Rocking His Fake World (Love You Forever #3) - Alexis Winter Page 0,76

I break the radio.

Even though thinking about her fills me with heartbreak, love, anger, sadness, and every other emotion I can think of, I haven’t allowed myself too much time for her to cross my mind. I’ve always prioritized her needs, and now I want to move on like she asked me to. I’ve been on a few dates here and there, but nothing worth speaking about.

I’ve finally hired a senior partner at the firm, Matthew Lewis III. He seems like a bit of a pompous ass at times, but he’s a damn good lawyer. With the amount of hours and dedication I’ve been putting in at work, our client base is growing faster than I can keep up with, and Matthew will be vital in helping me manage things. And truthfully, his fiery administrative assistant, Poppy, has been a source of comedic relief for my melancholy mood. The hateful dynamic between them would normally annoy me, but I’m 99 percent sure he has the hots for her, and it drives him crazy that she can’t stand him and is constantly screwing things up.

My life is now comprised of work, time at the gym, dinner at my place alone, and sleeping. In fact, this is the first time I’ve allowed myself to fully think about her in weeks, and it’s only coming up now because I’m at the hospital, surrounded by happy couples and holding Preston and Riley’s daughter.

This little baby in my arms is perfect. She’s tiny, soft, and pink, and smells unbelievably good. Preston and Riley are sitting on Riley’s hospital bed, watching me and whispering back and forth between themselves.

“Say cheese, Uncle Daniel!” Riley says. I look up just in time to have my picture snapped.

I smile for the picture, but it falls when I look back down at this little baby in my arms. I’ve never been much of a fan of babies, but it’s like I’m suddenly reminded of something I’ll never get. I’ll never get what Riley and Preston have—spending every day of the rest of my life with the woman I love. I’ll never get to have a family with her. I’ll never be the proud father who’s passing out pink bubble gum cigars. Anything I have with any other woman will only be second best, and that’s not fair to her or myself. I deserve to be with the woman I love, and there’s only one woman who can fill that role: Luna. I don’t care how crazy her life is; I want to be there with her. And I’m going to tell her just that when she gets back—that is, if she still wants me.

Months ago, after she left, I expected a text or call after a few weeks. It’s our usual song and dance: we can’t be together but always end up getting dragged back by passion and need. I figured she’d give in and call, but she hasn’t. She must be serious about this whole go live your life thing. And so am I. She can be out there living her life, and I can be here living mine. But when she gets back, she either has to choose me—be with me in any way, shape, or form we can—or not have me at all. I don’t care how many miles are between us. I can wait forever as long as I know she’s mine.

Seventeen

Luna

I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t know it would be this hard. Daniel was the only thing that got me through the last tour. I knew that in the end, I’d be coming home to him, and that kept me going. But since I was stupid and insisted that while I’m gone, he live his life like I don’t exist, I don’t have that certainty anymore. What if he decides to go on a date and finds the perfect woman for him—a woman who doesn’t travel and has long, dark hair that isn’t dyed a funny color? Maybe he’ll find someone who’s willing to marry him, give him children, and stay by his side. I’ll be devastated and it’ll all be because I was stupid and told him to move on without me.

Every day is a constant fight to call him, but it’s always the same struggle. To get what I want, I’d have to take from him, and I can’t bear to do that. My phone chimes and I see a text from Riley. I open it to find a picture