Filed To Story: The Things We Leave Unfinished Novel Free
“It’s been eight days, Noah.” She unbuttoned her coat and shrugged out of it, draping it across the chair she’d commandeered across from my desk.
“And?” Eight excruciating days and sleepless nights. I couldn’t think straight, couldn’t eat, couldn’t stop wondering what was going through Georgia’s head.
“And enough wallowing!” She took a cup from the carrier and leaned back, her posture so much like mine that it was almost laughable. “This isn’t you.”
“I’m not exactly at my best.” My eyes narrowed. “And aren’t you supposed to be the compassionate one in the family?”
“Only because the role of stubborn asshole was already taken.” She sipped her coffee.
The corners of my mouth lifted.
“Well, look at that, he lives.” She saluted me with the cup.
“Not without her,” I said quietly, glancing at the Manhattan skyline. Whatever this was, it wasn’t living. Existing, maybe, but not living. “You know, I used to think the term falling in love was an oxymoron. It should be rising, right? Love is supposed to make you feel like you’re on top of the world. But maybe that phrase is so popular because actually making it work is rare. Everyone else just crashes at the end of it.”
“It’s not over, Noah.” Adrienne’s face softened. “I’ve seen you two together. The way she looked at you… There’s just no way this is how it ends.”
“If you’d seen the way she looked at me in that office, you might think differently. I really hurt her,” I countered quietly. “And I promised I wouldn’t.”
“Everyone makes mistakes. Even you. But holing up in your apartment and burying yourself in whatever this is”-she motioned to the disaster zone of my desk-“isn’t going to win her back.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Please, do tell me more about what I should be doing to win back the woman I blatantly, deliberately lied to for weeks.”
“Well, when you put it that way.” Her nose wrinkled. “At least you didn’t cheat on her like her ex?”
“I’m not sure arguing that a liar is better than a cheater is really the way to go on this one.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “I used my best weapon-words-and played with semantics to get what I wanted, and it bit me in the ass, plain and simple. There’s no coming back from that with her.”
“So you’re saying she’s a Darcy?” Adrienne tilted her head in thought.
“I’m sorry?”
“You know…her good opinion once lost is lost forever.” She shrugged. “Pride and Prejudice? Jane Austen?”
“I know who wrote Pride and Prejudice, and I’d argue that Georgia is one of the most forgiving people I know.” She’d given her mother chance after chance.
“Good, then fix this.” She nodded. “You’re right. Love-the good, the real, the life-changing-is rare. You have to fight for it, Noah. I know you’ve never had to before, that women have always come easily to you, but it’s because you never cared enough to try to keep someone around before.”
“Fair point.” This was all new territory for me.
“You live in a world where you can script everything someone says and one grand gesture makes everything instantly better, but the truth is that relationships are work in the real world. We all screw up. We all say something we regret or do the wrong thing for the right reasons. You’re not the first guy who might need a good grovel.”
“Tell me honestly, have you been saving this speech?” I leaned across the desk and took my coffee from the carrier.
“For years,” she admitted with a grin. “How did I do?”
“Five stars.” I gave her a thumbs-up, then downed the offered caffeine.
“Excellent. Time to rejoin humanity, Noah. Get your hair cut, shave, and please, for the love of God, take a shower because it smells like funk and takeout in here.”
I gave my shoulder a discreet sniff and couldn’t argue. Instead, I glanced at the invitation Adam had messengered over a couple of days ago. As much as I hated it, there was one other person who might be able to answer the question that had been eating away at me for the last couple of months. The question Georgia had never asked Scarlett.
“My job here is done.” Adrienne stood and slipped her coat on.
“Rejoin humanity, huh?”
“Yep.” She nodded, fastening her buttons.
“Want to be my plus one?” I picked up the invitation and handed it to her.
“These things are so boring,” she groaned, but read it over.
“This one won’t be. Paige Parker is a major donor.” I lifted my brows. “I’ll bet you anything Damian Ellsworth will be there.”
Adrienne’s eyes flared with surprise, her gaze darting to mine, then narrowing. “Someone has to keep you out of trouble. I’m free that night. Pick me up at six.”
“You always did like a good show.” I laughed.
She scoffed and walked straight out of my office.
I heard the front door shut just as the text alert went off on my phone.
GEORGIA: I read both endings.
My heart stopped as I watched three little dots scroll along the bottom of the message, indicating that she wasn’t done typing.
GEORGIA: Go with the real one. You did a great job at portraying her grief, her struggle getting here, and her eventual happiness when she married Brian.
My eyes slid shut against the tidal wave of pain that washed over me. Damn it. It wasn’t just the loss of my preferred ending, the one that Scarlett and Jameson deserved, but the knowledge that I’d failed to convince Georgia she could have that same happiness in her own life. I breathed through the pain and managed to type out a text that wasn’t a thousand apologies and a plea to take me back.
NOAH: Are you sure? The happy one is better written.
Because it had my heart and soul in it. It was the right one.
GEORGIA: I’m sure. This one is trademark you. Don’t doubt your ability to rip someone’s heart out.
Ouch. She was freezing over again, not that I blamed her. Hell, I’d caused it.
NOAH: I love you, Georgia.
She didn’t reply. I hadn’t expected her to.
“I’ll prove it,” I said to myself, to her, to the world.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.