Page 49 of Mr. Big Mistake
I shook my head. “You know I didn’t mean-”
“It doesn’t matter what you meant. Because once you say something, you can never take those words back. You can never undo the damage you do with them. So, try not to break my sister in the next four weeks.”
My brother and Roxy left, leaving me alone. In my condo. With a woman that hated my guts. I stalked over to my couch in the living room and flopped down, then lobbed my head off to the side. I stared through the wall of tinted glass and out towards the expanse of Vegas. The whole of the world laid out before me, and I was a prisoner in my own condo.
With a woman, I wanted to enjoy instead of hate.
I don’t know how long I sat there. I’m not sure how much time passed. But, the soft pitter-patter of feet pulled me from my trance, and I saw that the sun was setting. My stomach growled with exponential hunger. I felt myself growing light-headed.
However, when Kelly sat in front of me on the loveseat, I focused my attention on her.
“I want to apologize, but I feel that’s overdone at this point,” I said.
She nodded. “Probably.”
I looked back out the window. “This place is yours as much as it is mine for the next four weeks. Whatever you want, I can get it for you. Whatever you want to eat, I can whip it up. You just let me know.”
She paused. “You can cook?”
“Yep.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Well, now, you do.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry too, Brenden. This is… rough all around for everyone. And Roxy’s incessant teasing this morning didn’t really help matters.”
“Yeah, well. Zane and Clint aren’t exactly letting me off the hook either.”
She giggled softly, and the sound warmed me from my toes to my nose.
“Kelly, this really doesn’t have to be a miserable month. We have the ability to make the best of it. If you want, you can look at it as a vacation. And you’re not far from your own place, so you can always go see Roxy.”
“Can she come here?”
I looked over at her. “Of course, she can. She’s just as welcome as you are.”
Her face hardened. “Thank you.”
I sighed. “What did I do now?”
“I just don’t know how in the world I ever trusted you to do something like this. I keep kicking myself, thinking, ‘this is exactly how Brenden’s plans always turn out.’ I hear the stories all the time. I’m just not sure why I convinced myself this time would be different.”
“Well, sorry to disappoint. But this isn’t all on me. Just like you said at the cookout. We both hold responsibility in this. So, I’d appreciate it if you acted like it.”
She stood. “It’s not my fault you screwed up.”
I stood. “No, the man who owns that chapel screwed up. Remember? You admitted to that, too. Don’t turn this on me because you’re frustrated and want someone to blame. I don’t play that game with anyone.”
Her eyes filled with fire. “You know what? I think I’m just going to spend the rest of this month in my room. Just to make it easy on you.”
“If you want to make that decision on your own, that’s fine. You know, since you’re such an independent woman.”
She stomped toward her room. “You’re such an asshole. I don’t know why in the world I ever wanted to do this with you in the first place.”
“Takes one to know one!”
And the only sound that greeted me was the sound of my guest door being slammed.
