Red Flags (43 page)

I shook my head, and through trembling lips I
shouted, “I HATE YOU!”

Jason’s eyes bulged, and he dropped to his
knees, holding my hands in his. “I can’t live without you Cara;
you’ll take my reason for living if you leave me.” The tears filled
his eyes, but I was too angry to care.

I looked around the room and shouted, “Fuck
you and you,” as I pointed to Jacob and Stacey.

"Your boyfriend already did," Stacey smugly
retorted. I ignored her, fearing if I paid her any more attention
that I would turn violent and become a serious jackass by hitting a
pregnant girl.

I looked down to Jason and calmly replied,
“You’re already dead to me,” and stormed into the bedroom to gather
my things.

<>

Hunter helped Richard load mine and Chelsea’s
bags into the car. Jason was standing in the doorway of the
guesthouse looking sick and reduced. I couldn’t bear to look at
him. I didn’t want any inkling of sympathy to creep back into my
heart, and the sight of him in such a state depressed me more than
anything I had heard that night.

Hunter hugged me tight and kissed the top of
my head before I got into the car. He kissed Chelsea and told her
he would be on the first flight he could get, after he took care of
the business stuff for his dad’s firm. She nodded and slid into the
car next to me. Jason walked over to the window and mouthed,
I
love you Cara
, and all I could do was put my head down and
allow the tears to continue to stream down my face. I lay in
Chelsea’s lap as we pulled off and just sobbed, occasionally
needing to catch my breath, but sobbed until I cried myself to
sleep.

When we arrived at the airport, my phone
buzzed, indicating a text message from Jason.

From Jason

*Have a safe flight. I am coming home tomorrow so we
can fix this. I love you!*

I shut my phone off and followed Chelsea into
the ticketing area.

On the plane, I lay in Chelsea’s lap as she
played with my hair, also massaging my scalp to help calm me down.
“I wanted to look past his past Chels, because everyone has shit
they aren’t proud of, but this recent stuff, it was like a knife
twisting in my back.” I began to sob again and Chelsea pulled me in
closer to her and rocked me in her lap.

“Shhhh. He’s got a lot of twisted shit to
sort through. I’m sorry we didn’t catch all of this sooner.”

I fell asleep to the ebb and flow of
Chelsea’s lap and the precision of her fingers in my hair.

<>

When we touched down in San Diego, I felt
like I had been through all 12 rounds of a lopsided boxing match,
and had lost every round. My neck and back hurt, my eyes burned and
felt swollen to the touch. I looked as bad as I felt, but I was
grateful to be back in California where people loved me.

We made our way to baggage claim and grabbed
our bags. We wheeled them outside where I saw Chase’s truck pull up
in front of us. I quickly turned to Chelsea who shrugged her
shoulders.

“We needed a ride.”

Chase got out of the truck and took our bags,
placing them in the back. Chelsea turned and thanked him before
climbing into the back seat. Chase stood with his arms open and I
walked into them, keeping my arms folded across my chest, and
cried.

“I should have seen the signs, they were all
there,” I said, pulling away from Chase’s body and looking him in
the face. “There were red flags that I ignored, and now look.”

Chase shook his head and pulled me back into
his chest. “Don’t kick yourself right now Cara.” And I burst into
an uncontrollable sob of tears, standing in the pick-up lane of the
San Diego Airport, feeling like I had nothing left.

About the Author

I am a proud Marine Corps wife who is also
the mother of two adorable, yet rambunctious children. I graduated
with a degree in Sociology from California State University,
Dominguez Hills. My love of literature and writing never left me,
and after having to follow my husband around for his career, I
decided to take my dreams of writing a novel, and turn them into a
reality.

In my spare time I am often on sports fields
watching my son play, taking in a girl's day with my daughter, or
riding on the back of a motorcycle with my husband. Books are never
far from my side; as I believe they provide the opportunity to
escape reality.

I want to thank you for reading my work, and
invite you to share your thoughts, questions, and reviews on my
Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/CC-Brown