Page 48 of Keep My Heart (The Haydon Falls #1)

Lyndsay

Nick has been leaving messages on my phone for hours now, but I haven’t listened to them and I haven’t called him back. I’m not sure I will after getting that call from Iris, confirming what I didn’t want to believe was true.

A few hours ago I got a call from a woman who said her name was Iris, the same name as the woman Nick was talking to on the phone last night.

She asked if I was Lyndsay, and when I told her yes, she started yelling at me to leave Nick alone, saying he was hers and calling me a cheap whore.

I was so shocked I almost dropped the phone.

I didn’t want to believe Nick had a girlfriend, but that call confirmed it.

I don’t know how she got my number. She must’ve seen it pop up on Nick’s phone.

I don’t know if I should call Nick back and tell him I know he’s been lying to me or just ignore him and never speak to him again.

My heart is completely broken, knowing he did this to me.

I trusted him, believed he was different than Chris, but clearly I was wrong.

Why do I keep falling for guys who cheat on me ?

It’s after six here, which is after nine in New York. Nick just called again, but he didn’t leave a message and he called from a different number. I wonder if his girlfriend knows he’s calling me. Is that why he’s using someone else’s phone? So she won’t find out?

I was falling in love with him. I saw us having a future together, getting married, having kids.

What is wrong with me? I barely know the guy.

Like Diane said, knowing him in high school isn’t the same as knowing him now.

People change. Nick definitely did, or the real Nick did.

The Nick I was falling for, the one he pretended to be, was the same kind, considerate guy I knew from high school.

I haven’t told Diane yet. I’m not ready to hear her tell me she told me so and that I was moving too fast with Nick. I haven’t told my mom either. I’ve just been lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering how this could’ve happened and why I didn’t figure it out before now.

My phone rings. I check it but don’t recognize the number. It’s the area code for Haydon Falls but not someone in my contact list. Maybe it’s one of Nick’s brothers. Maybe he told them to call me and convince me to talk to him.

I almost don’t answer, but then I do, curious who it might be. ‘Hello?’

‘Lyndsay, it’s Matt,’ he says, sounding relieved. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah. Why?’

‘Nick said he’s been calling you but you haven’t picked up.’

‘Because I don’t want to talk to him. I know what’s going on, Matt. Iris called me, so you can just tell Nick to—’

‘Iris? Who the hell is Iris?’

‘Nick’s girlfriend in New York,’ I say, hearing the anger in my voice. I keep alternating between sad and angry, but I’m mostly sad. I really thought Nick and I had something together.

‘What are you talking about? Nick doesn’t have a girlfriend in New York.’

‘I guess he hasn’t told you about her. He called her last night after I went up to the room. Diane heard him talking to her. So did Chris. She must’ve found out about Nick being with me because she called me today and told me to leave him alone.’

‘I don’t know who the hell that was, but Nick is not dating her. He hasn’t gone out with anyone for like a year, except you.’

‘That’s just what he told you. Apparently, he’s a really good liar.’

‘Lyndsay, I swear to you, he is not seeing someone else. Hey, I don’t have much time. I just called to let you know Nick’s dad had a heart attack. The doctors said it was—’

‘Wait!’ I jump up from the bed. ‘Nick’s dad had a heart attack? Is he okay?’

‘He’s in the hospital, recovering. It sounds like he’s going to need bypass surgery.’

‘Oh my God.’ I pace the floor. ‘That’s why Nick was calling? Because of his dad?’

‘Yeah. He really needs to talk to you. He’s got his brothers here and his cousins, but it’s not the same, you know? It’s like when my sister was sick. You know she had cancer, right?’

‘No. When was this?’

‘A few years ago. She’s okay now, thank God, but when it happened, I needed Tessa more than my parents. They were great, but there’s just something about having your partner beside you that—well, you know what I mean.’

Is he saying Nick thinks of me that way? Like I’m his partner?

I don’t understand this. I don’t know who’s telling the truth, who’s lying, or who to believe.

All I know is I need to get back there, back to Nick and his family.

Even if Nick did cheat on me, which I’m starting to think he didn’t, I need to be there as his friend and to show my support to his family.

I love his family, especially his mom. She’ll need all the help and support she can get right now.

‘I’ll try to get a flight out first thing tomorrow.’

‘You sure that’s a good idea? I mean, it’s great you want to come here, but you sound pretty pissed off at Nick and I don’t think now’s the time to—’

‘I’m not going to fight with him. This isn’t about us and our relationship. This is about me helping out a friend. I’ve been through this, Matt. I lost my dad. If anyone knows what Nick’s going through, it’s me.’

