Rush: The Season (Austin Arrows Book 1)(127)

I look over, expecting him to be looking at me. He’s not. He’s staring at the ceiling, and the man lying in the bed with me is not the same man who made love to me seconds ago. No, that guy left and in his place…

“I need to get some sleep, Ellie. Be sure the door shuts when you go.”

I tell myself I shouldn’t be hurt. I walked into this room not knowing what to expect. He owes me nothing. Well, nothing except respect. He does owe me that. Since it’s clear I’m not going to get that, either, I don’t waste any time before I crawl out of his bed, pull on my clothes, and slip out into the hall.

Only then do I let the tears fall as I slide down the wall and press my face to my knees.

Only then do I accept that Kingston Rush is done with me, and there is nothing I can do to change his mind.





53

Bianca

Sunday, February 19th

It has been exactly one month since I met my dad. One whole month and it only seems to be getting better. I talk to or text him every single day, and he tells me that he misses me when he has to go back to Colorado. I tell him I miss him, too, and I wish he lived closer. Then last night, when I called him to say good night, he told me he was working on fixing that.

At first I was scared that he would want me and Mom to move to Colorado to be with him, but he said that he likes Texas. Likes that it isn’t quite as cold as it is where he’s at. I think that means he’s considering moving here. I hope that’s the case, because I want to see him, but I don’t want to move to Colorado. I don’t want to leave Gabby or my school.

Then, before I got off the phone, he asked how Mom was doing. I told him that she misses him, too. I don’t know if that’s true or not. Mom has been sad for the past couple of weeks. Ever since we went to Colorado. When she left the hotel room that night, I asked James where she was going. He told me that she went to talk to Kingston.

That made me mad. She shouldn’t be running off to see Kingston when she’s with James. He doesn’t deserve that. I can tell that he likes her and it’s rude for her to be talking to Kingston still. I heard her tell him that they were only pretend dating—I was right—but she told my dad they’d stopped doing that. He’s so nice. He told me that my mom is allowed to care about Kingston and that he understands that she does.

I don’t want him to understand. I want him to fight for her. I want us to be a family.

Gabby: Why was your mom crying? Because of your dad?

This morning when I woke up, I found my mom in the kitchen. She was drinking coffee and staring at the wall. I saw a tear drip down her face, but as soon as she heard me, she wiped it away. I mentioned it to Gabby.

Bianca: No. Not my dad. She’s crying because of Kingston.

It makes me mad that he made her cry. I don’t know what happened, and when I asked my mom if she was okay, she pretended she was. I know she’s not. I know that she’s not really seeing Kingston anymore, either.

Gabby: It really sucks that he made her cry. You need to tell your dad. I bet he’d be mad at Kingston.

Bianca: Probably.

Gabby: Or you could text Kingston and tell him that your mom is in love with your dad. Maybe he’ll leave her alone then. She won’t have to cry because then she and your dad can be together.

It actually makes a lot of sense.

I exit out of my message with Gabby and open a new one. I type in Kingston’s name and pull up his contact information. It makes me mad that he made her cry. It’s not fair. He shouldn’t hurt her.

Maybe if I tell him that my mom is in love with my dad, he’ll be hurt, too. Just like her.

And if I’m lucky, she’ll end up loving my dad, too, and we can be a family.

Bianca: Are you there?

Kingston: I’m here, Bianca. You okay?

Bianca: I am. Very okay. My dad’s coming back today to see me and Mom.

Kingston: That’s good to hear. I’m glad you’re happy.

Bianca: I am happy. Very, very, very happy. Especially now that my mom and dad are starting to like each other more.

I wait a few minutes to see if Kingston will respond. When he doesn’t, I send another text.

Bianca: I just wanted you to know so that you’ll be happy for us. He’s taking us to dinner tonight when he gets here. He’ll be staying all week to look for a house. He told me and Mom that he wants us to be closer. I think it means we might get to live with him soon.

Kingston: I’m glad you’re happy, Bianca. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for you and your mom.

For some reason, that text makes me sad.

Yes, I wanted to hurt him, but … I don’t like feeling like this.

I feel bad for Kingston. I haven’t seen him for a while, but the last time I did, I could tell he wasn’t as happy as he used to be when he was seeing my mom all the time.

Staring down at my phone, I reread his last message, and a lump forms in my throat. I remember my dad telling me that my mom deserves a chance to be happy with Kingston. I had asked him if it bothered him and he told me no. I thought he was lying at first, but he never said anything else.

Now that I think about it, my mom’s been sad ever since Kingston stopped coming around so much. Maybe he didn’t hurt her on purpose. Maybe she’s sad because she misses him. She hasn’t said anything, but…

Ohemgee. I think my mom has a broken heart.