Soundtrack for this chapter:
I'm Comin' Over—Chris Young
Holy—Florida Georgia Line
Small Town Boy—Dustin Lynch
Walk on Water—Thirty Seconds to Mars

24

Theo

My flight out of Boston had been delayed nearly an hour due to the fucking weather. I didn't have any more time. I had no idea where Jules lived; the only place I knew I could find her was at her parents' party at the Manorhill Estate. I had to be there, to find her, to ask her why she lied to me, to apologize for the words I'd used against her. I had to know if she was going to come back to Boston.

Flying in a three piece suit was less than ideal, but I had the feeling that I may not have even been permitted on the grounds of the estate in anything less. It crossed my mind that they probably had a guest list where I'd need to give a name, but I figured I'd worry about that only if necessary. I had too many other things on my mind.

The moment the pilot told us we could use our phones again when we landed in Savannah, I turned mine on and checked to see if I had any messages from Jules. Still nothing. I'd had enough of our game of seeing who could hold out longer and texted her. When she didn't respond by the time I'd made it to the rental car desk, I called her. It rang until I hit her voicemail, and I started to question exactly what the fuck I was doing in Savannah.

The woman behind the desk snapped me back to reality.

"Sir?"

"Oh, right. Sorry. Swipe now?"

She nodded, and I swiped my credit card through the machine.

"You're all set! Your car is in spot 29. You have a lovely day now, okay?"

Service workers in the south were far more polite than anyone I'd ever come in contact with in Boston, but I figured hers would be the last friendly face I was going to meet. I smiled back at the beaming woman and took the keys from her.

Once crammed into the small two-door sports car (something I felt would be necessary for the kind of party I was about to crash) I punched in the address of the estate and started the hour long journey to my reunion with Jules.

I had to drive through the countryside to get to the place where Jules had wed her ex-husband, but I wasn't mad about it. The fields were still green, and the number of horses I passed were too many to count. It was a beautiful drive, which made me feel even more sad for Jules that she likely never had the chance to truly enjoy the beauty of her hometown.

As the gravel drive of the mansion crunched under my tires, I took in the massive structure; it was magnificent, almost beyond words. A crisp white exterior was offset by hunter green shutters, and a porch seemed to wrap around the entire building. The landscape surrounding it was meticulously groomed, and faint sounds of music could be heard coming from around the grounds.

There was a line of cars waiting for the valet, but I feared they'd ask for a name and pulled around to the lot myself. As I got out and put my jacket back on, I saw a teenage busboy struggling with a large box he was unloading from the back of a truck, so I seized the opportunity to make it in undetected.

I came up to the side of the truck and offered him a hand. "Need help with that?"

"Oh, no worries, sir. I can manage it."

"Really, I don't mind. Here." I couldn't take no for an answer.

The boy relented and offered me a side of the box to hold. Once we got it in, he jerked his head to a set of doors and said, "Party's just through those doors out into the garden. Thanks for the help."

"Thank you." He'd given me the in I don't think I would've gotten otherwise.

The moment I was in the throes of the gathering, I don't think I'd ever felt more out of place. Most of the men were in tuxedos, and suddenly my three piece suit felt incredibly informal. A waiter was working through the crowd with a tray of cocktails, so I grabbed one, stalked over to a corner, and drank it down.

A quick scan of the crowd was all I needed to realize she wasn't yet there, so I found a place to sit down and wait. With every passing minute, the bundle of nerves in my stomach grew tighter. Something in me knew that the night wasn't going to end well, and I considered leaving more than once, but something stronger kept my ass planted in that seat. And then I saw her.

It took me a second to realize it was Jules; she looked nothing like herself. Her hair was pulled back tight, and her skin looked pale, as if she had little energy left in her. It took everything in my power not to approach her instantly. But I couldn't. She had her arm linked around some prick in a tux; when his face turned in the crowd and I was able to catch a glimpse of it, I realized two things: he was the same man in Jules' wedding picture and she'd hidden far more from me than the party. I expected shards of glass to litter the ground from the pressure my hand was putting around my empty cocktail.

