Away from You - Audiobook

Chapter One: Olivia

If you had told me a year ago that my marriage was on the verge of disaster, I wouldn’t have believed you. Now, as I stared up at the cabin, about to enter a couples retreat—without my other half—the reality of our impending divorce was crystal clear. I sighed, shifted the backpack on my shoulder, and adjusted my grip on the duffel bag in my hand. If this trip didn’t mean the world to my best friend, I wouldn’t even be here.

As if summoned by my sadness, Ellie appeared on the porch, a wide smile on her pretty face. She wore jeans with a flannel button-down shirt, her blonde hair twisted into a braid that fell gracefully over one shoulder. She was the picture of happiness, and the exact opposite of me. My stomach turned as I thought, again, about how I’d be the only single person among the couples here for Ellie and Spencer’s joint bachelor and bachelorette party trip. The irony was, just under a year ago, this whole thing had been my idea.

“Come on, Olivia!” Ellie beckoned from the large wooden wraparound porch. “You’re the first one here, so you get first dibs on a room.”

Lovely. At least that meant I could choose the one with the two twin beds rather than the king. That being said, I had gotten used to sleeping diagonally on a king bed since my husband left me. Steadying myself, I smiled at my friend and headed toward the porch. She held her arms open for me, and I stepped into them, knowing she was aware that I was already having a hard time. That’s the thing with best friends though, you don’t always need to explicitly say that kind of stuff. They just know.

“Come on in,” Ellie said, taking my backpack and heading for the door. “Spencer, Olivia’s here!”

As we entered the spacious cabin, Spencer trotted down the stairs that led from the top floor to the living room. He was coordinated with his bride, also wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. “Hey, Olivia, good to see you.”

“You, too,” I replied, returning his one-armed hug.

“There are two rooms upstairs, so take your pick. Ours is down here. There’s a fancy library between the rooms up there, and Ellie is killing me with Beauty and the Beast references.” Spencer gestured with his long arm throughout the house and winked at Ellie with his last remark. He glanced out the window and squinted. “Oh, looks like Brooks and Cat are here, I’ll go help them with their stuff.”

Ellie and I looked at each other with knowing smiles as we headed for the stairs. Catherine had once been an almost frenemy, but we’d discovered during the chaos of the incident that she was actually really cool. Just kind of rough around the edges when you first met her. She and her husband Brooks weren’t even originally on the guest list, but we’d all gotten really close, so Ellie and Spencer had invited them to join us on the trip.

I glanced around the cabin as we made our way up the stairs and onto the wood-railed balcony that overlooked the living room. I’d helped Ellie scout for it and book it long before Matt and I split up. It was going to be the perfect way to celebrate Ellie and Spencer’s upcoming wedding after a long engagement, with eight months of it being spent apart while the guys were on deployment. At the time, I couldn’t think of anything better than all of us getting to spend a week in a cabin in Big Bear after so much time separated. Now here I was, about to choose a room that I should have been sharing with Matt, alone.

I peered into a room with a large king-size bed and a jacuzzi tub in the corner. I glanced at Ellie, and she laughed.

“I think the other one is the one with the two twin beds.”

“Ah, yes, the one I was going to make Cat and Brooks take,” I said sardonically. “Now, it sounds perfect.”

Ellie patted my arm as we headed that way. “Thanks again for coming.”

“Of course. I mean, it’s weird, I’m not going to lie. I’ve been dreading this trip.”

“I’m sorry.” Ellie hung her head.

“No, don’t be,” I promised, my tone sincere. “This is going to be fun. I’ve been without Matt for over seven months now. I can get through the day, even the week, without crying. I can do this. And honestly, we have so much awesome stuff booked that I won’t even have time to wish he were here.”

We’d just put my bags on one of the twin beds when Ellie slowly turned away from me and to the window. “About that ...”

I swallowed. “About what?”

“He will be here.”

“What?” The word came out in a whisper, though I thought I’d screamed it.

Ellie turned around guiltily. “We told you both that the other wasn’t coming.”

My eyebrows flew up at the same time as my jaw dropped. “You did what?”

“I know, don’t kill me. But you guys are meant to be, and Spencer and I couldn’t take it anymore. We figured a week stuck in a cabin together would do you good.”

