Page 2 of Falling Too Soon (Seasons of Love #1)

NATHAN

“ B ut baaaaaaabe,” Courtney whined. “It was a one-time thing. It meant nothing!”

I rolled my eyes. We were supposed to be getting married next week and Courtney cheated on me.

She fucking cheated on me, and I just felt numb.

Shouldn’t I be more upset? Why wasn’t I more upset?

I thought I loved this girl, but I was nowhere near as devastated as I should’ve been.

Maybe I was in shock? Whatever the reason, I was sitting at our kitchen island in our beautiful downtown apartment with my head in my hands, feeling… was that relief?

“Courtney, I can’t marry someone who would cheat on me.

This is a deal breaker for me. I want to be with someone who loves me so much that the thought of being with someone else would make them physically ill.

Clearly, that’s not the case for you. The wedding is off.

” We’d been going round and round about this for far too long.

There was no way I was continuing a relationship with her after finding out she cheated on me.

I met Courtney, a relatively well-known social media influencer and blogger, at an event a couple of years ago when I was promoting my latest book release.

We were immediately attracted to one another, and things got hot and heavy fairly quickly.

After only a few months, we moved in together and, after a year of dating, got engaged.

Looking back, I wondered if her attraction was actually to me or my newfound popularity as a bestselling romance author.

It seemed real enough at the time, and until recently, I didn’t have any major reservations about our relationship.

Then, when photos came out of her getting up close and personal with some B-list celebrity at an event last month, we had a huge fight.

She swore nothing actually happened and that the pictures were photoshopped.

Yeah right.

Well, I tried to let it go because we were getting married soon and I didn’t know for sure if it went further than the pictures showed.

It was still bothering me, so I brought it up again this afternoon.

That’s when Courtney finally came clean.

She had slept with the guy from the photo and she thought if she told me the truth, we could move on and I would just get past her indiscretion.

“I don’t understand how you could throw away our whole relationship and cancel our wedding for a one-time thing.

I thought you’d be able to get past it and we could move on even stronger than before.

” This girl was delusional if she thought that.

“Look, Nate.” God, I hated it when she called me that.

“We’re basically famous. Famous people have affairs.

I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal out of this,” she stated so matter-of-factly while tossing her bleach-blonde hair over her shoulder.

What did I ever see in her?

Okay, enough was enough. “Courtney, I don’t care if you have seven billion followers. I expect the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with to be faithful to me and I to her. I’m done. I’ll stay at a hotel for a while, but I’m gonna need you to find somewhere to go.”

“You can’t be serious! You’re kicking me out?” She was losing her cool, and I knew what was coming. “Fuck that, Nate! This is my apartment as much as it is yours,” she practically screamed. Yeah, forget the fact that my name is on the lease and that I was here before I met her.

“You have one week, Courtney. I think that’s pretty generous, considering.

I’m going to take some time away, and when I get back, I expect you and your things to be gone.

” I turned toward our bedroom to pack. Courtney was now sobbing and grabbing at my shirt to stop me.

I shrugged out of her grasp and made my way to the bedroom.

After packing for a week’s stay in a hotel and for what would have been our honeymoon, I walked back out to the kitchen.

She didn’t even look at me as I grabbed my keys off the island and made my way to the door.

I drove to a hotel not far from our apartment and checked in. When I made it to my room, I flopped onto the bed and opened the group text thread I had with my brothers, Brandon and Dylan.

Me

Looks like you guys were right.

Dylan

Say that again. I love the way that sounds coming from you.

Brandon

Ditto.

My brothers were my best friends. We talked all the time, saw each other whenever we could, and gave each other shit like it was our job.

Out of the three of us, I was the oldest at thirty-four, then it was Brandon at twenty-nine and Dylan at twenty-seven.

We grew up just outside the city in a modest house with two loving parents.

Mom stayed home and took care of us when we were small, and as we got older, she helped Dad in our family’s tattoo shop.

Our parents were madly in love right until cancer took Mom from us six years ago.

Their relationship was actually the inspiration for one of my first romance novels.

They’d had a love that I had always hoped to find for myself one day.

Me

Listen, assholes, there’s no need to rub it in, but Courtney admitted she cheated with that guy. It’s over. I ended it and got a room at The Marquis for the week.

Dylan

Wait a fucking minute… YOU left? Why didn’t you make her leave?

God, I knew they’d be pissed that I let her stay in the apartment.

Truth be told, I didn’t want to be there, and I was desperate for a change of scenery.

We had our honeymoon already booked for next week in a cabin by a lake in a town not too far from the city.

Courtney was always talking about going there to vlog about the town in the fall, so I booked it for our honeymoon as a surprise.

I figured I might as well still go and hopefully find some inspiration for my next novel.

Me

Because I needed to get out of there. I gave her a week to pack up and find somewhere else to go.

Radio silence. They were probably sitting at the shop together, talking shit instead of texting me back. Dicks.

Me

I’m gonna get out of town for a week and get my head straight. Maybe I’ll start my next book. I had planned to take some time off from writing for the wedding and honeymoon, but it looks like I’ve got time now, soooo…

Brandon

Where ya goin’?

Dylan

I hope somewhere where the girls are scantily clad and DTF.

Brandon

Jesus, Dylan, that is the last thing he needs. He needs to get his head right, not get caught up in another woman.

Dylan

I didn’t say get in a relationship—just get under another hot body to get over this last one.

Me

God, you are so predictable, Dylan, and no, I’m not looking to hook up. I’m going to that lake town Courtney had been wanting to check out. I booked a week there on the lake as a surprise for her for our honeymoon.

Dylan

You think that will help you get over her? In the place you were planning on spending the week balls deep in her?

Me

Thanks for that visual, but no, I don’t think it will be an issue. The place looks so tranquil; it’s the perfect place for inspiration to strike for my next book.

Brandon

Well, big bro, I sure hope so! Miss you, and I’m sorry you’re going through this. Let’s get together before you go. Gotta run; my next appointment is here. Love ya!

Dylan

Yeah, what he said. Love ya. See ya soon.

Me

Love you guys too. Talk soon.

The next day, I woke up in a mood. I was definitely not in shock anymore.

I was pissed. I felt betrayed. I couldn’t understand how anyone could cheat on someone they were supposedly in love with and going to marry.

So, I did what anyone in my situation would do.

I ordered room service and moped around the hotel room most of the morning.

Not exactly how I thought this week was going to go, but I had little to do since I had taken some time off to spend with my girl getting the last-minute wedding details squared away.

Now, what was I going to do for a week? Ugh.

I pulled out my laptop and found the booking email for the vacation rental I had reserved for our honeymoon.

Maybe I could go early? I knew I didn’t want to spend the next week cooped up in this hotel room, so I emailed the property manager to see if it was available.

To my surprise, I received a response a few minutes later saying that the house would be available in a few days. Well, that was easy.

Next stop—the quaint town of Lakeside and hopefully some new inspiration.