Page 11 of Claiming My Grumpy Ex

She looked up at him, her smile warm, and they shared a few words I couldn’t hear. But it was the way she looked at him—comfortable like she’d been expecting him—that stirred something ugly in my chest. I shifted in my seat, debating if I should interrupt, but then she glanced over her shoulder, her gaze landing on me.

Her expression shifted, and for a second, I saw a flicker of confusion—or maybe recognition. But just as quickly, she turned back to the guy, her face unreadable. As they moved toward thedoor, the receptionist called out, “Ellie, don’t forget, you have a 3:00 client.”

Ellie has to be a nickname…

Elena paused, glancing back at me once more, the same look of confusion crossing her face. But she nodded only to the receptionist, her focus shifting back to the guy by her side. Together, they walked out, leaving me rooted to the spot, unable to say a single word before they descended the steps.

I sat there, staring at the door after they’d left, her lingering look still echoing in my mind.

Before I could fully register what was happening, he pulled her in close out on the sidewalk. Through the window, I saw the excitement in her eyes as she laughed at something he’d said—and then, damn it, he leaned in and kissed her. Full-on, like he’d done it a hundred times before.

My chest tightened, jealousy hitting hard and fast. I hadn’t come back here expecting things to be the same, but seeing her with someone else felt like a gut punch. What the hell had I been thinking? That I’d just waltz back into Cedar Cove, ask her out for lunch, and… pick up where we left off?

I’d read too much into her being a single mom and wearing no wedding ring—assuming she had no partner or love interest.

Idiot.

I watched them, feeling stupid for even sitting here, but I couldn’t look away. Her smile, the way she leaned into him like he was the only thing in the world—it twisted something deep inside me.

Damn it, Cory. You left. You let her go.

Finally, I returned to my SUV. Glancing down, I gripped the wheel and tried to steady my breathing. But the jealousy kept gnawing at me. I’d told myself I was here for Jake, to fulfill a promise. Yet, watching her with another man felt like there was more to it—like I wasn’t as over her as I’d convinced myself.

After a long minute, I finally tore my gaze away, forcing myself to think straight. I’d come here to reconnect, maybe set things right. But now I had to face facts—she’d moved on. And I was the one who’d been too late to realize what I’d left behind.

I punched the ignition button, my jaw set. Dallas could wait. Today, I’d figure out where I stood—even if it meant staying a little longer than I’d planned.

The jealousy was a raw ache in my chest that seemed to throb with every beat of my pulse. Hell, I’d come all this way to talk to her, and she’d barely glanced over her shoulder before walking out with him.

I knew I should just drive back to Dallas, cut my losses, and tell myself that whatever was between us was over and done. But something kept holding me here, like a weight that refused to lift. I wasn’t ready to let it go—not yet. She might be living her life, moving on, but damn it, I needed to know if there was any room for me in it… and was I the father of her son?

As I sat there, staring out the windshield at nothing, memories flooded back, uninvited but relentless. I thought about the high school play that had started our romance. We’d done it together—Romeo and Juliet. She’d been Juliet, and I’d been her Romeo, corny as it sounded. I’d never been one for acting, but she’d somehow convinced me to try out.

The whole school had been talking, laughing, and whispering about us, about how we “sizzled” on stage. The lines had been easy to remember—almost too easy. I could still recall her voice, the way she’d look at me under those stage lights, her eyes lit up as she delivered Juliet’s lines.

“Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” I’d asked, my voice was a little shaky but covered up by the rush of adrenaline.

She’d answered me with this soft, serious look in her eyes as if the whole world had melted away, and it was just the two of usup there. “Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer,” she’d said, so steady, so perfect.

And that next line—I couldn’t forget it if I tried. “O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.”

We’d kissed, staged, sure, but it hadn’t felt like acting. I’d seen that same warmth in her eyes that night that I’d seen a thousand times after. Back then, I’d thought that was it. Elena and I were forever.

I shook my head, trying to shake off the memory, but the lines still lingered. Here I was, a grown man, still hanging onto scraps from high school. I’d made my choices, let her slip away, and now she was out there, smiling at some other guy. But no matter how much I told myself to walk away, I couldn’t do it.

And there was something else eating at me, something I’d barely let myself consider. That kid—Jake. Was he my son?

My hand tightened on the steering wheel, my decision forming before I’d fully admitted it to myself. Dallas could wait. I’d stay here for a little longer, see if there was a moment, any damn moment, where I could talk to her. I needed to know if what we’d had was really gone or if there was still something left—and if there was a chance that Jake might be part of my life too.

Back at the cabin, I tossed my jacket onto the couch, pacing back and forth as the frustration simmered. Being back here wasn’t giving me the peace I’d thought it would; it was just dragging up everything I’d tried to ignore.

After a while, I couldn’t take it anymore. Sitting around, stewing over Elena and her new guy, was pointless. I changed and grabbed the keys to my boat, deciding that a ride on the lake might clear my head. Water had a way of grounding me, reminding me that not everything had to feel like a damn battleground.

I walked down to the dock, climbed into the boat, and started it up, the sound of the engine breaking the quiet. Steering out toward the lake, I tried to focus on the horizon, the line where the water met the sky, and let it pull me out of my thoughts. But the calm didn’t come as easily as it used to.

The memory of our play, of those lines, kept sneaking back. I wondered if she remembered it too—ourRomeo and Julietmoment, the way we’d been a hit with everyone. But for me, it had been more than that. It was a taste of what could’ve been if we’d stayed together. If I hadn’t left.

I guided the boat around the bend, coming closer to the town’s side of the lake. There was a public pier nearby, across the street from her salon. Tying up my boat there, I let myself settle, a quiet determination building in me. I wasn’t leaving Cedar Cove without answers, even if I had to wait all day to get them.

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