Lockwood Creek Book Three - Can be read as stand-alone.
Dr Chris Chambers had no intention of settling down, he loved the chase too damn much. Or so he told himself. And love 'em and leave 'em were words he swore by. And so what if names like play...
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~ ~ Beth ~ ~
On autopilot, I climbed into my truck, not believing it was real—that I'd walked out and left Chris standing there because stupidly this whole time I'd been thinking he might love me back, the same way I loved him.
How stupid was I?
He never promised you a damn thing. The annoying voice inside my head reminded me.
Jamming my key into the ignition, Hopelessness fell heavily through me with the awful truth that Chris wasn't going to change. The weight of his silence had pressed down on me like a leaden blanket and I fought back the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. My heart felt like it was breaking, shattering into a million irreparable pieces.
My brother's words pushed inside my mind right alongside my despair. He'd told me the truth. Lana, too, had warned me, but I didn't listen. They both seemed to know Chris better than I ever could.
With a tremor in my hand I started the engine and punched the gas, burning rubber to get away from there, off his property. I sped away as tears drowned my vision, unstoppable and bitter, as I drove in a haze of pain and heartache.
A few miles down the road, the shaking in my hands gripping the steering wheel grew, becoming unmanageable. I pulled off the main road into a quiet street and slowed the truck to a crawl. Fetching it to a stop I killed the engine and got out leaving my wide door open as I walked a few steps and bent over and heaved my guts feeling sad and pathetic.
Everything came out and I let it.
Sobbing, a trembling mess of shot and sweat until I was utterly depleted before finally climbing back in my truck and I somehow, managed to make it back home in one piece, even though I felt dead on the inside.
Stepping inside the house, I heard April holler from the kitchen "Is that you, Beth?"
Oh god.
My face would be a dead giveaway if she saw me right now. "Yeah, it's me. I'm just gonna go change. Back in a few minutes." I rushed up the stairs and stripped out of my clothes as they were damp from all the crying and snot. Heading inside my bathroom, I got to work on making myself look half decent and when I was done, I stared hard at my reflection.
I still looked a little washed out, but I could fix that and pinched my cheeks a few times and then grabbed my lip gloss.
Moving my head side to side, I hadn't exactly worked any miracles, but I passed for alright, I guessed, and taking a deep breath, I told myself. "No point in cryin' no more. It won't change a damn thing."
Taking a few more calming breaths I practised my smile, fake as it was it was the best I could do right now. Walking back into my room I pulled on some clean clothes and went downstairs.
