Page 53 of In Too Deep

“What’s the address? We need to talk.”

Her clipped words worry me, but I don’t ask any more questions before giving her my address. She wants to see me, that’s all I need to know.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

She hangs up before I have a chance to respond, heightening the nervous energy coursing through me. It’s just as likely she’s coming here to end things. I can’t let her do that. I won’t. She’s afraid and doesn’t want to hurt Spencer, but we belong together. She knows it too. We’ve been drawn to each other from the beginning, but we’ve always let other people and circumstances get in our way.

Not this time.

In the time it takes me to pick up around the house, throw on a clean shirt, and spray on some cologne, Cat arrives at my front door. She rings the doorbell, and I give the living room one more glance to be sure there’s nothing crazy lying around on my way to answer it. My hands are shaky as I reach for the knob, my stomach knotted with uncertainty as I pull the door open. When her sad, bloodshot eyes meet mine, it feels like I’ve had the wind kicked out of me.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I pull her into my arms and close the door.

She wraps her arms around me, burying her face into the crook of my neck as she begins to cry. My heart clenches as I stroke her hair. I hate seeing her so distraught, especially if I had any part of it. Without warning, she pushes me away, her eyes filled with fiery determination as they narrow at me.

She works to catch her breath, her square shoulders a good indication of what’s coming. “This is over.”

My heart palpitates at her statement, but I cling to the lack of conviction behind her declaration. She didn’t come here to end things. That’s something that could’ve been done over the phone. I think she came here because she wants me to talk her out of it.

“Over, huh?” I muse, crossing my arms. “What exactly are we talking about here?”

She cuts her eyes to me as she takes a deep breath. “Us. You and me.” She gestures between us with a flick of her wrist. “We’re over.”

“I’m sorry. Color me confused,” I josh, scratching at my temple. “Here I’ve been waiting for you to let things begin between us, yet you’re telling me they’re over. If you really wanted things to be done between us, don’t you think showing up at my house sends a mixed message?”

Her cheeks turn red, her mouth falling open as her spine straightens, clearly not appreciating my attempt to lighten things up a little.

“My life is crumbling around me, but this is all a big joke to you, isn’t it?” I protest with a shake of my head and reach for her, trying to close the gap between us, but she shrugs away. “No. I shouldn’t have come here. I’m leaving.”

She turns for the door, but I grab her arm to stop her, stepping between her and the exit. “Whoa, slow down. I’m sorry.” Placing my hands on her shoulders, I wait for her to meet my gaze. “You came here to talk, so let’s talk. Why don’t you come into the kitchen and I’ll fix you a drink while you tell me what happened today?” She studies me silently, stepping out of my hold as she crosses her arms. “Please?” I plead, gesturing toward my kitchen.

She gives me a curt nod and whirls in that direction. I lead her through the house, placing my hand on the small of her back. It’s hard to miss the way she jumps at my touch, but she doesn’t move away from it.

“What would you like to drink?” I ask as we enter the kitchen, feeling more confident than a moment ago. “I’ve got some bourbon, and there are a couple of beers in the fridge.”

She sighs as she plops into a chair at my kitchen table. “Bourbon is fine.”

“You’ve got it.” I rush to get us both a glass, deciding to bring the entire bottle to the table when she lays her face in the palms of her hands. “Here we go.” She doesn’t look up as I place the glasses on the table and fill them up. “Now, what happened today?”

She finally lifts her head as I take a seat across from her, taking a sip of the amber liquor before answering. “I told my best friend we slept together.”

My heart does a little dance in my chest, and it’s a struggle to keep the excitement off my face. Cat is obviously upset, but the fact that she’s telling people about us is good news for me.

“I see. And what did she say? Is she mad at you or something?”

“She says she’s not upset at me, but I saw it in her face. She thinks I’m a horrible person.” Her voice cracks and tears begin to roll down her face.

“Hey…” There’s a heaviness in my gut as I reach across the table and place my hand over hers. I hate that Cat feels this way about herself, and despise that it’s because of what happened between us. “You’re not a bad person. You’re an incredible person with the most caring heart I’ve ever known.”

Shaking her head, she pulls her hand away from me and into her lap. “I don’t feel that way. What I did to Spencer was wrong. I need to come clean. He deserves to know.”

“Okay…I know you don’t want to hurt Spencer and you’re scared. But I’ll be here for you. It’ll work out. Everything will be all right.”

“No, I…” She swipes away another tear and clears her throat. “I need to end this thing between us. Physically cheating on him was bad enough, I can’t keep cheating on him emotionally too.”

My head swims as she comes to her feet, looking down at me with sorrow in her eyes. On the plus side, she admitted she’s emotionally invested in me—in us. But there was a lot more certainty in her tone and resolve in her stare.

Perhaps I read this all wrong and she had in fact come here to break things off. But all of this was prompted by her conversation with Lori. It’s the guilt and shame she feels for cheating on Spencer pushing her to make this decision, and I can’t let her do that.

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