Page 73 of Beautiful Mess

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Conway states gruffly.

Guilt weighs on my chest, knowing I should’ve put on my big girl panties days ago and gotten this over with. “Want to go talk in my office?” I ask, not really wanting to have this conversation in my very full lobby.

Conway nods once, then follows behind me as I lead us into the mess that is my office. He freezes as soon as I flip the light switch on. “What the hell happened in here?”

“A pipe burst sometime in the middle of the night.”

“Grace, you’re going to have to get this fixed as soon as possible.”

I bite down on my molars, exhaling a sharp breath through my nose. “Yes, I’m aware.”

He shoves his hands into his pockets, gaze hard as he stares down his nose at me. “We need to talk about this.”

Panic twists in my gut and my heart is racing so fast it feels like I can’t breathe. I can’t do this. I can’t stand here and get dumped. I can’t allow myself to get my heartbroken again. Knowing what’s coming, I make a split-second decision to take control of the situation. Gain the upper hand to hopefully save myself a little of the hurt. It’s a long shot, and probably a crazy one, but the idea of hearing Conway tell me it’s over makes me want to puke.

Call it self-preservation, or maybe simple cowardice, but I just can’t look at him as he says the words that will crush me.

Clearing my throat, I hold his gaze even though everything in me is screaming to look away. “You’re right,” I say as steady as I can. “I think we both know this thing between us has run its course.”

Conway’s brow wrinkles. “What do you mean?”

“It’s been fun,” I go on, feeling the emotion pressing up against the back of my eyes.I cannot cry.“But I think Cole walking in on us was the wake-up call we needed.” The tip of my nose stings and the lump in my throat lodges itself deeper, making talking a challenge.Goddamnit, Grace. Get it together.“I think it would be better for everybody if we ended it here.”

I bite down on my molars, the pit in my stomach twisting painfully, causing a wave of nausea to hit me like a freight train. I can’t seem to drag in air fast enough, and my heart is trying to beat right out of my chest as Conway’s hardened stare doesn’t leave my face. With a furrowed brow, a tight jaw, and pinched lips, he doesn’t say anything for a long moment, and the silence is almost worse than anything he could say out loud. It looks like he’s trying to gather his thoughts, maybe wanting to take it easy on me, but I already did the hard part. He should be thanking me.

Finally, clearing his throat, he asks, “Who would that be better for, exactly?”

“Everybody,” I mutter. “I just said that.”

His nostrils flare as he releases a heavy sigh. “Who is everybody, Grace? You?” The sharp edge to his tone and the strain in his voice take me by surprise. “Because I can assure you, ending this would not be better for me.”

“What?” Heart stalling for a beat, his words throw me for a loop.

“You heard me, Grace,” he grits out. “That’s the last damn thing I want to do.”

All the air has been sucked out of my lungs, hearing him say that and knowing he probably even means it. But I also know it doesn’t change the facts. Thick emotion clings to the inside of my throat as I say, “It’s the last thing I want too, but it’s what needs to happen.”

“Says who?”

“He’s your son, and I’m his ex-girlfriend. This would never work, and we both know it.”

“No, we both donotknow that.” His jaw flexes as he exhales harshly. “And those two things have always been true. Why are you acting like this is new information?”

I don’t understand what’s happening. This isn’t what he’s supposed to be saying. Conway came here to end things with me to save his relationship with his son, so why is he acting surprised by what I’m saying?

“Conway, are you being for real?” A flare of annoyance hits me in my chest. “Cole walked in on us having sex the other day.”

“Trust me, Grace, I know. I was there, and I’ve spent the last several days trying to talk to you about it and make sure you’re okay, but you’ve completely iced me out, and for the life of me, I can’t seem to understand why. Yeah, Cole walking in on us and finding out the way he did wasn’t ideal and, sure, he’s a little pissed off about it, but he’ll get over it. This is how Cole is. I’ll give him some space, then we’ll talk about it, and it’ll be fine.”

“A little pissed off?” I parrot, a dry, humorless laugh bubbling up my throat. “I’d say he’s more than ‘a little’ pissed off, Conway.”

Confusion flashes in his eyes for a moment before he asks, “Did you talk to him?”

“Um, yeah. He sent me such a sweet text that night after I left your house, letting me know exactly how he feels. He didn’t tell you?”

The wrinkles in Conway’s forehead crease, and any confusion from before fades from his expression, replaced with a look of what I can only describe as agitation. “No, he did not tell me that,” he mutters darkly. “Show me the message.” My eyebrows pinch, and for a moment, I don’t move. I don’t understand what’s happening. “Now, Grace,” Conway growls before adding in a much softer tone, “Please.”

Grabbing my phone out of my back pocket, I unlock the screen and find my text thread with Cole, my heart beating chaotically against my ribs as I reread the message before handing it over to Conway.

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