To Have and to Hold

Chapter 28

My dress is destroyed, my head is killing me and I'm soaking wet, most likely ruining the interior of Justin's mother's car. I probably shouldn't be driving, I know this now, seeing as my head is pounding, but I swore up and down that I was fine. I knew sure as shit Justin couldn't drive, although I'm sure the nights events have sobered him up quite a bit by now. But I insisted on driving, calling an ambulance just wasn't necessary. It would just wake up Cole, and ruin this perfect night. Well, almost perfect night.

"Cole's going to kill me if he wakes up and you're not there."

I look over to him, ignoring that his face looks to be a little blurry. "He won't, we'll be home in no time. They'll check me out, assure you that I am in fact fine, and let us leave. He'll never know."

"It's not right Charlie."

"Please. He can't know! Promise me you won't tell him!"

He doesn't answer me, so I look over at him to see him staring out the window, jaw clenched. I reach over and grab his hand and he looks at me. "He's your husband, you have to tell him. Please don't ask me to- Charlie look out!"

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"Still having nightmares?," Jamie asks, causing me to jump up from my spot on the couch.

Where the fuck did she come from?

I look up to see that she's poring herself a glass of wine, work clothes still on, looking mad as hell.

"What time is it?," I ask.

"It's five in the evening, I just got back from work."

I sit up and stretch, wondering if it's considered having wine for breakfast, if I pour myself a glass.

"So you haven't left the couch all day?," she asks, same pissed off look on her face.

"No Jamie, I haven't. What would you like me to do?"

"Get a fucking job."

"I have a job!"

"Do you collect a paycheck?"

"No, but I -"

"Then you don't have a job. And unless you plan on miraculously hitting lotto, I'd suggest you get one. The rent is due in two weeks, we have no food in the house, and I'm tapped out from covering your half of the utilities."

I guess now wouldn't a good time to tell her that the cable got cut off then?

"What about the app! You act like it wasn't your fucking idea in the first place for me to get involved in this."

"It was, but I had no idea that it would take this long and that you'd be unemployed while you worked on it. And have you even heard from Cole at all?"

"Nope."

"See, I told you that you shouldn't have -"

"Shut up!," I yell, holding my hand up, gesturing for her not to go there. If she even mentions our little intimate encounter, I'll freak the fuck out. Does she not know that she's still in the dog house? "If he doesn't reach out to me soon I'll call him, but I'm not ready to see him yet. Besides, he probably needs space."