Breaking the Ice by Esme Taylor

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Hettie

I stepped outside into the blinding sun and wondered what the hell had just happened, tears spilling down my face. I felt like someone had ripped the floor from beneath my feet, leaving me free falling. Everything I thought we had was suddenly gone, and I didn’t understand what I was meant to have done or what I was holding in my hands. I loved him with every fiber of my being. And I’d never lied to him about anything. Which made his accusation hurt that much more.

Despite my desire to know what was plaguing his dreams, I gave him space to open up when he felt he was ready. And what did I get in return? Reid throwing glasses at the wall and calling me a liar. It just didn’t make any sense. As I aimlessly walked toward the gate to let myself out, I spotted Mike.

“Hettie, what’s wrong?” he asked, genuinely concerned, as I let out the sob I’d been struggling to hold in. “What’s happened? Is Reid okay?”

“Mike, I don’t understand. He didn’t want to see me. He’s so angry. He screamed at me, called me a liar, gave me this folder, and told me we were over. I don’t even know what I did.”

“Hettie, I honestly have no idea. Reid asked me to change the lock codes and get some additional security. I presumed someone had done something to him, but I didn’t think he meant you.” He placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and ushered me toward the waiting car.

“Why don’t you let me take you home. You can’t walk in this condition. It’s not safe.” I nodded as the tears continued to fall.

Staring at Reid’s house, I remembered all of the moments we’d shared. It was one of the only places I felt safe anymore. It was where I felt loved. Now, all I felt was abandoned. And I had no idea why.

Slipping into the back seat of the car I let out a gut-wrenching sob when I realized that I would never again feel his arms around me or have him kiss me when he thought I was asleep.

Bursting into louder, more violent sobs, it occurred to me that I’d never hear him tell me loved me or call me Etta. I’m no longer his beautiful goddess. I’m just Hettie to him now. I think that’s what hurt the most.

I swear, I heard my heart shatter into a million jagged pieces that would never be put back together. Everything that had happened with my ex-husband was nothing in comparison to what I was feeling at that moment. And for the first time, I realized why.

I loved Reid completely.

Not wanting to go home, I asked Mike to drop me at Heather’s coffee shop. As I got out, the file Reid had given me in my hands, he made me promise I would call him if I needed anything. I nodded, thanking him for the kindness he had shown me. He gave me a soft, sad smile as I closed the door and made my way to the front door of the coffee shop.

As I stepped inside, my mind flashed back to the first time I’d met Reid. I couldn’t believe his sheer size, or how scary he seemed. He was so standoffish and I remember thinking he was a complete jerk. But I’d seen the softer side of him since then. I’d seen the deeper, raw side that he hid from the world. Now he was gone, and I had no idea why.

I let the tears fall as I walked to the counter, grateful that it was pretty empty. I had already been through so much I didn’t need everyone in the coffee shop staring at me too.

Almost immediately, Heather spotted my tear stained cheeks and red, swollen eyes, rushing around to the front of the counter. “Hettie, what happened?” she asked, wiping the tears from my face with her fingers. I shook my head, unsure what to say.

Using every ounce of energy I could muster, I choked out the only word I could before bursting into tears again. “Reid––”

Heather pulled me in close, rubbing her hands up and down my back as she ushered me toward one of the sofas in the back. “Shhh––it’s going to be okay,” she whispered. “You sit here. I’ll be right back,” she instructed as she typed out a text, which I assumed was to Max and Lou.

Through wet eyes, I watched as she strolled over to the few remaining customers and apologized, “Sorry guys, we need to close early. Free coffee on me next time you’re here.” Everyone gave her a warm smile as they gathered their belongings and left.

“Tea?” she asked softly. I shook my head. “You’re right. I think I need something stronger. Let me find the emergency Vodka I keep hidden in the back.”

She returned a few minutes later with a half-empty bottle and four mugs. She poured a mug and handed it to me, stroking my back while I let the tears fall.

Suddenly, Max and Lou came bursting through the front door and rushed over to where we were sitting. They both wrapped me in a hug before leaning back and taking a seat on the coffee table in front of me. “Hets, what happened?” Max asked, wiping a tear from my cheek. “If that dickhead has hurt you, I will break him! I don’t care how huge he is.”

“I don’t know,” I choked out. “We were fine. He even told me he loved me. He told me about his family. Then, this morning, Thomas texted him. There was an emergency. He left to deal with it. I happened to be nearby, so I stopped by his house to check everything was okay. When he looked at me his eyes were so cold. He called me a liar and gave me this.” I held out the blue file, showing my friends. “He told me to do what I wanted with it because I’d earned it. I just don’t understand any of it,” I sobbed.

“Well, I have the perfect solution, Hets,” Lou announced, rubbing her hand up and down my back. “Why don’t we read the file he gave you. Maybe all of the answers are in there.” I shook my head and pulled it into my chest.

Whatever was in that file, Reid didn’t want me to read it. Regardless of how heartbroken I was, or how much he had hurt me, I refused to break his trust by even glancing at it.

“I loved him so much and I would have done anything for him. Whatever he thinks I did, he didn’t even let me explain. How could he do that to me? How could he not believe me after everything we’ve been through?”

My friends leaned in and wrapped me in a warm embrace as I continued to sob until I didn’t have any tears left. All the while, I held onto Reid’s file, determined to keep his secrets safe. Whatever they were.