We stared at each other, not saying a word.
“Did you leave something behind?” I shattered the silence.
“Yes.” She stepped closer, her gaze locked on mine. “There were some numbers that I meant to give you, and I think I’d be remiss if I didn’t give them to you sooner rather than later.”
“I’m listening.”
“Eight, Twenty, and one.” She let out a breath as she stepped right in front of me. “I’m not as good at this as you are, so you may have to help me here or there.”
“Fair enough.” I swallowed. “Eight.”
“Eight is exactly how many minutes I lasted in New York City before I realized that I needed to come back.”
I smiled and stood up, quickly closing the gap between us.
“Twenty is the number of times I’ve thought about suing you over the years, for ruining every male relationship I’ve had without even trying,” Her voice cracked. “I’ve always compared every guy I ever dated to you and it’s always a losing game. And, even though me and Grant weren’t really married, I’m well aware that he was only half of the man that you were.”
“That’s still being too generous.”
“Speaking of Grant, Sarah Kay said he was brutally beaten at a gas station last week. They say he’ll be in the hospital for months. Did you have anything to do with that?”
“Of course not.” I smiled. “I’ll be sure to send him a card.”
“Really?”
“Fuck no.” I ran my fingers through her hair. “Tell me about one.”
“One is a lot of things.” She leaned in closer to me, and I couldn’t help but taste her lips before she finished. Couldn’t help but own her mouth with mine until she was breathless—to make her have second thoughts about leaving Seattle again.
When she finally caught her breath, she smiled. “One is the number of number of nights it took for me to realize that I’d just met the love of my life. It may have taken me nine and half years to get him back, but I just want him to know that I’m not going anywhere.”
“You did a good job with your numbers,” I said, rubbing my hands against the back of her dress. “I’m highly impressed. I’d probably say the same thing for number one right now.”
“It only took you one night to see that you’d eventually fall for me, too?”
“Of course not,” I said, pulling down her zipper. “Even you admit that I’m much better at this numbers game than you.” I pressed my lips against hers and bit down hard on her bottom lip. “It only took me one hour.”
THE END