Page 3 of Rekindle

“They can wait. You never did take up time. Business can wait.” He remained still then he took steps towards me. My legs began to betray me.

Keep still, damn it.

“You wanted to see me.” I crossed my arms, looking away. “I’m here.”

“I missed you. And it was lonely.”

“Well, you had Paul to keep you company.”

“I know you two don’t see eye to eye, but he is my right-hand man in business, and we grew up together.”

I smirked. “He didn’t respect boundaries, Gareth. Coincidentally, he would call you when we had a date or coincidentally had you busy with events and meetings. I knew there were responsibilities dating a man like you, but he was too involved in our lives.”

Paul never shied from reminding me how I didn’t fit the image. Better yet, made it seem I was a gold digger, and if that wasn’t enough, attempted for me to sign a prenup in case Gareth and I tied the knot. Gareth never knew about his schemes.

“Nina.” He came towards me, but I moved away closer to the door. Any closer and I would just forget the purpose of my visit and throw my arms around him. I missed him so much.

“Let’s just put this behind us. It doesn’t make sense to talk about it anymore. I…I came to see you.” My voice was nasal at this point. “I’m going to see my parents. And my mom, she is anxious to meet you. She has to meet you.”

“Is your mom okay?” Concern came over him.

“If she was, then you’d have some excuse right?”

“Nina. Is your mom okay? I’m serious.”

I shook my head. “No. She was diagnosed with cancer four months ago.” Gareth’s harsh look softened and he attempted to approach me again, but I raised my hand to stop him. “It’s not about me, but about my family. I’m leaving tomorrow. I haven’t told her about our breakup yet.”

“Breakup? You decided we broke up, but it has to be mutual, and I refuse to break up with you. We took a break, remember?”

“I’m not fighting with you about this.”

“Fine. We’ll talk about it later. But concerning your mother, I will find the best doctor, therapist, and anything needed to make her comfortable.”

“Gareth.”

“I will call—”

“Gareth!”

He paused with his phone in hand and his eyes turned to me. Gareth put the phone down and gave me his undivided attention.

“My family is not a charity case or a tax credit. They are humble, and they have it under control. All they need…all she needs is to meet you.” The man who stole my heart and broke it. “She doesn’t need to know the whole story about us, but for her sake, let’s pretend to be the happy couple?”

For the first time, he remained quiet and nodded. It was time to leave and I noticed Paul had a smile on his face as I made my way out. The men in the office were curious to see who he was looking at, and to my advantage I flipped him the middle finger. Paul’s smile disappeared as I rolled my eyes, walking quickly to the elevator.

As soon as I pushed for the elevator, I felt him. Gareth hurried behind me. I froze as his breath teased the back of my neck and I felt a slight brush of his lips on my skin.

“Nina. I don’t want four months to turn to years and decades without you. You are my peace in this world. I want you back. And as for Paul, I will address his behavior.”

I wanted to ignore the thoughts in my head to just forget about the arguments and his best friend Paul and fling myself into his arms. People say dumb shit when they are angry or happy, but I believe in redemption. Gareth could change if given a chance, but not with Paul in the picture.

I dropped my head and without a glance walked into the waiting elevator.

Chapter 2

At the airport, I checked in at the kiosk to avoid the insane lines, then headed to security to hand over my boarding pass. The long lines and security clearance were all worth it to see my family.

Rugged hands suddenly touched mine. I took my hand back, ready to flip on the person who had the audacity to touch me, when I realized it was Gareth. We stared at each other for a couple of seconds. He never confirmed he was coming after I sent him a text with my flight information, but I guess he decided to accept my offer and meet my parents. He took my hand and bag and guided mewithan escort to another terminal. There was a sense of possession in his grasp, and I instantly warmed and relaxed into his touch. I had missed him more than I realized.

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