Yet something still kept my ass in that chair. I watched her interact with him and the people around her; I'd never before seen her look so pained to be in someone's presence. Every time he grabbed her hand to pull her in another direction, I could see the pull of resistance in her, see how uncomfortable she felt.

But my attention was then drawn to a woman standing at a microphone. She looked nothing like Jules, even though I soon learned she was Jules' mother by her speech; hers were all angular and harsh features, none of the softness of Jules'. I nearly gagged at the superficiality of the little address she gave to the crowd and turned my eyes back to Jules.

As I was watching her, the man who I was fairly certain was still her husband wrapped his arm around her back, and a hot wave of anger and jealousy flashed over me. My suspicions were soon confirmed by Jules' mother, who announced that Jules and her husband had recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary and that he'd prepared something special for her. I kept my eyes trained on Jules, and when her mother had mentioned this surprise, her head did the funny little shake it always does when she's thrown off guard. I imagined her blinking rapidly, and something in me told me that it was the right time to approach her; I didn't really have any kind of game plan in mind, but I'd always kind of been one to improvise.

The only thing that momentarily halted me in my path to Jules were the words "renew their vows"; as I was stopped, staring at the back of Jules' body, I watched her slump into her husband, and any anger I was feeling towards her completely left my being. I quickened my pace towards her, seeing her husband whisper something to her as a panicked look set in on her face. I made it to her just as her knees began to wobble again, and so began my charade as an esteemed guest of that fucking party.

"Are you alright, Miss?" I tried to stifle my mild Boston accent as much as possible. Her prick of a husband didn't even give her a chance to respond.

"Hey, buddy. She's fine. Just got a little excited. I've got her." He was the most pretentious sounding fuck I'd ever met, and Jules was most certainly not fine; the color was completely drained from her face, and it was taking both of us to keep her upright. I squeezed her side to let her know I wasn't going to leave her.

"I'm an EMT, and I'm telling you, she needs to sit down and drink some water."

Jules' husband backed away from her, and I firmed up my hold on her. He looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"And who exactly are you? I don't recall ever seeing you at one of our parties before."

I cleared my throat in an effort to give me just a second to come up with a story. "My father works with Mr. Calhoun. My mother wasn't feeling well, so I came with him in her place. Now really," I gestured to Jules, "she needs to sit down and drink some water."

With a conceited eyeroll, her husband said, "Listen, pal, I'm fully capable of taking care of my wife. Let's go, Jules." He held out his hand, but I swear I felt her lean in closer to me.

In an act of divine intervention, some massive man in a charcoal tux strolled over towards us calling his name.

"William! William Buchanan!" The moment he was next to William, he lowered his voice. "Mind if I chat with you a moment? Got a very promising business venture I think you're going to be interested in." He then took Jules in and scrunched his nose. "Looks like the Mrs. could use some crackers."

The sigh that escaped William Buchanan's mouth sounded like that of a spoiled ten year old. "Yes, right. Mr.—what's your name?" He looked at me with a scowl, and I knew it was meant to degrade me, but I'd never give him that satisfaction.

"Bryne."

"Ah, yes. Mr. Bryne was just taking her inside. He's an EMT, you know."

The fat man to Will's right laughed. "Good thing there are people like you who're willing to take the jobs that don't pay for the sake of helping others, right?" If I was a prideful man, I'm sure his words would have caused me some sort of shame, but he was right. I'd never take a big paycheck over the chance to save someone's life. He led William off and left me there with Jules, who pushed into me enough to turn us around and lead us up to the doors of the ballroom where dinner was to take place.

I had a thousand questions running through my head, but her not passing out was at the top of my priorities. I raised my hand at one of the waiters and asked for a glass of water, but she kept pulling me in the direction of the parking lot.

"Need to go. Now." She was breathless, and her stubborn attitude was only going to do more harm.

"Jules, you need—"

"To go. Please."

