Page 28 of Unexpected Love

Seeing her and talking to her again was supposed to be our chance to get closure, so why does that fucking hurt? Why does the idea of never seeing her again make my chest ache?

“This is the best burger I’ve ever eaten,” Chloe says, pulling my attention back to her. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten here.”

We finish eating, and as soon as we slide out of the booth, she surprises me by slipping her hand in mine. Hand in hand, we make our way out of the bar. It’s ten o’clock and still warm outside. It’s the perfect weather to go for a ride.

I step in front of her. “Do you want to go for a ride on my bike?”

“Really?” I nod. “Yes, please! I haven’t been on a bike since my dad sold his. It’s the perfect night for a ride.” Her smile is radiant. I can’t stop myself before I grab her by her face and kiss her lips, slowly and thoroughly. Her tongue immediately seeks mine, and it tangles with hers.

Reluctantly, I pull away—we’re in public, and this wasn’t supposed to be what we’re doing. Weren’t we supposed to be getting closure on whatever it was that we had? I ignore those thoughts as we reach the Ritz. They only offer valet parking, but they did let us park our bikes ourselves.

I back mine out of my space and then put my stand back down. I grab my helmet and my spare, slipping hers on for her. She looks fucking sexy as hell with that helmet on. I grab her the spare riding glasses I have, and then she’s all set. When I do the same, I climb on and then hold my hand out to her. She hops on like she’s done it a million times.

Chloe wraps her arms around my waist as I start my bike. Her hands rest on my waist as I slowly pull out of the parking lot. We drive around town, and the wind kicks up her sweet scent, and it wraps around me. Her tits are pressed up against my back, and it’s turning me the fuck on. I think of anything other than Chloe or her hot body: my mom, my sisters, and Natalie.

Thank God that works. We don’t go anywhere—we just ride. We only get to talk at stoplights. She tells me about a jewelry line she’s working on and about her band. Her breath hits me in small minty puffs.

We pull up in front of her house. I take off my helmet and glasses and do the same for her, stowing them in my saddlebags.

Hand in hand, we walk up to her door. “Would you like to come in?”

With my free hand, I reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear. “Yeah.”

I let go of her hand, and she lets us into her house. We’re greeted by some angry cats. They’re both sitting next to the sofa and look at their mom with the same expression. “Hi, my babies. Are you mad Mommy left you?”

Damn if those damn cats don’t answer her, “Meow.” She squats down in front of them and gives them both scratches on the head. Ragnar stares at me like I’m scum, but maybe because in his eyes I am. I follow Chloe as she stands up and walks into the kitchen. She grabs a bag of treats and throws a couple down in front of the furry pair.

The scent of lemon hits my nose, and that’s when I see she’s adding drops of oil to her diffuser. Sadness hits me when I think about the last time I saw it. I had put peppermint oil in it while she slept to hopefully ward off the terrible morning sickness she’d had.

“Joe? Hey, what is it?” I feel her hands touch my face. “Honey, what is it?”

“I am so sorry.”

Chloe’s arms wrap around me and pull me into a hug. “I’m sorry, too. We’re going to get through this, and we’ll never forget her.” Chloe had left me a voicemail after the results from the test they did on our baby, and unfortunately there was nothing that they could find that would cause Chloe to lose her. Did I call her back and offer her comfort? No. I nursed my snit and was an asshole.

“I know, but that’s not why I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I wasn’t here when you needed me and that you had to heal alone.” She pulls back and grabs my hand, pulling me into the living room and then pushing me down on the sofa.

“Hey. It’s not your fault. I’m the one who pushed you away—blamed you for it.” Chloe places her hand over my heart, and I swear my stupid dick is twitching in my jeans. “I’ve been going to a support group, and it’s really helped.” Just the mention of that group has my blood boiling. “What?”

“Tonight, before you came out to play, a blonde came up and started talking to me. We talked for a while and then you came on. She said she worked with you. Chloe, it kills me to say this, but that bitch’s sister was talking shit about you. She told her sister stuff that you had talked about.”

Chloe moves fast, and before I know it she’s off the sofa and marching into the kitchen. Just as I step inside, she starts in on the person whom she just called. “Reggie, it’s Chloe.” Silence. “Yeah, I know it’s late. You tell that bitch, Elizabeth, that she better stay the fuck away from me. I know she’s told her sister all about what I’ve said in our group.

“That group is supposed to be a safe place for us to share our feelings in and a group that supports and uplifts each other. She’s ruined that for me, and shame on you if you knew what was going on.”

Chloe ends the call and looks at me with fire in her eyes. “I’m sorry she said that shit to me,” I say. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but the thought of you pouring your heart out to that woman, and for her to tell people, pisses me the fuck off.”

“I’m glad you did. Fucking Hailey, she’s been a pain in my ass for a while. I’m Mr. Harmon’s best designer, and he loves me, so she’s jealous, and up until recently she was always nasty to me. I am a hundred percent sure that she’s going to be nasty again.” She grabs a couple of beers out her refrigerator and hands me one. “I think we could both use one of these.” We both twist off our caps and clink our bottles together before taking huge swallows.

She grabs me by my arm and pulls me into the living room. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

“Sure.” I sit down, pulling her to sit next to me.

We settle into the sofa, her head resting on my shoulder as we scan Netflix for something to watch. Once we’ve picked the movie, Jaws, I reach over and shut the lamp off. The room is engulfed in darkness, and it’s not long before we’re both engrossed in the classic.

---