Page 53 of No Regrets

Matt sipped his wine, remaining silent though his eyes were warm as they studied her.

Kelly cleared her throat. “I met him for coffee, to...er...let him down gently.”

“Ah, OK. He didn’t mention that. I hope he respected your decision.”

“It’s not what he wants.”

“Doesn't matter what he wants. If that’s your decision, he should respect it.”

“Oh, I know he will, but he doesn’t like it. I hurt him; I think.”

Matt was quiet for a moment and Kelly drank her wine, wondering if perhaps she’d shared too much. Her relationship with Dex really wasn’t any of Matt’s business, but she and Matt had always been close, and this wasn’t the first time they’d discussed Dex. Matt was always honest and straight forward in his advice or thoughts. She loved that about him.

“It’s bound to hurt him a bit. He loves you, and he’s not used to not being able to fix things. He’ll come around. Give him some time.”

“I do love him, Matt.”

“I know you do. You two have way too much history to not get through this as friends. There’s no right or wrong way to handle a situation like this, so don’t second guess yourself. Dex sometimes needs a little while to let things sink in. You know that.”

“I don’t want to lose either of you,” Kelly whispered just as the tears won out and spilled down her cheeks. Matt moved beside her and took her hand in his. She didn’t draw away. Instead, she leaned into him, and he put an arm around her shoulders. This was Matt, a man she looked up to, who looked out for her. He’d made grilled cheese sandwiches for her and Dex when they were kids and chased them around the back yard playing cops and robbers. Here, now, she felt safe.

“You’ll never lose us, Kelly. We’re family. We’re not going anywhere.”

A few minutes passed before Kelly sat up, wiping her eyes with a tissue Matt handed to her.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I feel blessed that you can talk to me. If you want me to speak to Dex, I will.”

“No. We’re grown-ups. I think we can handle it between us.” She smiled at him.

“Fair enough. But if he steps out of line, you let me know. He’s not too old for a kick up the ass.”

Kelly laughed, imagining Matt taking Dex to task. “I’d like to be a fly on the wall for that one.”

Matt finished his wine and stood up. “I should head home. Will you be OK?”

“Yes. Thanks for stopping by Matt. I'm glad we got to talk before you left.” She followed him to the door.

“I love you like a daughter, Kelly. If you need anything, I know Dex and the team are there for you. But you can call me anytime. Even if it’s just to chat.”

“Thank you, Matt,” She stepped forward to give him a hug. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, hugging this wonderful man. Another small step in recovery. Another small win to celebrate.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

More files to review. Dex thumbed through the documents mindlessly, unable to get his mind off Kelly. It had been five days since she’d told him he had to let her go and they’d had no contact since.

He’d been an ass about it, and he knew it. Completely convinced, she was going to let him back in and they could start working on the relationship. To hear her say it was over had stunned him. Instead of being sympathetic he had made it all about him. Yeah, he’d been a complete fucking asshole. He had started to call or text her several times but hadn't known what to say. So, he decided to give it a few days.

The team being gone wasn’t helping either. It sucked being stuck here, grading AARs like a goddamn schoolteacher when his guys were out in the field. He’d spoken to Ryan briefly yesterday. They had been sent to Africa to extract an American doctor, which of course they completed successfully, and were now due home in a couple of hours.

His phone rang and he cursed, seeing Sam’s name. He’d not called him yet either. Every time he went to do it, a nagging voice in his head told him to wait and think about Sam’s offer a little more. He loved his team, but Ryan was more than capable of leading them, as he had proven yet again on this latest op. Was it time to move on?

“Dawson, you got a minute?”

Dex hit ignore on his phone then looked up, surprised to see Joe standing in the doorway.

“Well, I’m a little busy, sir,” he answered with a hint of sarcasm, gesturing at the reports on his desk.

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