Faith and Lies (Vera Reid, Reid Family Book #2)

Part 19

Two years. 

Well, Okay. Not two years, not even quite two weeks, but it felt like it. It felt like it had been years since Tom had laid eyes on Vera, since he'd seen her pretty smile and heard her perfect laugh. He'd thought about her every day since. She was in his mind in when he woke and she was the last thing he pictured in his mind as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. That was a rarity for him, Tom always dreamt. He was used to the sort of colorful and vivid dreams that crept on you so slowly in the darkness that they felt real in every sense of the word. He hadn't had a single dream since she'd walked out of the apartment and he was glad for it. Before that night, he'd been dreaming of her every night, dreaming of having her just like he did then but none of those dreams had prepared him for how pretty she looked under him. He was glad that he wasn't dreaming. It was a small mercy from the universe, a gift and maybe a sign. If he wasn't dreaming of her it must be the universe conspiring to help him forget and if the universe wanted to him to forget, then it must be that he was doing the right thing. 

But all he could see at night wasn't the pretty sight of her flushed and passionate as he kissed her, the last thing that crossed his mind wasn't the curve of her body beneath his, it was her face... her eyes. No, it was the lips, turned down at the corners as she whispered those words to him before walking out the door and out of his life. 

"You took the coat off your back." 

She really thought he was a better man than he was and, if he was honest, with a woman like Vera by his side, he really thought he could be a better man. He really believed it, even if he knew it wasn't true. Still, he really wanted to feel that way more than anything. He wanted to feel all the things he felt when he was around her, wanted to see her face smiling back.

Instead, he was packing up his things, determined to get as far from the city as he could. Edwin had put his condo on the market and though it would not get nearly as much as they were going to need, it was a start. After the holidays, Edwin was prepared to help him refinance the mortgage on the house and while the situation was Samuel and his men was serious, he hoped that with the money from the condo they would give him a little more time. 

"Anything else?" 

He turned, looking at the movers who had been collecting furniture from the house to take to auction. Some of it would be sold at auction, the rest put away in a storage unit and in the New Year, the house would be leased out to help with the mounting bills. It was over. Tom was making the choices he had been too much of a coward to make before, too stupid to make before. 

"Just the boxes and that's it." He said with a nod, turning back to the items on the floor now. His desk had been taken moments before and now, it was just bare carpet and frame shaped spots on the wall. It really was over. He reached into his pocket now, staring at the phone in his hand with a frown. 

He'd sent Marco a message just a few days before, checking in to make sure that Vera was being watched properly but there had been no response. Nothing. Maybe it was intentional, after all, Marco had told him that Luke would take care of it. The problem was the feeling in Tom's stomach. He couldn't be at peace, not until he heard back. He'd tried calling, and every time it had gone straight to voicemail. He imagined that Marco was a busy man, probably working and would probably get back to him soon enough but something still didn't feel right. 

He should have insisted on getting Luke's number, at least he could get the peace of mind he so sorely needed. Maybe if he knew she was okay his dreams would come back. 

"I can't believe it." Edwin said, walking slowly and looking around. his voice seemed to echo in the large house which was now completely empty except for a few boxes.