Page 34 of Chasing Love: The Owens
“Let’s run it under water.” He gently pulled me to my feet and led me to the sink, where he held my hand under the cold stream of water. I winced and tried to pull away, but he kept it steady. “I don’t think it’s too bad.”
Honestly, I’m not even sure I’m telling this right because I was mesmerized by him, studying the man he’d become. The way he’d filled out. His broad shoulders. Strong hands. Had he always been this tall?
He caught me eyeing his wedding band.
“It’s not what you think,” he whispered.
“It’s okay. I looked you up once. The artist?”
His face dimmed, and for a second, my finger drooped. He caught it again, wrapping it in a paper towel. “Kristie. Yeah, but…”
“What happened here? And who are you?” A woman interrupted us, and I looked over my shoulder at her walking in.
But I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him for long, so my gaze soon found his again. There was pain in his eyes, something cracking beneath his polished surface.
“Sorry, Denise. The new girl broke your mug,” he said, a half-smile tugging at his lips.
That smile was a mask. I was certain of it, and it was the first time I’d ever seen him use one with me. It hurt more than seeing that he had committed himself to someone else. We had always been honest with each other.
“I know it was you, Owens. And I’ll happily accept a new one tomorrow.” Then she turned her attention to me. “Welcome, new girl. Come see me for paperwork when you’re done.”
Bennett’s eyes dropped to my lips. I felt myself lean in slightly before my conscience snapped me back.
What was I doing? Did I really believe he’d second guess every decision he’d made in his life just because he saw me again after all these years?
I stepped back. He did too. Both of us remembering that we weren’t innocent seventeen-year-olds anymore.
Clutching the paper towel to my finger, I scanned the room for a first-aid kit.
Bennett got there first. He sat me down at the table, his knee brushing between mine as he leaned close to apply ointment and a Band-Aid.
We didn’t speak. I had no clue what was running through his head. I could barely process the fact he was really there, touching me.
“We’re separated,” he whispered, glancing toward the door.
His tone was hushed, private. As though no one else in the office knew. Or maybe just a few.
Bennett was never the secretive type. But I could tell this wasn’t something he shared easily. It wasn’t anyone’s business anyway, I suppose. Then again, he was still wearing his ring. How long had they been separated?
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re not the one who cheated on me.”
My heart cracked. I wanted to claw out that blonde’s eyes for not realizing what she had. She had the man I’d compared every other one to. The reason I could barely make it to a fourth date with anyone else.
And even though he was technically available in the physical sense, I’d never felt more replaceable than I did right then.
That’s only because I didn’t have a crystal ball to see into the future.
To know that one day, I’d feel that way again, but deeper and more devastating.
* * *
Delaney
Chapter Sixteen
Bennett