‘Yeah, you’re right. You should be here. You want me to tell Nick?’

‘No, I’ll talk to him.’

‘Visiting hours end in ten minutes. Try him then.’

‘Okay. Bye, Matt.’ I end the call and toss my phone on the bed, then race around my room, grabbing clothes to pack.

I throw them in the suitcase I just emptied, then get my laptop and start searching for flights.

I find one that leaves in the morning, getting to Wisconsin just before noon.

I start to put my credit card number in, then remember the gift card Nick gave me for the airline.

My heart melts, remembering the night he gave it to me.

He said he wanted me to be able to go home whenever I needed to.

A guy who would do something like that wouldn’t cheat on me.

But then who is Iris and why is she claiming to be his girlfriend?

I hear the front door open and Chris’ loud, annoying voice. ‘Lyndsay! You home?’

‘What do you want?’ I go in the living room and see him there with a girl. She’s short and skinny with long black hair. She doesn’t look older than 20 or 21.

‘I need to get my leather jacket,’ he says, opening the hall closet. He looks at the girl. ‘There should be beer in the fridge. Go grab me one.’

‘Don’t!’ I yell as she goes to the fridge. ‘Those are mine. I paid for them.’ I storm up to Chris. ‘You can’t just come in here and take stuff. I’m changing the locks. If you want your stuff, you’ll have to make an appointment with me to get it.’

He looks over at the girl, who didn’t listen to me and took a beer from the fridge. ‘See why I divorced her?’

‘Get out!’ I yell, pointing at the door.

He finds his jacket and puts it on. ‘What do you think?’ he asks the girl as she walks over to us. ‘Should I wear it tonight?’

‘Yeah, babe, you look great.’ She smiles and hands him his beer.

I stare at her, feeling like I know her somehow. ‘Have we met?’

‘No,’ she says, looking me up and down and making a face. ‘Do you always dress like that?’

I’m wearing a long baggy t-shirt and sweats. I just threw them on after my shower because I wanted something comfortable.

‘When I’m alone in my apartment? Yes. I wasn’t expecting company.’ I glare at Chris.

‘We’re heading out,’ Chris says, putting his arm around the girl and taking a drink of his beer.

‘Have fun being alone in your apartment,’ the girl says, smirking at me. She has this whiny, high-pitched voice that I swear I’ve heard before.

Chris swigs the rest of his beer, then holds the bottle out to me. ‘Toss it for me, babe. ’

‘I’m not your babe. Toss it out yourself.’

‘Bitch,’ he mutters, setting the bottle on the floor.

‘Let’s go,’ the girl whines. ‘This is taking forever.’

As they walk to the door, I realize how I know her, or how I think I know her. I run in front of her. ‘Did you call me today?’

‘No.’ She laughs. ‘Why would I call you?’

It’s her. It has to be her.

I look at Chris. ‘Do you really hate me that much?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He tries to go past me to the door, but I stand in front of it. ‘Lyndsay, get out of the way. I’m serious.’

‘So am I. Tell me why you did it. Because you don’t want me to be happy, or don’t want me being happy with Nick?’

‘What the fuck are you talking about?’

‘Just tell her so we can go,’ the girl says, rolling her eyes.

‘Shut the fuck up!’ he says to her.

She shoves away from him. ‘You can’t talk to me that way!’

‘Just admit it,’ I say to Chris. ‘You told this girl to call me and pretend to be Iris, who, by the way, is not Nick’s girlfriend.’

‘Yeah, that’s why he called her and said all that shit,’ he huffs. ‘Are you really that stupid?’

‘I was when I married you.’ I step up to him. ‘But I’m not now. I know Nick wouldn’t cheat on me. I don’t know who Iris is, but she’s not his girlfriend. And having some girl call me up pretending to be Iris so I won’t go out with Nick just tells me you’re not over me.’

‘Yeah, right.’ He rolls his eyes. ‘Like I really want you back.’

‘It’s over, Chris. I don’t want to see you or talk to you anymore. If your stuff’s not out of here by tomorrow, I’m throwing it out.’

‘You do, and I’ll call the cops. I gave you the fucking apartment and most of the furniture. The least you could do is give me time to get my stuff.’

I glance around the apartment, realizing everything here reminds me of him and our life together. I don’t need that reminder. I want a fresh start.

‘You really want it?’ I look at Chris. ‘You can have it. You can have the apartment too. I’m leaving. I’m moving back home.’

