Two Dates Max Read Online Free PDF Page A

you’re irresistible,” she said with a slight giggle.
    It gave me hope to hear it and I laughed too.
    “Yeah. I guess you were right.”
    She sighed heavily and ran her hands through her hair, gasping when they passed over a small wound on her head.
    “Yeah, so was he.”
    “About what?”
    “You know…Declan.” She sighed again and I sat down beside her, taking one of her hands in mine and squeezing it for comfort.
    “Tell me, Elle.”
    “Declan got mad at me because I told him I wanted to get married. I told him I want to have kids before I turn thirty.”
    She was only a couple of months older than me, both of us twenty-four. We’d had this discussion before.
    “Then he hit you?”
    She shrugged and pulled her hand away to sit back in her chair.
    “Not right away. He kept saying he’s too young to get married. I told him if he really loved me it wouldn’t matter. Then we started arguing and before I knew it he was hitting me. I got so angry, Meg. I swear I’ve never been so damn angry at him before. I guess I’ve just finally had enough, you know? I hit him back. We both just kinda stood there and stared at each other for a second, like neither of us could believe I’d actually done it. Then he just went nuts. That’s when he ripped out my earrings and broke my finger. I was so scared, I didn’t dare try to hit him again.”
    The sound of boiling water pulled my attention away from her and I stood to make our tea. I knew exactly how the water felt, because at that moment I’d swear my blood was boiling in my veins.
    “Max is right, Meg. I know I shouldn’t let Declan hit me. I know I don’t have to, but I do. But…there’s no fucking way I’d let him hit my baby.”
    I returned to the table with our tea to find her sobbing silently again. I poured and sat back down.
    “So, now what?” I asked.
    She sniffed and wiped her face on the sleeve of the t-shirt I’d let her borrow. It swallowed her and I suddenly realized she’d been losing weight lately.
    “Now I pack my things, move out of the apartment and tell him to kiss my ass.”
    I smiled and took a sip of tea to cover my lack of enthusiasm. She snorted a slight laugh.
    “I know that look, hon. Same shit different week, right?”
    I just shrugged. “Elle, you know I’ll help no matter what you decide.”
    “I know. All the gold in the world ain’t worth a friend like you.” This time my smile was genuine. “But I swear, this is it. I want kids. I want a family. I want a husband that will treat me right. I’ve given Declan too many years of my life and I’m done.”
    I drank in silence as her shoulders straightened and her chin lifted in defiance. This wasn’t a stance I’d seen before and it gave me hope. I just prayed it lasted through the night.
    * * * * *
     
    When I woke the next day Elle was gone. I let out a string of curses that would make my father proud and threw on whatever clothes were at the top of my drawer. Wednesdays were usually my day off, but there was no way Elle would be going in to work. I called our boss to check and he confirmed that she’d called in.
    “It’s cool, Nettle. I got Smith to cover it for her. You don’t have to come in.”
    I sighed in relief as I rolled my eyes. It was my idiot boss who thought having only last names on our nametags looked more professional. I honestly didn’t know the first names of half the staff.
    “Thanks, Ryan. I’ll see you tomorrow.” We said our goodbyes and hung up.
    With that out of the way, concern for Elle soon occupied my mind. My first thought was she’d gone back to Declan already. It was out of the norm because she had always waited at least twenty-four hours for him to cool off the other times. However, she had been acting a little different last night. Admitting Sean had a valid point was definitely a step in the right direction, and I couldn’t believe she’d actually hit Declan back. Now cold fear raced through my veins at the thought of what he