I forced her to stop, looked into her eyes, and saw that they were on the verge of tears.

"Okay, okay, just—" I was interrupted by the waiter with a wine glass full of water and a few dinner rolls.

"Thought these might help too. Should I pull a chair?"

"Thank you, but no. I'm going to take her out front away from the crowd."

The waiter smiled and went about finishing setting out the silverware at the tables. I handed Jules the wine glass, which she sipped as we hobbled towards my rental.

"Right here." I opened the door for her and helped ease her in, setting the rolls in her lap. "When's the last time you ate?"

"Please get in the car."

Resisting the urge to argue with her was rough. Regardless, I shut her door, got in on my side, and started the car. When I noticed she still had the wine glass, then empty, I motioned to it. "Should we give that back?"

"My parents can afford whatever this place charges for a missing glass. Turn left out of the drive."

I did as she directed then pointed at the rolls in her lap. "I have about 172 questions for you, but I'm going to ask that you eat those first. Let me know when I need to make another turn."

She didn't say anything, but she nodded and tore a piece of one of the rolls and popped it into her mouth. After she finished one, she spoke up, her voice sounding more alert. "When you get to Waterford Ave, make a right."

"Where are we going?"

"I need to get my things from my parents' house. After that, I don't care where we go..I mean, we don't have to go somewhere together if you don't want to...I can—"

"Why didn't you tell me you were still married?" I couldn't wait any longer.

She coughed on the small bite of bread she'd just taken, swallowed it down, then took a breath. "Fair question, but it's one that kind of has a loaded answer. I guess the short version is that Will said he won't sign the divorce papers." She stared at her lap as she spoke. "If...if it makes you feel better, I never meant to fall in love with you."

Was she serious? "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Left at this next light. Listen, Theo, I promise you I will tell you everything, answer all of your questions, after my blood sugar stabilizes and we're on our way out of Savannah."

"Out of Savannah? You're coming back to Boston?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I just thought...I'll save it for when we talk later. How far away are we?"

"Nearly there. Left on this corner up here, then it's the house on the right." She'd finished the remaining dinner rolls, and the natural flush of her cheeks was back.

When we came upon her house, I quickly realized house didn't do it justice. Mansion was a much better descriptor for the structure that stood before us. "You grew up here?"

"I'd take your house over this one any day." She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to me once I'd pulled into the drive. "Just, just stay here and keep the car running. I'll be right out."

"Are you out of your fucking mind? You could barely stand twenty minutes ago. I'm going in with you. I don't need you passing out before you even make it into the house."

She actually rolled her eyes at me, but I just waved her off with my hands and got out of the car to follow her.

As we walked through the place, I tried to judge how many of my house would fit into hers. I guessed at least four. The walls were all decorated with ornate golden framed portraits, and the furniture all looked so perfect it was as if no one actually lived there.

After walking down endless corridors and up a flight of stairs, we made it to Jules' room where she gathered a few things, threw them into her suitcase, and zipped it closed. The only thing left for her to grab was her cellphone, screen lit up with missed calls and messages from me. She grasped it in her hand and met my eyes.

"Where were you planning on staying tonight?" She looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"Booked a room at a hotel near the airport. Is that okay?"

She seemed to think it over in her head for a moment as she tapped around on her phone. "Yeah, yeah that'll work. I just...I need to come back into town tomorrow morning. I have to meet with my attorney."

"I don't think that's going to be necessary."

Any color that had regained itself in Jules' face left it as a new presence joined us in the room. Jules stepped around me and faced her husband, but he craned around her and pointed at my chest.

"That was a nice little attempt to deceive us back there, but the second I asked my father-in-law about a Mr. Bryne, he confirmed that no such man of that name worked with him. It's quite clear you're here from the city our precious little Jules has been galavanting around in for the last year and a half." He turned to her, anger in his eyes. "Was that your plan? Have some poor bastard you met up in Boston come and make a mockery of our families?"

