I decided to go back to the motel and find my phone so I could call him. I would ask him to come home and then wait for him in just a nightie. Things were okay. I’d just have to prove it to myself, I figured. I shook out my trembling hands and tried to forget about the stranger. The tornadoes in my stomach hadn’t calmed down any, but I could easily convince myself that it was just something funny I’d eaten.
I rounded the corner of the stadium and, from the new angle, spotted Sam’s truck at the back corner of the parking lot. The shiny new chrome stood out amongst the other vehicles and I had a moment of anger at Sam. He’d just had to have a new truck. I’d poured more money into it than I cared to admit. It was just a part of his country western dream that I was going along with.
The closer that I got to the truck, the closer I got to realizing something wasn’t right. The cheering from the rodeo drowned out most of the moans, but not all of them. I knew what I was going to find by the time I reached the front bumper of the truck, but it didn’t stop me.
I trailed my fingers along the warm metal at the side of the truck until I stood beside the bed of it and could clearly see Sam with a woman bent over in front of him on the other side of the bed. Judging by the look on her face, she was really enjoying it. Judging by the look on his face, he’d spotted me.
“Shit! Beth!”
Dread dropped like steel in my stomach, crushing everything in its path, including the tornadoes and my ability to keep my lunch down. I bent over and threw up on the special edition rims that he’d wanted. They didn’t matter much anymore, anyway.
CHAPTER 2: Elizabeth
By the time Sam got his pants up I was halfway across the parking lot. I didn’t have a clue where I was going, but I wasn’t seeing clearly through the tears.
I’d given up my life in DC to join him on his stupid journey of getting back to his roots. I’d given up my job and my beautiful apartment. I’d given up being near people who loved me and wanted to be with me.
The injustice of it all settled on my chest and I found myself so angry that I wanted to hit something, someone. I wanted to hit Sam. I’d never been violent, but I could feel my fingers tightening into fists at the idea of laying into him.
“Beth! Jesus, stop. Let me talk to you!” Sam caught my shoulder and spun me around.
It was the push I needed. I swung my hand out at him, aiming to clean his clock, but he ducked it. Frustrated, I shoved him away. “Don’t let me stop you, Sam. Go back to fucking Daisy Dukes over there.”
“Are you going to calm down any?”
I laughed. “Go to hell, Sam. It’s over. This whole thing was a stupid mistake.”
“We’ve been together for two years, Beth. You just moved across the country with me! You’re really going to end it like this?”
“You’re really going to fuck someone else while I’m waiting for you to come back to the motel?”
He tossed his hands in the air and seemed exasperated. “I’m sorry, okay? Let’s just forget this. Come back to the room with me.”
I sat down on the curb behind me and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m done with this, Sam. Let’s not drag it out.”
He punched the car next to us and backed away. “I’m going back to the room. I’ll be there, ready to talk, when you are.”
I didn’t watch him go. I was really done. When I made up my mind about something, I stuck with it. I was ending a two-year relationship in a matter of seconds, but strangely, it didn’t feel the way it should’ve. I was pissed, embarrassed, and hurt, but I didn’t feel crushed by the thought of leaving Sam. I’d get to go back to DC and bitch to my friends. I’d get to escape the country hell he’d landed me in.
I sat there for over two hours watching people get in their cars and leave. When there was just one truck across the lot and the lights flickered out, I realized that I wasn’t as okay as I thought I was. I mean, I was still sure of my decision, but I hadn’t thought about how I was going to get back to DC. Everything I owned was in the motel room with Sam. I had no money, no transportation, and nowhere to stay the night.
The tears that I’d been fighting off fell too easily as I realized just how alone I was, and just how dark it was in the parking lot.
CHAPTER 3: Alex
The rodeo had done nothing to sooth my nerves. Every muscle in my body had been tense since I’d seen the woman in the stands. My bear was pawing at me, telling me to go and find her. He wanted to devour the little human. I wasn’t far behind.
It’d been a while since I’d felt anything besides anger and frustration. For over two months, I’d been dealing with the shit from Dad’s death. He’d left the ranch in a fucking mess, that was sure. No boss, no back up plan, no nothing. My oldest brother, Matt had stepped in as temporary leader, but he wasn’t exactly made for it.