Legends

Flashback: Brantley: Post Divorce

Late June 2014

Brantley's POV

I sat at the kitchen table in the eerily silent house feeling my heart break a little more. I had sat on the back deck for hours last night staring at the stars. I should be relaxing and enjoying my time off. I'd had a busy ass year so far and had plans to do nothing but get busier. Helped with the hurt because Allie was in every inch of this house from top to bottom. It had turned out to be everything we had dreamed it would be. I remembered the tears of happiness in her eyes when I had carried her across the threshold the first night we were able to stay in it and felt my own water as my heart pounded in my chest. I'd snuck over the day before to setup our bedroom just how she had wanted it.

I looked over at the official papers sitting next to the Jack Daniels bottle in front of me. Fuck me! I thought wiping my eyes then pounding my fist on the table. She really was gone. I had hoped that maybe she would have changed her mind. But didn't so I signed. How did I move on from this? I'd at least been able to bury myself in my vices when Amber had left. But this was different. Allie had been my wife, my best friend, the other half to my whole and she was gone.

I was terrified I would never get over her either. I loved her with everything I had and had been racking my brain on where I went wrong. I looked down at my wedding band still on my hand. I hadn't had the nerve to take it off. I'd debated tossing it off the first cliff I came across. I remembered how bad my hands were shaking the day Allie slipped it on my hand promising me forever. I heard a truck in the driveway and jumped up quickly to hide the bottle of whiskey no one knew I had. I hadn't taken a sip because I had promised Allie. Right now, I was using it as crutch to limp me along.

A minute later the front door slammed open as I heard arguing. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I leaned against the kitchen island after hiding my secret. Some things never changed. Ashley appeared a second later with Eli right behind her just a fussing.

"Y'all are a pair of fucking idiots!" she growled shaking her head at him then turning around to glare at me. Her blonde ponytail was swinging with each step she took. Well, looked like the little firecracker was all wound up. I looked over her head at Eli pointing at the box he had in his hands. I picked up the stack of papers from the table.

"You get it?" I asked as an evil grin spread across my face. I walked over to the fridge to pull out a bottle of water. Ashley smacked my arm before moving out of the way to grab a Mountain Dew. I motioned for them to follow me outside where the side by side was parked by the back deck. I slipped my shades off the top of my hat and climbed in the driver's.

Eli put the box in the back before hopping in the passenger seat pulling Ashley down into his lap. I cracked up the radio and we took off. I headed to back part of our property to a tree I had been needing to get down to make the riding trails I wanted for Cam. I'd had the genius idea come to me at two a.m. last night when I couldn't sleep. Thought it was a hell of an idea. Kill two birds with one stone. I parked and got out motioning for Eli to follow me with the box.

"Seriously B!" Ashley yelled. "I thought you were playing!"

"Fuck no!" I yelled back stalking over to the tree. It had been dying anyhow. I took the hammer out of my back pocket then the nail out of my front and tacked the stack of divorce papers onto the tree.

"What if you need those later?" Ashley asked making me turn my head to narrow my eyes and glare at her even through my dark sunglasses.

"What the FUCK would I need those for!" I growled turning back to my task. Felt slightly satisfying I will say. Eli placed the tannerite in the hole I had made and around the top of the wishing well sitting in front of it.