All It Takes (Romancing Manhattan 2)

“Yes, sir,” I reply honestly.

“Not just speeding, but going over a hundred in a fifty-five.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“No.” I shake my head. “Just heartbroken like the last time you pulled me over. It’s been a few years, you probably don’t remember.”

The cop shakes his head.

“Want me to get out and do the sobriety test?”

His eyes narrow now, but he steps away from the car. “Yes, please.”

“Sure thing.” I get out and immediately start walking the line.

“Something must have you upset,” the cop says.

“Yeah, I’m pissed,” I reply. “She says I lied to her, but I didn’t lie. I couldn’t tell her what I knew because it’s attorney-client privilege. She’s a damn attorney. She knows that.”

I move into touching the tip of my nose with my finger.

“She found out today, before I could get to her and fill her in. My client finally gave me the green light, but she didn’t have her phone on her, and I couldn’t get to her first. She walked into a fucking shit show, in her own parents’ house.”

“That must have been tough,” he says. I stand on one leg and touch my nose again.

“I can’t even imagine,” I agree. “Jesus, I wish I’d gotten to her first, or that I’d been with her.”

“Would it have made a difference?” he asks. I turn, surprised to find him leaning against my car with his arms folded over his chest. He’s an older man, probably in his late fifties. He looks like he’s seen more than his fair share of shit.

“I don’t know. And that’s what guts me the most. The way she looked at me, with hollow eyes, and told me that she’s done. We are not done. I refuse to let her shut me out of her life completely.”

“Then why are you driving away from the city, rather than to her, to make her understand and hear you out?”

“I tried that already today,” I admit with a sigh. “She was too upset to be reasonable. Hell, I’m too upset to be reasonable.”

“And too upset to be driving on my road as fast as you were. I told you before, you could kill someone or yourself.”

My eyes shift to his in surprise.

“Oh yeah, I remember you. You looked haunted then, like something was chasing you. Now you look defeated, and something tells me that you don’t feel that way often.”

“No.” I shove my hands in my pockets and lean on the car next to him. “Are you going to give me a ticket?”

“No. But I’m going to give you some advice.”

I give him a quizzical look, but stay quiet, curious to hear what he has to say.

“Now, I don’t know all the facts, but I’ve been married for thirty-five years, and I’ve learned a thing or two about women and relationships. First of all, trust is a big thing.”

“And I fucked that up,” I murmur.

“Listening is important too,” he says dryly, and I clamp my mouth shut. “But the most important thing I’ve learned is to give her a minute to catch her breath. She’s emotional right now, she’s overthinking everything. And don’t tell me she’s not because most of us do.”

I can only nod at that. Hell, I’m standing on a highway fifty miles outside of the city doing exactly that.

“We all need to feel safe. That the love, the trust, and the heart we put into each other is safe in our partner. Sounds to me like she’s not feeling exactly safe in much right now.”

“No. She’s not.”

“You need to fix that.”

I stare at him. “How?”

“Well, every person’s different, and like I said, I don’t know the whole story, so you’ll have to figure that out. Give her today to be mad, but don’t let it fester for too long. If she’s important to you, you need to get back in the ring and work for her.”

“She’s everything,” I reply immediately. “She’s the best part of my life.”

“Then what are you doing racing away from her?”

I shake my head and shrug one shoulder. “Habit, I suppose.”

“I think it’s time to make some new habits, son.”

I can’t stand it anymore. I need to hear her voice.

I’m at the office, and it’s been twenty-four hours since yesterday’s fiasco. I’m trying to give her space, but I need her.

So I pick up my phone and dial her number. To my surprise, she answers on the second ring.

“Hello.” She sounds exhausted.

“Hey.” I sigh. “I wanted to let you know that I had all the boxes returned to your grandfather’s house today.”

“I know, I’m here now. Thanks for doing that so quickly.”

“You’re welcome.” I swallow hard, hating the distance in her voice. “Sienna, I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine.”

But I can hear that she’s anything but fine.

“I don’t want to lose you over this. I know that you’re hurting, and I hate myself for causing that.”