Anna May Cooper owned my heart.

Until she did the one thing she promised she wouldn’t.

She ran.

I cannot live without her.

But my ghosts aren’t gone either.

And they have the power to destroy everything.

Now I need to fight for her.

It should be Anna and me forever.

But now I am not sure about the fate of us.

“Girl, you had me worried sick!” Seraphina shouts into the phone.

I pull the phone away from my ear as I stand on a sidewalk outside of a clothing store. “I know Noah let you know I was fine, so calm down.”

“How was I to know he didn’t just tell me that and he is really a serial killer?”

“I think you have been watching too much Investigation Discovery lately.”

“Oh come on, you know it keeps me entertained. Anyway, what the hell happened?”

I sit on a bench outside the ice cream shop next door. This is going to be a long talk. “You better be sitting down for this.”

I hear her fumbling around in the background. “Hold on a sec, let me grab some popcorn.”

I roll my eyes at her waiting until she gives me the go to talk. “Kyle was a dick.”

“No shit. I could have told you that.”

“He wasn’t always that way, Sera. He was great for a while.”

“Fine. He wasn’t always an asshole but I told you before you even agreed to marry him I wasn’t getting good juju from him.”

I snort. “Sera, you say you don’t get good juju from a lot of people. And when you do get good juju it’s usually only for the night with some guy with a hot bod.”

“Ugh. Whatever. So tell me what set fire to your feet so you had to hightail it out of dodge.”

I take a deep breath before I start. “Kyle cheated on me. A lot. In fact, he was having an affair with Becca. And—”

“Shut the front door. I knew something was happening between them.”

“Sera, you weren’t even around when it happened.”

“Juju.”

I shake my head as I tell her the rest of the story. The letter, Becca’s child, her nonchalance over the whole thing.

“That fucking bitch. I knew something was off with her.”

For years, Sera has been trying to warn me away from Becca. She has never been a fan, mostly because Becca was a bitch when she found out I made a friend in college who was my new best friend. The two of them never got along.

“It is what it is. I can’t change the past.”

“How are you holding up with all this?”

I play with the fabric of my ripped jeans thinking about everything. “It ripped me apart. Seeing Becca’s son’s eyes and knowing the truth. I felt so betrayed. I was ruined. Running was the only thing I could do. But I’m managing now.”

“Where did you go?” 

I never told Sera about this place. And I still want to keep it my secret. “I just got in the car and drove. Went to the coast.”

“How did Noah find you?”

“Well he is a cop; he has his ways.” Not a total lie.

“You don’t usually want someone around when you run away.”

“Yeah, well I needed him when I didn’t know I did.”

Sera exaggerates a gasp into the phone. “Are you telling me you aren’t as cold-hearted as you pretend to be?”

“Only around you,” I joke.

“So how has this affected you and Noah?”

I bite my lip thinking about the last twenty-four hours we spent together. Me pouring my heartache and pain into every word I said. And he was there for me, listening, holding my hand. “It’s been good,” I whisper.

“Good? You got to give me more than that!”

I sigh, trying to put it all into words without giving away too much. “He’s just been there. Listened. Supported me. With him, I don’t have to try.”

“Mmhmm. I see.”

“See what?”

“You’re in love with him.”

“I—I’m...” I don’t know why I’m keeping it from her or trying to make up some excuse. I am in love with him. There is no denying it.

“That bad, huh?”

“Fine,” I groan. “I’m in love with him. Okay?”

Sera laughs into the phone. “And how does that make you feel?”

“Are you my therapist now too?”

“I’m kidding, Anna. You sound happy despite all the shit you just found out. And that makes me happy. So what are you guys doing?”

“Well I ran here with no clothes so I am buying a few things. Noah wants to take me on a proper date tonight.”

“Make sure you buy some fancy lingerie.”

“Newsflash, Sera, he’s seen me naked.”

“Yeah, but fancy lingerie does something to a man.”

I shake my head at her. “I’m going to go. Need to be ready in a few hours.”

“Have fun tonight! And green lace will look best on you!”

8/25, 7PM, Book Bistro Blog Room

8/26, 8PM, The Korner | a Romance Reader Group

8/27, 8PM, Dirty Bad Boom Boom Room!

8/30, 5 - 10PM, The Boudoir (BanG Love Affair Boudoir) 

Tori Fox is the author of contemporary romance with a little bit of angst and a whole lot of sexy. Besides writing you can find her curled up on the couch with her dog reading a book, yelling at the TV during a hockey game or at a karaoke bar singing her heart out. No matter where she is there will always be a bottle of champagne near. Tori lives above the clouds with her husband in the Rocky Mountains.