Thoughts swirled around in my brain so fast I needed to sit on the bed to steady myself. Little did Ellie know, I hadn’t canceled on this trip because I’d hoped Matt and I would miraculously get back together by the time it came around. It had seemed so far away, until it wasn’t, and we still hadn’t spoken. I had no idea what he’d been up to for the last six months or so. The last time I’d seen him was when we’d officially moved out of our townhouse and gone our separate ways. He’d been icing me out ever since, so the thought of him showing up here had my heart pounding and my body feeling cold. Whether it was excitement or nerves was lost on me.

“Liv?” Ellie asked, cautiously. “Are you mad at me?”

I laughed, but it was a dark and bitter sound. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

My best friend came to sit beside me on the bed and took my hand in hers. “Olivia. You haven’t talked to him in six months. He’s doing a lot better. We just thought maybe if you guys could spend some quality time together, you’d be able to fix things.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. “We’re not stranded out here, Ells. As soon as he finds out I’m here, he could just leave. Or expect me to leave.”

“No way, Spencer won’t let him. He’s got a plan for what he’s going to say to make him listen and give this whole thing a chance. I know how much Matt means to you and I want to see you guys happy again. I just think things got a little crazy ...”

I glared at her for her choice of words.

“Sorry, that was insensitive after everything ... But you know what I mean. You’re not divorced yet. Give it a shot.”

“This feels like that old movie. The Parent Trap.”

Ellie giggled. “Exactly. Except, I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who will know we’re trying to get you guys back together. Spencer’s plan involves a little fibbing on that front.”

“Ellie,” I groaned out her name and flopped backward on the bed. “This is so childish. He’s never going to believe that.”

“Spencer is prepared to say whatever he has to so that Matt will stay. And I want you to just trust in the love you guys have for each other and that once you’re together all week, it’ll have to work out. I just know it will.”

I stared up at the exposed wood beams of the ceiling above the bed. This was a terrible idea. Of course, I wanted to get back together with Matt. But he’d made it very clear that he didn’t want that. We’d gone through the entire process of packing up our house and legally separating. At twenty years old, my brief marriage was practically over. There was no way one week in a cabin with him would reunite us after it was so easy for him to do all of that. Shoot, he probably wouldn’t even stay once he found out. I wasn’t sure I could handle that rejection.

“He’s not going to stay.”

“He might.” Ellie nudged my knee. “Have a little hope.”

I scoffed. Well … I’d done nothing but sit around and hope he’d change his mind for months. In the grand scheme of things, I guessed I could handle another week.

❤️ Second-Chance Romance

❤️ Wounded Hero

❤️ Military Hero

❤️ Emotional Journey

❤️ Small-Town Vibes

San Diego Series:

📚 Forever with You - Vince & Sara

📚 Back to You - Spencer & Ellie

📚 Away from You - Matt & Olivia

📚 Christmas with You - Cooper & Angie

📚 Believing in You - Jake & Ivy

📚 Memories of You - Brooks & Cat

📚 Home with You - Owen & Rachel

📚 Adored by You - Noah & Paige

Related Standalone:

📚 Trusting in You - Eric & Lucy

Note: Chronologically, this one fits in between books 5 & 6 of the Kailua Marines series. These worlds all collide, so if you’d like to read them in chronological order, that’s how it goes! :)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My Musings

"This is another delightful story. The characters are endearing and the plot very realistic. PTSD has many forms and Jessica Mastorakos does an excellent job painting this in this fantastic book. So glad four sweet couple have their happy ending. Happy reading!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must read

"This is a page turner that will have you cheering for the growing relationship between Olivia & Matt. I LOVED everything about this book; the banter, the sweet swoon-worthy moments and the heartbreak that made me cry for them. The author tackles a subject (PTSD) that many don’t want to discuss, much less mention in a romance novel. PTSD is very real and needs to be talked about more. Shoving it “under the rug” only hurts everyone living with PTSD. Highly recommend this series, story, and really all of this author's work, because every story sucks you in. Each story highlights the importance of strong friendships as well as strong romantic relationships, and I LOVE that particular theme!!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ you‘ll keep reading all night long!

"Whether you read the first book or not, you fall in love with these friends from the beginning. To be a young couple in love to have PTSD shake your foundation and almost destroy your marriage, it’s great to have friends who know you belong and will go to great lengths to have you see the light. Another amazing story by Jessica!"