet, sighing in relief as my bladder empties.
Once I’m finished, I kick out of my clothes and get into the shower. I turn the knob until the water’s so hot it damn near scalds my skin right off my body. With nothing to do today but miss Zoe, I linger in the shower until the water turns ice cold. By the time I emerge, my teeth are chattering, and my lips have turned blue.
I pull on a pair of sweats, then make my way to the kitchen. Nothing appeals to me, so I go back into the living room and collapse onto the sofa. I flip through the channels, but nothing looks good.
Guess I’ll just take a nap instead.
The pounding on my door rouses me from sleep. My best friend Kenny stands on the other side of the door. “You look like shit. What happened?”
“Why are you here?” I rub my eyes, but it feels like they’re full of sand so it offers no relief.
“It’s Wednesday. We always play golf on Wednesday afternoons.”
I move to close the door in his face, but he shoots out a hand, catching it. “Seriously, dude, what happened?”
“She left me.”
“The teenager?”
“She’s not a teenager,” I hiss.
He laughs. “I’m just kidding. You know I’ve always had a thing for younger chicks myself; maybe not as young as you like, but still…” he trails off, teasing me.
I shoot him a dirty look. “Shut up.”
He laughs. “Relax. I’m just joking.”
“Seriously, get dressed. We need to get you out of here. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself won’t get Zoe back.”
“Nothing will. She left because of Calla,” I tell him. As much as I want to be pissed at my daughter, it’s not her fault. She’s just a kid reacting to a big change. Zoe didn’t have to leave.
“Calla? How did Calla run off your wife?”
By the time I’ve told Kenny everything, I feel even more hopeless than before. “Zoe knows I’d never choose between her and Calla, but Calla was never going to accept Zoe.”
“Have you talked to Calla?” Kenny asks.
I shake my head no. “My daughter is going to be happy about this. Her mother and I spoiled her, and now that’s she’s rotten, there’s no one to blame but myself.”
“Calla is young, and from what I remember a tad spoiled, but she has a big heart. There’s no way she’d want to be the demise of your marriage.”
“You say that like you know how she thinks. Trust me. You don’t know her that well. You haven’t been around her in over ten years.”
He opens his mouth to say something, but snaps it shut. Instead, he rubs the back of his neck like he’s suddenly uncomfortable.
“I can’t lose her.” Just the thought has my gut tightening.
“Calla loves you. That’ll never happen,” he reassures me.
“I’m not talking about Calla. I know I’ll never lose her . No matter how hard we fight, she’ll always be my little girl. I can’t lose Zoe . She’s my soulmate.”
“Then don’t let her walk away. Love is always worth fighting for.”
“Since when did you become so pro-love?”
He shrugs. “Let’s just say there’s someone I’ve known for a long time who I suddenly see in a different light. She’s changing everything for me.”
“Amy?” The only woman I can think of who we’ve all known for years that’s single is Amy Parks. She’s been with Titan since she was fresh out of college, and all of us had the hots for her. She’s sworn up and down she’d never date anyone associated with Titan.
“Not Amy.”
“Then who?”
He shakes his head no. “It’s too soon to talk about. I don’t want to jinx anything.”
If I was a better friend, I’d ask more questions, but the only question I have now is how the hell am I going to get Zoe to come home? Kenny’s right. I need to start with Calla.