‘Are you serious?’ He laughs. ‘You really want to go back to that shitty town?’

‘I like Haydon Falls. I always have. I never wanted to leave. I only did because of you, because I wanted to make you happy. But now I’m making myself happy and going back to where I wanted to be all along.

My flight leaves in the morning. I’ll take what I want.

The rest is yours.’ I open the door. ‘Bye, Chris. Have a nice life.’

He’s looking at me like he’s trying to figure out if I’m serious or just said that out of anger.

‘Let’s go,’ the girl says, tugging on him. ‘What are you waiting for?’

Chris keeps his eyes on me as he leaves, like he doesn’t really believe this is goodbye. But it is. I don’t want to be here anymore. I have no reason to stay. This isn’t my home. It’s not where I want to be.

I shut and lock the door, then call up my mom.

‘Lyndsay, did you hear about Carl?’

‘Yeah. I’m coming home tomorrow to be with Nick.’

‘That’s good, honey. He needs you right now. Do you need help paying for the flight?’

‘No, I’m good. Hey, Mom, is it okay if I stay with you for a few months?’

‘Of course. But why? Did something happen? ’

‘I decided LA just isn’t for me. I want to move back home for a while and figure out what to do next.’

‘That’s wonderful! I’d love to have you here. But what about Nick? You two will be so far apart.’

‘I don’t know yet. We’ll work it out.’ I’m not going to tell her what’s going on with Nick and me. I want to talk to him first. ‘Mom, I need to go pack. Can you get me at the airport tomorrow?’

‘Yes, of course. Just tell me what time.’

‘I’ll text it to you. See you tomorrow.’

As I’m packing up everything I want in the apartment, which isn’t much, other than my clothes, I hear my phone ringing from the kitchen counter. I race over to grab it and see Matt’s number on the screen.

‘Hey, Matt.’

‘It’s me. Nick.’

My pulse races, hearing his voice. ‘Hey. I was going to call you but Matt said you were with your dad.’

‘Yeah, I just left his room.’

‘Nick, I’m so sorry.’

‘He’ll be okay, at least that’s what we’re hoping. He’s having surgery later this week.’

Nick sounds exhausted, more tired than I’ve ever heard him. He must’ve got to New York, found out about his dad, and had to fly back.

‘I’m sorry I didn’t return your calls. I didn’t know what happened until I talked to Matt.’

‘Why didn’t you answer your phone? I was worried. I thought something happened to you.’

‘I just um .?.?. I heard something, something I wasn’t sure was true, but given what happened before, with Chris, I thought it might be. But I might’ve overreacted. ’

‘What did you hear?’

‘Do you know some woman named Iris?’

‘Yeah, she’s my client. She’s going through a divorce. She’s the reason I kept getting those calls from work last night. She’s old and lonely, so she makes up excuses to call me. I feel more like her therapist than her lawyer.’ He pauses. ‘How do you know Iris?’

‘It’s a long story,’ I say, sighing as I realize what Diane and Chris heard was not even close to what they assumed they heard.

‘Let me hear it. What’s the story?’

‘I’m too embarrassed to tell you.’

‘Lyndsay, it’s me. You don’t need to be embarrassed. I need to know what’s going on.’

I tell him what happened, first with Diane, then with Chris and the video, then the phone call I got from the fake Iris.

‘You really thought I’d cheat on you?’ Nick asks.

‘I didn’t at first, but then I got that phone call and thought it must be true.

Nick, you have to understand that I was with someone I couldn’t trust for years, since high school.

It’s going to take some time for me to learn to trust someone again.

I didn’t think you would cheat on me, but there’s a part of me that wasn’t sure. ’

‘I would never do that to you, Lyndsay. It’s just not who I am.’

‘Are you mad at me?’

‘No, but I wish you had talked to me instead of making assumptions that aren’t true.’

‘So what does this mean for us?’

‘Mom, just a minute. I’m on the phone.’

‘Do you need to go?’

‘Yeah, sorry. Can we talk tomorrow?’

‘Yeah. Actually, I’m going to—’

‘The doctor’s here to talk to us. I need to go. Bye.’

I didn’t get to tell him I was coming there. Maybe it’s better if I don’t. I’ll get there, go to the hospital, and if he tells me to leave, I will. I don’t want to add to his stress. I’ll do whatever he needs me to.

I really messed this up, all because I didn’t trust him. I thought I’d moved on from Chris, and I have, but the trust issues that came from being with him are still there, and if I don’t deal with them, I’ll lose Nick.