Page 35 of Taken By the Ex-Boyfriend

I shake my head. “You have no idea how lucky you are to have them. I mean, I would give anything—I gave up everything for that.” My heart starts beating faster at the realization of how my life could have been. I know for a fact that we wouldn’t have broken up if it weren’t for the baby.

Carol looks away but her hand clutches mine tightly. “At least you tried. And from what you said, your relationship with your father has also improved. I remember how negative you were about him when we met. You wouldn’t even say his name, and now…” She points at me, head to toe. “You have him in your life, and you work together.”

True. My father and I have come a long way but that’s not what I want for Daniel. And Carol would be a perfect mother for him; she already cares for him, more than his own mother it seems.

Another faint smile from her, and I feel my heart melt.

She’s worth the pursuit. For me.

I am being selfish, I know, but this thing between us is clearly not about Daniel. Yes, he needs a mother—that’s the reason behind my decision to settle down—but I’m not going after Carol for him.

This pursuit is simply about me and the feelings I had buried for so long.

I want her. Plain and simple.

“What else do you remember?” The question escapes my lips before I can think it through.

She looks up at the sky, admiring the orange hues that are slowly being consumed by deep purple ones. “Everything. The good. The bad.”

The ugly.

Her silence is telling, but there’s something else too. “What rumors was Emily talking about?”

Carol’s head jerks up. She thinks about it for a minute and then, with a sigh, she answers. “People knew we were dating back then. And when you left… Let’s say they started viewing our relationship differently.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The implication is enough to send a chill down my spine.

“That I was sleeping with professors to get better grades. And you’d be surprised how many professors found that interesting.”

How did that—why would anyone connect my departure with her?

I stop in my tracks, my whole body frozen. Did I really cause so much hurt? Her pained expression leaves no room for doubt. She puts her hands on her face and rubs it lightly, but I grab them both and hold them against my chest. I’m trying to think of something to say, to make this all go away, but I can’t. The images that pass through my mind are gut-wrenching.

If I hadn’t disappeared like that, Carol wouldn’t have felt betrayed and unloved for so long, and my departure would not have raised any suspicions.

“Oh, come on Brian, I don’t want this to—the past is the past. I don’t want to keep dwelling on it. I’m here to have fun and celebrate my sister’s wedding. Please, let’s not talk about it anymore, okay?”

I nod. But there’s no way I’m letting this go; I need to fix every single trouble I caused. But she’s right. This is a special event, and she needs to enjoy it.

“You look awfully serious. And it’s kind of ruining my mood,” she points out.

“You know, you’re absolutely right.”

I bend down and grab her legs, throwing her over my shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Her whole body is shaking as she tries to steady herself on my shoulders. “Let me down, Brian.”

“Never again,” I promise.

Seeing that I’ve no intention to do that, she groans and leans down, slapping my ass with both hands. But I meant what I said.

There are several treelined paths that lead to the main one, but I choose to go all the way back from where we came from. I’d rather we are not interrupted.

Carol makes muffled complaints until we are back in our room. Her face is flustered but there’s excitement there too. I gently place her on the bed, and she moves further up, her hands braced back for support, her legs tucked on one side.

“Why are you doing all this? Your friend is clearly rich enough to hire anyone for the job, so why me? What do you want after all these years?”

This again. Her sharp eyes study my face carefully.

---