Stuck-Up Suit(81)

His name was Chance Bateman. He was a former Australian soccer star, now living in Hermosa Beach. He told me the story of how he’d met his wife, Aubrey, at a rest stop in Nebraska. They went on an adventurous road trip together but ended up getting separated for some time after. But things worked out in the end.

I proceeded to share my own story with him. The one big similarity was that we’d each met our women in the unlikeliest of places.

“Think about it, Mate. These are not coincidences. An Australian and an uptight princess from Chicago happen to connect in the middle of bumf*ck Nebraska. Yet, she was my soulmate. And you…you said you didn’t normally take the train. For some reason, that morning you did. You have to trust in fate. It’s all written. Doesn’t matter if it’s today or in two years, if it’s meant to be, it will happen one way or the other.”

Chance looked down at his phone. “Gotta run. You’re a good chap. If it all works out with your lady, you should bring her by our house for some brekky before you leave town.”

This guy was probably one of the most charismatic people I’d ever met.

I smiled for the first time in what felt like forever. “I just might take you up on that.”

He patted me once on the shoulder. “Good luck, Mate.”

As if to say goodbye, the goat let out a long, “Baa.”

Watching him walk away with the animal, I shook my head in amazement. I shot out one additional text to Soraya, still unsure if she’d received any of my other texts from earlier.

I just ran into a man walking a f*cking goat.





CHAPTER 32


SORAYA



DELIA WAS IN THE SHOWER. It was my one opportunity to see if I could locate my phone. She’d agreed to shut off hers, too. We’d been living without our phones for over twenty-four hours, and I was seriously getting the shakes.

Ransacking her purse, I couldn’t believe it was that easy. She’d simply put it in the most obvious place. She must have trusted me when she obviously shouldn’t have.

The apple appeared on the screen as the phone powered on.

My heart sank.

Several missed messages and texts.

They were all from Graham.

Did something happen?

Scrolling up to the top of the text chain, I swallowed nervously as I read from the beginning.

Where are you?

I need to see you. Are you home?

You lied. I figured it all out.

You forgot one very important thing when you did what you thought was right. You can’t make me stop loving you.

If I’m not happy, my daughter can sense it. She already has. I know you think your life would have been better if your parents were together, but did you ever consider that maybe it would have been worse? If your father were physically present but depressed and withdrawn as he longed for another woman?

My daughter will understand that my love for you doesn’t have anything to do with my love for her. Your father sucked at communicating that. I will learn from his mistakes. You will help me. We will do it together.

My heart started beating out of control when I read the next message.

I just landed in Hermosa Beach. I’m coming to you.

Fuck. You’re not home. Tell me where to find you.

I’ll come back.

I’m at the beach. All I can think about is holding you again, kissing you and smacking that ass so hard for ever believing that I could be better off without you.

The last text made no sense but caused me to chuckle.

I just ran into a man walking a f*cking goat.

***

POOR DELIA, HER HEAD WAS FULL of shampoo when I burst into the bathroom rambling on about Graham’s texts. I’d expected her to be angry that I had broken our pact to forego cell phones, but she wasn’t. After she rinsed off, she hopped out of the shower and found me rummaging through my suitcase for something other than the grungy, haven’t-been-washed-in-three-days, sweatpants I was wearing.

“Are you okay?”

“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have made the decision for us. I love him, Del. Graham’s right. I wouldn’t be taking him away from his daughter. I’d be giving her another person in her life who loves her. I’m not Theresa. I want to be involved in Chloe’s life. I realized last night that I wasn’t just mourning the loss of Graham. I’d also lost a little girl I loved.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Drop down on my knees and beg for forgiveness.”

Del snort-laughed. “He’s a man. If you drop to your knees, you won’t be able to beg for anything. Your mouth will be too full.”

She had a point. Stripping out of my clothes, I ran back into the bathroom in a bra and panties to wash up. As I used the facecloth to wash my face, under my arms, and all of the important parts, I spoke to Del. “I owe him such a big apology. I hope I haven’t ruined things for us. He seems to understand why I did it already. I just hope I can make things right again.”

Del leaned against the bathroom door as I brushed my teeth. She was holding some of my clothes and held them out to me when I finished. “Here. Wear this. Your tits bulge out of the top of that shirt. That’ll go a long way toward making it right again.”

I smiled as I slipped on my pants. “These tits are how it all started, ya know.”