Falling to Pieces Read Online Free

my arm. Even my sister expected me to break free from my parents’ hold and refused to talk to me when I didn’t do it her way.
    Everyone wanted something from me. Everyone except for Rose. She loved me for me, or the me I showed her. The only thing she expected in return was for me to love her back. I spent the first two months of our relationship waiting for her to realize that I was nothing but a fraud and break up with me. But she didn’t. She only saw the good and never assumed I was anything less, even when I tried to tell her Joe Simmons wasn’t the man she knew. She thought I was deluded for even suggesting such a thing. And I let myself believe her. I let myself believe that I really was the man she knew, that when I left Little Rock, I became Joe McAllister, a simple man who wanted nothing but the woman he loved and a family. The rest of the world be damned.
    But it was all a lie, and the deeper I got into a relationship with her, the more anxious I became that the house of cards would come tumbling down, and I’d lose her.
    It didn’t help that I knew Mason Deveraux was waiting in the wings, ready to clean up the mess I’d eventually leave. He’d told me once in Little Rock that he was a patient man. He may have been referring to Savannah, but I knew it filled every part of his life. And Rose was definitely worth waiting for.
    But I still clung to the hope it would all work out. That I could spend the rest of my life with Rose Gardner through better or worse, till death do us part. I had to believe it because when I thought of the alternative, panic clawed at my insides, ripping my hope to shreds. I couldn’t accidently stumble upon Rose in god-forsaken Henryetta, Arkansas, just to lose her.
    Mom was right. Rose didn’t expect more from me like they did. The only thing she wanted from me was to be happy. Why did Mom make it sound so colloquial?
    The study door opened and my mother came in with my father following behind her. He filled the threshold, pausing for effect. It was a move I was long familiar with and even though I recognized it for what it was, the same uneasy fear from my childhood crept through my body, a metallic taste coating my tongue. Some reactions were long since conditioned into me. The switch he used to hold in his hand had helped reenforce it.
    “You embarrassed me tonight, Joseph.”
    My back stiffened and I stuffed down my dread. It was time I finally took control and stood up to him. I was nearly thirty years old. “I embarrassed you? What do you think you and Mom did to Rose?”
    His eyes clouded with confusion. “Rose? What the hell does she have to do with anything?”
    “She’s the woman I love. The woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. The way you treat her is everything to me.”
    My father’s face reddened. “I did not spend twenty-nine years grooming you for this to let you throw it away for a backwoods girl from Fenton County.”
    I took a step toward him, my anger flushing my skin. “If you think I’m going to stand here and listen to you insult her, you’ve got another thing coming.”
    “Joe.” Mom grabbed my arm and drawled. “You have to acknowledge our concern. How do you know this girl doesn’t want you for your money?”
    “Because she didn’t even know I had money until July!”
    My father growled, “It doesn’t matter whether she wants your money or not, she’s not acceptable.”
    “I don’t give a shit if you find her acceptable or not. I’ve asked her to marry me and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
    His body tensed. “You won’t be marrying her if she’s in prison.”
    My blood fled to my feet. “What the hell are you talking about?”
    “Have a seat, Joe.” My father brushed past me and moved behind his desk.
    I spun around to face him. “I don’t want to have a seat. What I have to say can be said just fine standing.”
    Dad sat in his chair and glared at me. “Have a seat , Joseph.”
    I lowered to