I sat up quickly in bed and looked at the clock. It was eight on the dot.
“Shit!” I jumped up and started getting ready.
For ten minutes, I tried to get my hair to look decent before I ended up pulling it into a ponytail.
Shit, I never called anyone. I made a mental note to look for a cell phone.
I quickly walked up to the lobby of the hotel and noticed a pay phone. I had to laugh. I hadn’t seen one of those in years. I pulled out my credit card and hit zero. I gave the operator my credit card number and Amanda and Brad’s phone number. I didn’t think I could talk to my father just yet. The call was full of static, but I heard Amanda answer.
“Amanda! Hey, it’s Jessie.”
“Jessie! Thank God! Scott’s…insane…mistake…Chelsea…Bryce.”
“Wait—what are you saying, Amanda? I have a terrible connection. I’m only getting every other word. Can you hear me?”
“Yes! You…come…quickly…he’s…bad.”
“Okay…sweetie, I can’t understand you, but listen, I hope you can hear me. I’m fine. I’m going to stay here for about three weeks. Please let my dad and brothers know that I’m okay…Scott, too, I guess…if he even cares.”
“No! Please…Scott…he…talk…right away.”
“Ugh…Amanda, this connection is driving me nuts. I’ll give you a call in about a week or so. Tell Gunner I’m praying for Gramps. Bye, sweetie!”
“Wait!”
I hung up the phone. There was no sense in trying to piece together the conversation. I glanced up at the clock to see it was eight thirty.
Oh shit! Trey!
Right as I made it back to my cabana, I saw Trey walking up with the biggest smile on his face.
“Are you ready to see the sights of Ambergris Caye?”
Seeing him instantly made me feel better. All thoughts of Scott were pushed aside as I looked into the most beautiful green eyes I’d ever seen.
I nodded and smiled. “Yep, let’s do this!”
Trey held out his arm, and I took it as we made our way into town. Only about one minute into our walk, and I was already laughing my ass off.
Oh yeah…Trey is just what the doctor ordered for me to forget about Scott.
“Sir, believe me, I understand your frustration. But if Ms. Rhodes is not a missing person and you don’t have a warrant, there is no way I can look at the security cameras to see what airplane she got on. Do you know how many cameras we have? Or how long that would even take?” the Austin-Bergstrom security manager said.
I nodded. “I understand. I’m just desperate. I need to find her before I lose my mind.”
“I wish I could be of more help to you, sir. Do you share a credit card with her? She might have charged the ticket.”
I shook my head. “No, she only has one credit card, and it’s in her name, so I can’t check it. Thank you so much for your help. Have a good day.”
As I walked out of the airport, my cell started ringing. I didn’t even want to answer it. When Brad had called me yesterday and told me he’d brought Jessie to the airport, my heart had broken all over again. I couldn’t believe she had been mad enough to get on a plane and leave.
I pulled the phone out of my pocket to see that it was Amanda calling.
“Amanda! Have you heard from her?”
“Yes! Oh my god, she just called me, Scott! I could hear her, but she said she was only getting every other word of what I was saying. I tried telling her that it wasn’t you and that it was Bryce, but I don’t think she got any of it.”
My heart was pounding in my chest. “Did she say where she was?”
Please, God…please let me find her.
Amanda paused for the longest time, and I already knew the answer before she started talking again.
“No. I’m so sorry, Scott. The number didn’t show up either. She only said she was okay and would be staying about three weeks.”
“Three weeks!” I stopped and had to lean over. I. Can’t. Breathe.
“Scott? Scott, are you okay? Scott…please say something,” Amanda pleaded.
“I can’t talk right now. If she calls again, please try to find out where she is.”
“Of course I will, Scott. Don’t worry. When she comes back, she’ll find out the truth, and it won’t be long before she’s back in your arms.”
I tried to talk, but nothing would come out. I just hit End to disconnect the call. I walked back to my truck and slowly crawled in. My legs were like iron. My chest hurt, and it felt like someone was sitting on it.
Three weeks? Jessie, please don’t do this to me. I need you.
I sat at Gunner’s kitchen table and watched Ellie moving around while she made homemade marinara sauce. Every now and then, she would look at me and smile.
I couldn’t go home. It had been a week since Jessie left, and I’d only been home once. I had asked Bryce and Jeff to get rid of my bed. I was going to buy a new one. There was no way I’d ever sleep in that bed…or let Jessie sleep in it. That is, if she ever comes back. I’d noticed that Doc had put the vet clinic back up for sale. Jessie had left a message for him, saying that she was no longer interested in buying the practice.
Please just call me, Jessie.
Fuck! If she would just call me…
Ellie sat down and reached for my hands. The moment I felt her hands touch mine, I jerked.
Ellie jumped and let out a giggle. “Holy hell, Scott, you scared the shit out of me.”
I smiled at her. She was so sweet. I kept noticing how she would place her hand on her stomach. Gunner was beyond happy that Gramps was okay and home and that Ellie was having a pretty easy pregnancy so far. She’d hardly had any morning sickness. My smile slowly faded as I thought of Jessie and how much I wanted to have children with her.
“Ells…I miss her so much. I have such a bad feeling, and I can’t shake it. What if she meets someone else? What if she doesn’t believe me when I tell her it wasn’t me? Oh god…what if I never see her again? I want to marry her and have children with her. I don’t want anyone else, Ellie. I only want her.”
I couldn’t believe what a pussy I’d been during the last week, so I wasn’t surprised when I started crying again. My whole world felt like someone had just ripped it apart.
“Scott, I know you’re worried about her and things seem like they are really bad right now, but in her mind, she thinks she saw you and Chelsea having sex. That probably really upset her beyond belief. She just needs time…that’s all. Just be patient, and wait for her, sweets. She’s going to come back, Scott, because I know how much she loves you.”