Page 71 of Reckless Curves
Not bothering to hide his pain, Tom asked, “Do you think we have a chance if we marry? Do you think she’ll ever let me into her life? I’m scared she’ll push me away again. Maybe we’d be better as friends who share a wonderful little boy. I never want to end up in a situation where she hates me.”
Marcus sighed. “She’d never hate you. She’s loved you all her adult life.”
“Then she doesn’t trust I love her. Why else would she push me away? I can understand why she feels like that. I wasn’t there for her and now she thinks I’m only here because of Connor. I’d want her even if there was no Connor. It took Connor to make me realize how unhappy I’ve been living my life all alone, when I really wanted her.”
“You’re telling the wrong person. Go to her and make her believe in you.”
“Got any great idea on how I do that? You can’t make someone trust in your love. They have to have faith in you.”
Marcus didn’t have any answers. Tom stood. “Can I have the time off once Vince is gone?”
Marcus nodded. “Go and talk to her.”
He shook his head. “I’m not the one who walked away. If she really wants me, she’ll come find me. I need her to trust in what I feel for her, or it will never work. I don’t know what more I can do to make her see I’m a man madly in love with her.”
Marcus stood too. “I have faith that you two will work it out, but even if you don’t, I’ll still have your back and I hope you’ll have mine.”
They hugged again, both embarrassed by the emotions storming between them.
“Let me know about Vince. I want to come to his funeral. Not for him, for you,” Marcus said.
* * *
Tom threw his keys on the side table just inside the door. Stella’s car was parked across the road outside Kendra’s place, so she must have come home. He had to fight to stop himself from rushing over there, but she had to come to him this time. He had to know she would fight for them.
He moved toward the living room and he scented her fragrance before he saw her. She was sitting on his sofa and she looked so beautiful. The look of despair was gone from her eyes, but they were still shadowed. He hated to think he might be the cause.
He moved towards her and she stood. “No kissing, I have mono. I don’t want to make you sick.”
He was already sick, love sick. “You should be home resting.” His words sounded stilted and a tad gruff.
She bit her top lip and it sent a jolt to his groin. He wanted her so badly. “I’m here to ask if I can stay here and you stay across the road with Connor until I get better. I don’t want you, Jackie or Connor to get this. Would you mind?”
“Of course not. I knew it would come in handy living across from each other.” He stood waiting for her to say something about how she’d acted in hospital, but she simply kept looking at him. “Can I get you a drink?”
She shook her head. Tom nodded and he too stood there, as mute as a statue. How had it come to this? After everything they’d shared over the last few weeks it felt like they were polite strangers, not hot lovers.
She didn’t move from the sofa where she sat rigidly, and said, “Stella’s packing some things for me so if you could move across to my place tonight, I can move in here.”
Simmering anger reached the boiling point. “What the fuck is going on here, Kendra? Don’t treat me as if I’m just one of the mechanics at Bad Boy Autos.”
Startled, she flopped back onto the sofa.
“We’re lovers. We were talking of building a life together, and now it’s a polite conversation about babysitting arrangements. You owe me more than that. At least an apology for being an ass at the hospital.”
“I am sorry.”
“Sorry for what? For pushing me away or for starting a relationship with me?”
“Both, I suppose.”
“Great. Just what I wanted to hear,” he added sarcastically.
She looked at him through a sheen of tears. “I owe you an explanation. But I can’t think with you standing there glaring at me like the big bad wolf.”
“I’m just a man, standing in front of a woman, asking her to love me the way I love her—with all my heart and soul.”
“Not very original. Notting Hill if I recall.”
