Page 32 of No Ordinary Love

I waited a long moment. The silence between us was loud. If I couldn't hear her breathing, I'd have thought she'd hung up.

"When Mama told me that Kath wanted me to take her back, it was as if all those things I'd imagined had come true. My ego was soothed."

"You love her, so it was more than your ego that was soothed, Lucas." I could hear the sadness in her voice, the tremble.

"I thought I knew how I felt but I don't anymore."

"Buyer's remorse? Is that it? Now that she's yours, you don't know how you feel about her, but since I'm with Jax, you want me?"

"You're with Jax?" I couldn't hold the anger back.

"You're with Kath. I saw Shelby and Flynn today, and they told me that you're getting married soon. Congratulations."

The snark was back!

Flynn and Shelby were in Myrtle Beach. The Covington family sponsored a charity golf tournament, and they were there to represent us as neither Grandma nor I could make it.

"You're with Jax in Myrtle Beach?" I demanded.

"Yes."

"And where the fuck is he while you're talking to me?" I hated thinking of her with another man. Absolutely, fucking hated it.

"Sleeping," she yawned, "which I was doing as well…withhim. I exhausted him."

"You got over me pretty fast, Amara, so why the text messages?" I asked, anger being replaced by despair. I'd lost her. I hadreallylost her. There was no going back. I hadn't consciously thought about us getting back together,buta part of me had not moved on from myTesoro.

"You dumped me for Kath," she cried out, "And you're talking aboutmemoving on? I fell asleep crying for days, weeks, months, and you're accusing me of forgetting about you?"

I closed my eyes and sat up. When we were in a relationship, we never fought or said hurtful things to one another. I'd been surprised that being with a woman could be soothing, calming, and peaceful—that I could draw strength from it. It was the antithesis of the pull and push I'd had with Kath, my only other long-term affair.

"I'm so sorry,Tesoro."

"Don't call me that," she whimpered, "What do you call Kath?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you call her?Tesoro, baby, darling, what?"

Fuck! She was still hurting. She hadn't moved on at all. We had never had this break-up conversation. She'd left and kept it civil. But if, after all these months, it was still gnawing at her….

I shouldn't be happy about it but it gave me hope, which was stupid because my mother was expecting me to propose to Kath in a couple of months.

"I call her Kath." I paused, debating whether to say more. Against my instincts, I decided to tell her the truth, because I couldn't stand to see her hurt any longer.

"I haven't touched her…not like that."

I heard a gasp at the other end of the line, followed by hollow laughter. "You never lied to me before, Lucas. You must be feeling really sorry for the ex-girlfriend who's drunk dialing you to say that."

"Icalledyou."

"BecauseIdrunk textedyoufirst." She sounded tired all of a sudden, like all the fire had left her. "Jax and I are friends."

I should've known, even though jealousy ate at me, that Amara wouldn't jump from one man to another. That wasn't who she was. Even after we started dating, it took months before we had sex. I hadn't minded—getting to know her mind had been just as sexy as getting to know her body.

"I know you won't believe me now, but I did love you." The words spilled out of me before I could stop them. "I couldn't see it then, but I can see it now."

"Did love? In the past?"

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