Page 21 of Unravel You

I didn’t need Derek to chase my bad dreams away. So instead, I did what I always did whenever Max’s dad showed up in a nightmare. Thanks to Em, all my clothes for the next month were neatly packed in five different suitcases with outfits for pretty much every occasion. We weren’t leaving for another two hours for the Tucson airport, where our flight was scheduled to depart around six thirty this morning. I had time for a quick kickboxing session. The idea immediately improved my mood. I rushed to my closet and changed into my workout clothes before heading upstairs to the gym.

By now, I was used to Derek’s insane house and all its amenities, which included a bowling alley, a soccer field, an infinity pool, and a fully equipped gym. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a grand view of the Catalina mountains. Before sunrise, the tiny lights of the city of Tucson provided a quiet backdrop for the room. I pulled up the app on my phone and started my playlist. With my boxing gloves on, I started a warm-up drill on the one-hundred-fifty-pound, six-foot punching bag. Roughly the size of a grown man.

Dad had shown me how to throw a punch when I was a freshman in college. The one lesson he forgot was when to do it. I wasn’t a fighter. I’d spent months in a toxic relationship with Max’s dad, and not once had it ever occurred to me to hit back. Alex had a way of twisting the truth to make me think I was overreacting, oversensitive, or over-imaginative, seeing things that were simply not there. My two regrets were not leaving sooner and never finding the courage to stand up for myself.

My heart rate shot up to my target threshold immediately, but that had nothing to do with my body being ready to go full speed on the synthetic leather. Thinking of Alex, the nightmares, and everything he did put me on edge. The anger and the blame were always there. I gave myself another ten minutes before I attempted my first roundhouse kick. When my shin connected with the canvas, the sting on my skin sent a shot of adrenaline through my body.

I threw my first jab-cross combo, then unpacked all my frustration on the bag. I kept going until my chest compressed and blocked the air to my lungs. Shooting stars flashed in my line of vision while I braced my hands on my knees and breathed in through my nose, willing the oxygen through every fiber of me.

When I glanced up, Derek’s reflection appeared on the window against the silhouette of the city lights, his arms across his chest and a broody look about him. How long had he been standing there? I turned around to meet his gaze. He reached for a bottle of water from the small fridge by the entrance and offered it to me.

“You have good form. When did you learn to do that?”

“A long time ago.” I didn’t feel like getting into it with him. The look on his face showed how left out he felt. But nowhere was it written that I had to tell him about every single one of my shortcomings. “It’s just to blow off steam.” I shook my head in dismissal, taking my gloves off.

He regarded me for a long time as if trying to decide if he should be mad at me or just let it go. “You’ve been living in this house for a month, and this is the first time I see you in here. I’m so sorry I took off for so long. What’s wrong with me?” He shook his head, offering me a warm smile. “Here, drink. Maybe we can train together sometime.”

“That would be fun.” I took a long swig of water, thinking about a sweaty boxing session with Derek. I could definitely get used to that.

He glanced upward and blew out air. “I love it when you look at me like that.” He reached for my hand and kissed it.

His hot gaze unlocked something inside me. Like Alex’s dark form vanishing in my dream, my anger dissipated too. “Like what?” I wiped the sweat off my brow, acutely aware that I was all sticky from the workout and probably looked like a hot mess.

Derek didn’t seem to notice. He cradled my cheek and kissed me. An intense and searing kiss that made me regret leaving the bedroom so early this morning. We could be there right now. I pulled back first. “Where did you go this morning?”

He shook his head. “No. You first. Do you always workout at four in the morning? Or was there a specific reason for it today?”

I swore the man could see right through me. He knew about Alex. If I hadn’t told him, he would have found out anyway when Alex came looking for Derek to ask for money a few weeks back. Money in return for renouncing all paternity rights. Alex got paid, and I got peace of mind, though I had to go through the extreme shame of having to explain to Derek my fucked-up relationship with Max’s dad.

“No. And yes.”

He ran a finger down my warm cheek. “I know you have nightmares sometimes. Is that why you’re up so early?”

I nodded. “I woke up and you weren’t there. I decided to come here instead.”

Derek slow-blinked. “I’m sorry I had to leave you this morning. I had a work call early. Afterward, I decided to go for a bike ride.” He chuckled, bracing his hands on his hips. “To blow off steam. I can’t wait to get you to Atlanta and just be with you.”

“For a whole month.”

“Yes, a whole month.” He wrapped his arms around me, kissing my neck. “Do you need help getting out of these sweaty clothes?”

I laughed, loving that he wanted me even when I looked like this. “We don’t have time for that. I need to shower and do everything I can to look presentable when I meet your parents.”

“Come on. They don’t care.”

After my conversation with Em last night before dinner, I knew Lilly Cole would most definitely care if I showed up in short shorts and a sweaty tank top. I pushed him away from me, ignoring the slow burn growing between my legs. Maybe Derek was right. We needed a few days to get away from everything and spend some time together. I, for one, was ready to not have this “meet the parents” thing hanging over my head.

“I’m going upstairs to shower. I’ll see you in an hour.”

He groaned when I walked past him toward the door. “You’re killing me, Valentina. But don’t think this is over. I’ll have you all to myself for four hours. On a plane with nowhere to go.”

His voice was laced with all kinds of promises. When the door to the gym closed behind me, I turned around and placed my hand on the handle. No, I couldn’t stay. I had to use all the time I had to get ready to meet his family. With all my senses screaming at me to go back, I trudged downstairs to our bedroom.

When I walked in, Max sat on the bed with Pirate on his lap. As soon as he spotted me, he pushed the cat off the bed. “Can I stay with you while you get ready?”

“Sure.” Now that he had his own room, I missed our morning routine of getting ready together, brushing our teeth and picking out clothes.

“I’m going to miss you, buddy.” I hugged him.

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