Read Online Scottish Romance: Scottish Highland Romance: Highland Songstress by J.C. Hughes - Free Book Online

stomping up the stairs quickly when I didn’t respond. When he walked into the bedroom, I was packing a large suitcase. He rolled his eyes.
     
    “Jen, c’mon. Stop this shit. You’re not actually going to leave. Let’s just save the trips to Ashley’s and work this out here.” I didn’t respond still, and I flinched as he raised his voice, grabbing my wrist. I ripped it away and looked at him fiercely.
     
    “Don’t. Don’t you touch me, don’t you dare. I can’t do this. This charade. You’re never going to want a family. You’re never going to give that to me. You’re never going to change.”
     
    “You knew that about me, Jen. You said it didn’t bother you. I thought we were on the same page!” His voice sounded desperate now. My heart was aching; I focused on pushing my clothes into the suitcase, and zipped it up. I had let it bottle up for far too long to stop.
     
    “I was okay with it. Four years ago. I guess it was stupid of me to think that four years would have changed your mind. That your feelings for me would have been enough to make you want that with me. But it’s obvious to me that you’re not ever going to care about it like I want you to. And I’m not really ever going to not care about it like you want. I’m getting too old to keep wasting my time with someone who doesn’t care enough to want a future with me. Who isn’t afraid of the struggles it might bring, who thinks I'm worth the trouble.” I was fighting off tears as I talked. I couldn’t believe that I was saying this. I couldn’t believe how the more I spoke, the more resolute I felt. I looked at him again. I had never seen him cry before. I turned away, sure that my heart was going to fall out of my chest.
     
    “Jen...don’t. Don’t do this, Jen. I love you. How are you going to just throw four years away like that? Look at me!” I couldn’t bring myself to turn back. I heard the chair he was sitting on scrape behind me, and then he was behind me, wrapping his arms around me.
     
    “Jen, don’t go. We can work this out.” He rested his head on mine, I could feel his chest heaving. Tears started to gush out of my eyes.
     
    “No. We can’t Elliot. I love you, so much. Don’t tell me we can fix this. You can’t fix wanting different things. I’m not going to change for anyone, and I wouldn’t want you to change for me.”
    “How can you say you love me and say this, too? Jen I love you, please, Jenny, baby--”
     
    “I’m going to stay with Ashley for a little while,” I interrupted. I did my best to sound sure of myself. I choked back every urge to turn around and make it better. To slap a Band-Aid on it and hope our love would overcome, like I had so many times before. No compromises. Not anymore.
    I turned around finally, wiggling out of his embrace.
     
    “I’ll call you. Please don’t call me until then. This is hard enough.” He looked up then, momentarily catching a glimpse of my wet eyes.
     
    “Jen, please--” I turned without another word and walked out the open door. As I started my car, I heard him yelling from the porch.             
     
    “If you leave, then you’re no better than your mother, Jen!” I didn’t respond as I sped off, wiping the tears from my eyes.
     
    For every mile that I drove, I didn’t realize how much weight had been on my chest. I breathed deeply, knowing that the words I’d been caging were finally free. I resisted the urge to drive to Luis’ house. I tried not to think about the words which I had been dying to say to him. I tried to not run to him right away, block the image of that loneliness I’d seen in his eyes. The loneliness that wasn’t there the night our exposed bodies touched, almost converging. It started to rain as I turned the stereo on.
     
    I arrived at Ashley’s an hour later, the rain was pouring now, illuminating the only light on in her house. I rang the doorbell, praying that I wasn’t interrupting anything. The