Read (3 Book Romance Bundle) "Love Far Away" & "The Escort Next Door" & "Loving the Bull Rider" Page 8

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  Back at the hotel, we took turns showering and doing our makeup and hair in the huge gilded mirrors in the bathroom. I zipped up my new body-hugging dress and took out my trusty black heels from my suitcase. I chose a necklace and some earrings to go with my dress, and went over to the mirror to see how I looked.

  “You look great,” Megan told me. “Only-“

  “What?” I asked. “Did I leave a tag on my dress?”

  “No, it’s not that,” said Megan. “It’s just...do you think you’re going to leave your wedding ring on?”

  My hand flew to my ring automatically. It was a small, simple ring that had been all we could afford when we’d been fresh out of college. We’d discussed upgrading and getting me a new wedding set for our tenth anniversary, but I was sentimental about my little ring.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I’m not sure I can bring myself to take it off just yet.”

  “That’s okay,” said Megan gently. “Do you know if Bradley’s taken his off yet?”

  “Bradley hasn’t worn his regularly for a few months. He said it was irritating his skin- he thinks he’s allergic to it or something,” I said. As the words came out of my mouth, I realized that I’d never noticed any rash or irritation on his hands.

  My face must have changed, because Megan looked concerned. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing. Hey, I’m going to turn my phone back on, okay? I want to check in with my mom and make sure the kids are okay.”

  I went out to the balcony and turned my phone on. While I waited for it to boot up, I looked out over the rooftops of Paris and sighed. I was supposed to be coming here to escape, but it seemed that everywhere were little reminders of my old life.

  My phone vibrated, indicating I had new messages. I picked it up and almost dropped it again right away when I saw the number of messages I had- thirty texts, five voicemails, and dozens of missed calls. Had something happened to Henry and Olivia at my parents’ place? Without even checked the content of the messages, I called my mom straight away.

  She answered on the third ring. “Hello? Julia, is that you?”

  “Is everything okay?” I asked frantically.

  “Of course,” my mom replied calmly. “What’s wrong? Did you get my text? I let you know this morning that the kids had a great night last night and are excited to be here. We’re just sitting down to lunch now. Say hi, kids!” In the background, I could hear a chorus of ‘Hi, mommy’ from Henry and Olivia.

  “You didn’t call me a bunch of times and leave some voicemails?” I asked her.

  “No, why?”

  “Oh...no reason.” I chatted with her briefly, and then said a quick hello to Henry and Olivia, before hanging up before I could go in to my messages and look at them. If it wasn’t the kids, then it had to be...

  Bradley. Bradley. Bradley. Every missed call, voicemail, and text- save the one from my mother letting me know the kids were doing great- was from Bradley. I listened to one voicemail and heard a stream of profanity directed at me. Somewhere in there I heard him mention “wifi password”.

  Ashley stuck her head out the balcony door that led to the other room. “Who’s yelling at you?” she asked. “Sounds pissed.”

  “Bradley,” I said.

  “What’s he so mad about? Begging you to come home and says he’s learned his lesson?”

  “No,” I said, scrolling through the texts to see if they were all along the same lines. They were. “Before I left, I changed the wifi password.”

  Ashley’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

  I nodded.

  “Wow,” she said. “Good for you, Julia! Honestly, I didn’t think you had it in you. First the wifi password, then the credit card...maybe you’re learning how to get even.”

  “I think I am,” I said. I stood up and went back in to my room. In one quick motion, I took off my wedding ring and tucked it inside my jewelry case.