Page 5 of Let Me Love You
Damn it.
Changing the subject didn’t have to be hard. How about those Tampa Bay Rays? Have you been to the beach lately? Nope. He brought up her ex and deflated her like he’d stuck a pin in an overblown balloon.
“I’d never burden you with my problems.” She dropped her hands to her lap. “Randy fell in love, or maybe it was lust—how the hell should I know?—with someone else. He’d left our relationship months before the divorce. There was nothing you could do.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I could have punched him in the face.”
“That’s sweet, Ren.” She covered her mouth, bowed her head, and closed her eyes as if surprised by her words. Shaking her head, she laid her hand in her lap. “I’m sorry. I’m a horrible person for thinking that physical violence is sweet. It’s just nice to have someone on my side.”
“Don’t be sorry. You have every right to be angry and Iamon your side.” He pushed out a rough breath. “How long was this going on?” Ren’s shoulders tensed, rising closer to his ears at the idea Randy showed up at the house for his parents’ barbeques and Christmas party with Stacey on his arm when he was banging another woman. If steam could shoot out the top of his head like a cartoon, it would. How could a man claim to love a woman and do such a thing?
“After a while I stopped asking for details, but I presume it had been going on for quite some time.”
“I am so sorry. I always thought you guys were happy. I know very little about relationships. I did envy him. Every time I’d see him kiss you or put an arm around you, I thought he was the luckiest man alive. You deserve so much more.”
Sadness filled her eyes. The corners of her mouth edged down. The wounded look on her face forced his hands into fists in his lap and he ground his teeth to keep from telling her exactly what he thought of her ex.
That fucking bastard!
He prayed to never come face-to-face with Randy again. He’d beat him to a pulp for putting that hurt look in her eyes. For planting insecurities in her mind that shouldn’t exist, had never existed before he broke her.
“Relationships change. We were together for eleven years, married for ten. I met him when I was so young, younger than you are now. He’d swept me off my feet at twenty. A soon-to-be lawyer, older and wiser than me. I thought we had it all for a bit, too. I got older and he wanted younger, I guess. She was his new paralegal at the firm. Twenty-two. Twenty-three. Apparently, the saying ‘one thing led to another’ really does happen.” She quirked an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders. “So, here I am, single again.”
The twinge in his chest tightened at the crack in her voice. Being left, especially for a younger woman, appeared to bother her, chiseling away at her confidence.
Little did she know how gratefulhewas to have her back out playing the field, but with any luck, she wouldn’t be there long. He didn’t expect she’d be okay with his plans from the get-go, but he had nowhere else to be. He’d wait out the questions, her insecurities. He had nothing but time.
“I know it might be hard to see the big picture right now with the wounds still so fresh, but I know everything will work out for you. You’re an amazing woman.”
She tilted her head. Tears welled in her big blue eyes, breaking his heart.
“Thank you, Ren. The last few months have been difficult, but I’m doing okay.” She smiled, but it was small and forced.
“Is there anything I can help you with? Yard work? Pool cleaning? Whatever.”
“You want to be my lawn and pool boy this summer, do you?” Her eyes softened with her words, teasing him.
“I’d definitely consider that.” He’d be anything she wanted him to be.
“You’re cute.” She beamed at him.
He cringed at that word.Cute?Cute would never cut it. Not with a woman like Stacey. She needed sexy and brawny with a touch of sensitivity. He was all those things and he’d prove every one of them to her.
“But in all seriousness, with the new landscaping around the yard I won’t need too much help there.” She waved at their surroundings. “I do have a couple of projects I want to get done around the house. The pantry door in the kitchen is partially unhinged, and I want to install a ceiling fan in the living room. With the windows in that room, it’s stifling, even with the air on, so I thought a fan might help circulate cooler air. A set of extra hands would be great! Of course, I’ll pay you. I’d rather have you help me than have to hire a stranger.”
“You don’t have to pay me. It’s my pleasure.” He’d take no money for the tasks. He’d only ask for a chance, a chance to prove that he was everything she needed, wanted.
She stood from the chaise and tucked the towel around her waist. “Would you like something to drink? I’m parched.” Before he could respond, she walked around the edge of the pool toward the sliding glass door at the back of the house that led to the kitchen. She disappeared inside.
Rising, he followed. He’d prove to her he was more than cute. He’d show her how sexy and desirable she was. Ren had a way to make her forget Randy—permanently. No better time than the present to erase that jackass from her mind.
