Page 97 of Easy Reunion
Chapter 38
Rierson
Carefully, I pull my car beneath the opening garage door with smooth precision born only of long practice. Kelsey’s BMW is parked outside, and it suddenly strikes me as wrong. Lisa’s spending more time at Cade’s than at home lately. I frown, wondering why tonight, when I expect Kelsey to run and never look back, is the night I’d notice I should have adjusted the parking situation.
Sighing, I slide from my vehicle. Chalk it up to yet another way I didn’t protect her, though this transgression is so minor I doubt she’ll hold it against me, not when she has so many others she can hurl at me. Especially after tonight. Grabbing my briefcase from the back seat, I make my way toward the house. Lost in my misery, I don’t feel her presence until I’m almost on top of her.
“Hey,” Kelsey says softly from where she’s waiting at the back door.
I flinch away from the warmth of the lights from the kitchen shining behind her. “Hey,” I say just as I climb the stairs slowly, putting off the inevitable as long as I can.
She reaches out a hand, which I avoid in the dim light. Like I pretend not to notice the flash of hurt that crosses her face when I do. Instead, entering the kitchen, I’m punched with a one-two to the heart because not only has she been waiting on me, Kelsey has something delicious-smelling cooking on the stove. The smell wafting toward me reminds me of everything I’m about to lose. I wonder if I can do a lap outside before coming back in. I wonder if I can beg her forgiveness for being an ass before talking to her about so much more.
“Another lap around the room. And this time, you’d better shake those asses like the tadpoles you fucking are,” Balboni jeers. The three of us, naked after being ordered to strip off our suits, prance around the locker room to the snickering catcalls of the seniors…I shudder as memories I’ve been suppressing for far too long start to bombard me where they never should be able to touch me.
I worked too hard, gave up too much, for it to hurt me or anyone I loved. Ever.
“Long day?” Kelsey’s voice is uncommonly neutral. I pause for a moment, surprised she’s letting me get away with the slight I delivered a moment ago before shrugging out of my jacket. Instead of tossing it and my briefcase on the nearest surface, I hold them both in my arms like centuries-old armor.
“That’s an understatement,” I reply. Pain lances through me as Kelsey holds her place, her countenance becoming more uncertain until she finally retreats behind the stove.
“I don’t know why I had the urge, but I felt like making stew despite the heat.” She lifts the lid, and the smells that tantalized me before wraps around me in the best and worst of ways.
An unexpected burn pricks the back of my eyes. God, how the hell am I supposed to survive having my heart ripped from my chest while I’m still living? “That sounds…” I clear my throat. “Amazing.” Because on any other night, it would. It’s not Kelsey’s fault the idea of putting a piece of meat in my mouth and chewing makes me want to sprint for the nearest bathroom. “Do you think it will hold?” I ask softly.
That’s when her body visibly locks. She squares her shoulders before turning to face me. “What’s wrong?”
I open my mouth and realize I need to be in the one place where no matter what, I’ll feel her presence after she’s gone—my study. After all, it’s the place where we began, so why shouldn’t it be the place where we end?
“Do you mind coming with me for a moment?” I don’t even recognize the sound of my voice. “I need to talk to you about something that’s happened.”
Kelsey spins around, a dripping ladle clenched in her hand. Her breath is coming out uneven as she flings it to the side. “Tell me.” Her voice is accusatory.
Tell her.
“I don’t know how to begin,” I start slowly.
“How about what’s her name?” Kelsey asks bitterly, wrapping her arms around herself.
“What?” What the fuck is she talking about? I take a step toward her, but she backs away.
“You look guilty as hell. I can’t remember the last time you touched me, and you sure as fuck can’t look at me,” she ticks off. “Let’s not mention you look like you slept in your clothes, and I know damn well you didn’t leave here looking like that. So, I’ll ask again, what’s her name?”
I fall back against the island in shock, inadvertently blocking her in. “How could you think I’d cheat on you?” I demand angrily, the shields of my jacket and briefcase falling helplessly to the floor. My hands clench in fists as I prepare to defend myself against these insane accusations. “Jesus Christ, Kels, I haven’t been with anyone else since well before we reconnected.”
She doesn’t say anything, clearly not believing me. Ironically, my sense of honor, broken and bloodied since the call this morning, manages to stumble to its feet. “What on earth is going through your mind?” I demand.
“I…” She puts her hand on her forehead and shakes it, almost as if she’s awoken from a crazy dream. “Maybe it’s because I’m me and you’re you? Maybe today’s the day you realized in comparison to other women, I’m just not worth it? Maybe because you’ve been hiding something from me for weeks, and I just finally figured out what it is? Who it could be,” she corrects herself.
“I haven’t been hiding a damn thing from you. Certainly not another woman,” I growl.
“No? Then want to count the number of times you’ve touched me since I told you about Max?” There’s a sharp pain in my heart at her accusation.
“What?” I rasp out. No, what she’s saying isn’t possible. Is it? Frantically, I think back. I know I’ve lain next to her every night. Have I held her in my arms? There’s no way I’d have been able to sleep without her; she’s become such a part of me.
“All this?” She flings her arm out to encompass the table I never even noticed was set for an intimate dinner for two. “Was to try to get you to talk to me, Ry. I feel like I’ve been lying next to a stranger for the last two weeks. And you stand there and dare to wonder what would make me believe you’d turn to another woman? Well, the answer is you’re not turning to this one.”
“No one could ever change what you mean to me,” I breathe, barely able to stop myself from reaching for her to reassure her.