I wanted nothing more than to punch him in his perfectly square jaw; the adrenaline was already pumping through me, and I felt my heart knock against my ribs. "Listen you—"

But Jules turned to me with a pleading look in her soft, honey-colored eyes, before turning them back on her husband.

"I refuse to do this with you anymore, Will. I haven't loved you for a long time, not since the man I married ceased to exist and was replaced with the man your parents and my parents molded. You were convincing this morning, you really were, but it was all clearly a ploy to ensure I came to that party. You don't care about renewing our vows; you don't care about me."

I watched as the muscles beneath Jules' dress contracted, but she was holding her own.

The second Will opened his mouth, I could hear the slimy quality of his mind in action. "You're right. I don't give two shits about renewing our vows, sweetheart. I care that there's record of us doing so recently, so any plans you have to officially file for divorce will be fucked. But it's no matter, darling," he took a step towards her, "you know why? Because I don't think you'll ever actually be able to do it. You've had almost two years, and what have you done? Nothing. You're too scared to disappoint your mother and father. You're too scared to bring shame upon this family. You're too scared of the legal battle and emotional torment I promise to bring you should you ever sign those papers. You'll have nothing without me or your family."

She was shaking, with rage or with fear I wasn't sure. It took every fiber in my being not to step in.

"I've been doing pretty well for myself for the last year and a half. I don't need you, or father. I don't need your money. I don't need your house or your cars or any other meaningless materials you think you can hold over me."

"I'll ruin you, Jules. I'll find a way, no matter where you go. Oh, and be sure to tell Simon hello for me when you see him tomorrow morning." The smirk on his face seemed to have been painted there by the devil itself.

Jules shrunk in on herself. "You...you're the reason he canceled our meeting? How did you find out he was my attorney?"

"Come on, sweetheart. It's not that big of a town. Besides, anyone can be swayed to break confidentiality agreements at the right price."

How? How was I supposed to just stand there when this mother fucker was trying to destroy the woman I loved more than myself, more than my mom? She must have sensed the impending crash of my fist repeatedly into his face as she looked back at me one last time and shook her head. Her voice, though steady, was broken.

"Please move."

He laughed, actually laughed in her face. "Is that how you saw this ending? Me just stepping to the side, allowing you to walk away from this life forever?"

She squared her shoulders and looked into his malicious eyes. "Yes, because regardless of the threats you make, regardless of the control you're so bent on having over me, you no longer have any say in what I do." She looked back at me for a moment and nodded, my cue to stand right behind her. "I've seen Theo single handedly destroy an entire room with a sledgehammer, and I can promise you that if you try to stop me from leaving, it won't end well for you."

I locked eyes with that fucking prick, and the huff that parted his lips let me know there'd be no reason for me to throw him through one of those walls; I was kind of disappointed.

Jules circled back around me, grabbed her suitcase, and then made her way to the door. Will moved to the left to allow her to pass, and when I started to follow her, he looked into my eyes and shook his head.

"She'll come back. You'll see."

I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When I opened them, I brought my face within inches from his and narrowed my eyes at him. "I was shot in the chest at near point-blank range. There's not a fucking thing in this world you can say that would scare me."

When I joined Jules out at the car, she was feverishly pulling up on the trunk. I tapped the button on the keyring to open the doors, and she clumsily pushed her suitcase into the trunk then climbed into the front seat. The moment I pulled out of her parents' drive, she bent forward as sobs raked over body. It broke my heart more than I could ever relate to someone.

I placed my right hand on her back and rubbed up and down, hushing calming words to her as I drove us on towards the hotel.

A/N: Hi!

Tomorrow, here in the US, it's Veteran's Day, so I want to write a note of thanks to all of our service men and women. If you know someone in any branch of the military, active or veteran, please thank them; we don't do nearly enough for those who sacrifice to keep us safe and free.

In other news, life very quickly picked back up to speed after the wedding, but I'm still so happy to have more time to write than I did last month :)

I hope you'll vote and comment and chat with me and have a lovely weekend!

L