Page 58 of Free to Breathe
“We’re almost home, Corinna. Then you can put on whatever music you want,” I try to reason with her.
“Yeah. The cows and I can get together and have a real barn burner. Get it?” She slaps her leg as if she’s told the funniest joke ever. “Men. They’re not worth the fucking trouble. Family, friends, lovers. They’ll betray you in the end somehow.” And then she starts to cry. Huge heaving sobs that I have no idea what to do with.
Shit, shit, shit. “Look, I’ll turn the music back up.”
Her head shakes as she curls into herself.
What the hell am I supposed to do? Grabbing my earpiece out of the console, I quickly dial Keene. “Want to tell me what the fuck happened tonight?”
“I was just about to call you and ask the same thing. Apparently, you did something to our girl to push her over the edge,” Keene grates out. “Now I’m dealing with Alison riding my ass while Holly and Em are talking about marrying Corinna in a triad ceremony in my back seat.”
“Give me the phone, Keene,” I hear Ali demand.
“Not a chance in hell, baby,” Keene growls. “Tell me, Hunt. What did you say to Corinna?”
“I can tell you that, Keene. He called her a slut. He’s a douchebag, just like his best buddy, Jack. Only Jack added on she was a cow too. That’s part of what sent my future wife over the edge!” Em yells drunkenly. “How the fuck is he any better though? That’s what I want to know. How the fuck are any of you men any better? It’s okay for you to bang anyone, but your woman has to be pure? Fuck that shit. They’re our bodies. If I want a different cock every day of the week, then I should be able to have it.”
“And he had no right to carry her out of that bar,” Holly cries. “For once she felt beautiful. She’s always beautiful, but she never believes it. We can never make her see it. I bet it’s why she’s talking about canceling the surgery.”
“I’ll bet you’re right, Hols,” Em agrees. “All because of fucking men.”
“I’m glad I shot the assholes in my life.”
“Me too, baby girl.”
“Jesus, can you two keep the family secrets to, I don’t know, the family?” Keene roars. Silence descends on the car. “Does that answer your question, Hunt? It sure as hell answers mine.” He promptly hangs up on me.
Corinna’s still crying, but her tears are quieter as we pull into her driveway. Turning off the Jeep, I race around to her side of the car. “Princess, where are your keys?”
She sniffles. “Purse.”
I swing her up in my arms and carry her under the awning where she kissed me. Putting her back on her unstable feet, I pull open her purse and reach inside for her keys, then unlock the door and guide us both inside. She’s still crying when I carry her upstairs to her bedroom. Wrenching away from me, she mutters, “I need a shower.” She grabs a skimpy top and shorts from the couch and stomps off to the bathroom. Moments later, I hear the toilet flush and the shower start.
“You all right in there?” I yell out.
Her clothes being thrown out the door is my only response.
“I hope you’ll forgive me one day, babe,” I murmur, turning around the massive room, I spy a soft afghan casually tossed across the worn sofa. I touch the cashmere in electric pink, and it’s like I’ve found the single object that represents Corinna: vibrant, soft, delicate, strong. My hand can’t help but caress it as I whisper, “I’m so sorry, Cori. I never meant to hurt you. No matter what you believe.” Even if it’s not her, it’s something tangible I can hold that represents her. Turning, I slam into a body, sending me sprawling onto the couch. I get tangled up in the throw, and her scent fills my brain, imprinting on my soul.
It will never get out now.
Corinna’s standing there with her wet hair dripping down her back, her face vulnerable. “How could you not mean to hurt me, Colby? The things you said…”
I cut her off. “Came from a place of jealous rage. How could I fault you for being who you are when that’s what I need in my life?”
She steps back. “Don’t. Please don’t. I’m too vulnerable, and you…” She presses her hand into her stomach.
I shove to my feet and step closer to her, lifting my finger to her cheek. “I what?”
“With nothing but words, you made me laugh, and you made me believe in myself when there was damned little to believe in. Then you destroyed me.” She turns her back to me. Her new ink taunts me. Involuntarily, I reach out to trace it, but she jerks away. “I’ll never forget who I am ever again because of you. Don’t start anything with me, including friendship, unless you plan to be here regardless of whatever happens. Because, I may not be perfect, but I deserve everything. And you can go to hell right now if you don’t think I do.”
I clasp her shoulder and turn her around to face me. “I just have one question.”
Her face takes on a wary cast. “Okay. Ask it.”
I slide my hand through her wet hair to the nape of her neck and pull her close. “Is there room on the couch for both of us? I don’t think tonight’s the night for us to try sleeping in a bed for the first time together.”
When the single tear slides down her freshly scrubbed face, I murmur, “We’ll talk more after we get some sleep.”
