Deal Breakers (Dealing with Love 1)
He shakes his head. “No. I don’t think that would be wise right now.”
I shift my body towards him. “Jackson, I really think we need to have a talk.”
“So talk.”
“Here? Can’t you just come up for a little while?”
He sighs. “Devyn, if you have something to say to me, please just say it already.”
I take a deep breath. “I kissed Riley.”
“Did he kiss you, or did you kiss him?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, I think it does.”
I bite my lip. “He kissed me…but then I kissed him back.”
“I see,” Jackson says, perfectly composed.
“C’mon, Jackson, how can you be so calm about this? I just told you I kissed another man! It’s okay to be angry.”
“Oh, I’m angry,” he says. “But I think there’s already been enough shouting this evening.”
“What? What does that mean?”
His face flushes. “You were in a fucking bathroom, Devyn. Fifty feet from our table. Ever hear of something called bathroom acoustics? I heard everything. The entire group heard everything. Well, except when at one point the conversation ended entirely. I suppose that’s when the kissing commenced.”
I blanch. “Oh my God. Jackson, I’m sooo, sooo sorry. I never planned for anything like this to happen.”
He releases a cynical laugh. “What the hell were you thinking, Devyn? Do I make you that unhappy?”
“What? No, of course not!” I try grabbing his hand but he pulls away. “Jackson, I am truly sorry. You’re a good man. You’ve been so wonderful to me and Nathan.”
“Just not good enough,” he mutters.
“Jackson, this has nothing to do with you.”
He rolls his eyes. “Really, Dev? It’s not you; it’s me. That’s your excuse?”
I take a deep breath and blink back my tears. “You deserve someone who didn’t give their heart away years ago. When we got together, I really thought I was ready to move on. And things between us have been good. But I’ve always held back. I know you know that, Jackson. I just don’t think either one of us was willing to admit why.”
He sighs. “So you’re going to be with Riley?”
“I don’t know,” I say, “but continuing this relationship isn’t fair to either one of us. Riley’s reappearance brought feelings to the surface that I thought I buried a long time ago. I need to figure out what I’m going to do about them.”
“So we’re breaking up?”
I nod as a single tear falls. “We’re breaking up.”
RILEY
I DRIVE AROUND FUMING until I end up at the house I just bought. I park against the curb and just stare at everything this house represents. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of but none of that matters if Devyn isn’t in the picture. Well, that’s not totally true, because I will be a constant presence in my son’s life no matter what, but we can’t be the family unit that I’m picturing if she’s married to that asshole! How could she accept his proposal? Wait a second…was she wearing a ring? Could he have lied? Fuck! I can’t remember! I saw nothing but red as he continuously touched her every chance he got.
I take a few deep breaths to calm down. Only one way to know for sure. I pick up my phone and dial her number.
She answers right before my call goes to voicemail. She doesn’t say anything but I can hear her breathing.