Read Their New Beginning (Oh Captain, My Captain #5) for Free Online

I shouldn’t have left that bar with Rob, or had sex with him.
    I wish I could wake up from this nightmare I’ve created for Jax and myself. My heart leaps when I hear my phone ring and I see Jax’s name on the display.
    “Jax, I’m–”
    “Stop.” His voice is cold and distant. “I don’t want to hear it. I’m staying in a hotel tonight. I’d prefer you not be there when I come by in the morning.”
    “Jax, you can sleep–”
    He cuts me off. “Do you really think I want to be in bed with you when you fucked some guy less than twenty-four hours ago?”
    I gasp at his tone and the hurt in his voice. I can hear him breathing and I know that he’s mad. He’s madder than he would be fighting another player on the ice. After another second or two of silence, he ends the call without another word to me.
    What have I done?
     
    ~ ~ ~
     
    I stare at the alarm clock as it goes off. I’ve had no sleep. I can’t rest knowing Jax is across town in a hotel. I roll out of the bed and head to the shower. The hot water blasts me, and the tears begin to flow again. When I’m done, I wrap myself tightly in my robe and go back into the bedroom to get dressed.
    Jax is coming out of our walk-in closet. He cuts me a quick, mean look, making me drop my head. He’s angry because I’m still here.
    “Um, don’t forget you have that promotional shoot after practice,” I tell him. “Are you coming home tonight?”
    Jax doesn’t say anything. I look up at him, and his arms are crossed. After a moment, he walks past me into the bathroom and shuts the door. I try to not feel like I’m being stabbed in the heart repeatedly, but that’s how it feels. Every time he looks at me, he shows me what a terrible person I am, and he’s right. It’s how I should feel because I’ve ruined our lives and our marriage.
    I quickly dress, flip my hair up into a tight bun, and rush out of the bedroom. I go into the kitchen, and I know that I should eat something, but I can’t right now. I make myself a cup of coffee, and one for Jax, too. I try to take a sip, but even the smell makes my stomach turn. Jax walks in, freshly showered, and ready for his day.
    “I made you a cup of coffee.” My voice cracks, but I can hear the ping of hope in it that he’ll talk to me.
    He stares at the cup on the counter as if it’s a poisonous apple. He stalks past it, grabs a bottle of water from the fridge, and walks out.
    The front door slams, causing me to jump. I hang my head, knowing that I’ve caused this.
    When I pull into the hospital parking lot, I sit in my car for the longest time. It’s the first time that I don’t want to go to work. I want to hide in my bed and dream that I can make a single wish and everything would go back to the way it was before I messed up our lives.
    I pick up my phone and call the absent hotline. I punch in the code for a sick day and drive away from the hospital.
    Las Vegas has been my home all my life, but right now I feel like a stranger. I don’t know where to go, I don’t know what to do, and I’m tired of crying. I look at the clock and realize that I need to talk to someone before my head explodes.
    I pull out on The Strip and head for the MGM Hotel. My sister should be working, and she might be able to make time for me.
    I walk up to the front counter and a pretty redhead smiles at me.
    “May I help you?”
    “I need to see Regina Staples.”
    “Do you have an appointment?”
    “No, but it’s important. Please tell her it’s Avery Godwin.”
    “One moment.” The redhead picks up the phone. After a moment, she smiles. “You can go up.”
    I nod, not smiling back, and head off to the offices on the far side of the building.
    My older sister has worked here almost her entire life. She has been in management for the past few years. She loves it. I think it’s the most stressful job any one person could have, but who am I to judge; I’m a nurse.
    I knock on the door with her name on it and hear her