Absolutely Mine

“It was a mistake.”

Four words like nails in a coffin left his gorgeous lips. I ignored the death sentence and raged against it.

“A mistake?”

I glanced at the winking brilliance on my finger that was the testimony to what happened the night in question.

“Yes,” he agreed.

I moved so fast, my head spun for a moment. Naked as the day I was born, I stood before him. His hands on either side of his head, he didn’t look at me. I bent down and forced his gaze to meet my own.

“You will not do this,” I railed.

He lifted his head, allowing me to stand without losing eye contact.

“I had no right,” he began.

Lifting my chin, I said, “My choice.”

He stood, taking me by surprise. I took an involuntary step back.

“You were drunk.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Apparently, so were you. Now you have buyer’s remorse.”

He glanced at his ring. I didn’t do the same. The feel of the cold metal nearly burned my skin.

“What do you think can happen?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. We can figure this out.”

His laugh was dry and bitter. “You think this is some declaration of love? What can we possibly have? You go to college in California. I’ve got a flight back east.”

“I could—”

I wanted a solution. All fairytales had happy endings.

“You could what? Transfer schools?” I nodded. “And what? When I’m not in class, I’m studying or working. I don’t have time for a girlfriend.”

Unconsciously, I lifted my hand, putting my ring finger on display.

“I could work. Besides, it’s not like you need to.”

Eddie’s older brother Cameron had been drafted into the NFL. From what I’d heard, he was bankrolling the family.

“No,” he said, as if I’d voiced my inner thoughts. “It would never work and you’d end up hating me. I can’t put myself through school and take care of you too.”

“But Cameron?”

“Is taking care of our parents. You think I would let him take care of me too? I can make my own way.”

I wasn’t surprised. Eddie was a determined guy, but I was determined not to give up on us until he spoke again.

“What do you want me to say? That I want you.” He paused as if he wanted me to answer, but I was too baffled at how this could be happening. “Because I do. But you need to go back to school and live your life. I can’t be the guy I need to be for you. Not now anyway.”

I uncurled my hands. “So that’s it? I don’t have a choice?”

He moved to stand near the window.

“We don’t have a choice. And one day you’ll thank me.”

For breaking my heart? But I didn’t voice the thought.

“I’ll write up an annulment. We can file it. It’s no big deal. Then you can be free to marry someone else one day like this never happened.”

As the back of my eyes burned, I didn’t have to be worried Eddie would see. He was staring into space like he was in another world. I turned away and let go of childish dreams. There was no need to fight with him. I couldn’t make him love me. Whatever happened last night wasn’t some Cinderella story.

“We don’t have a lot of time. I have a flight to catch,” he added.

Determined to muster some dignity, I stood and found my clothes.

“Leave whatever you need me to sign at the front desk. I’ll drop it wherever you need me to so you don’t have to miss your plane.”

Before the end of my sentence, I was dressed, which wasn’t a huge feat considering I’d only been wearing a dress and underwear. The latter I couldn’t find.

I strode to the door after leaving the gold band on the coffee table and didn’t look back at the guy I’d love my entire life.

“Don’t worry. I won’t call.”

I yanked open the door and left behind the past. It was time to look to the future just like he said. A part of me felt different and not just because I’d lost my virginity. Suddenly things felt serious, like I was making the first decision of my womanhood. I would never let another man hold a piece of my soul again.

* * *

Eddie

I watched as the best thing that could have ever happened to me walked away. She hated me. I could see it in her eyes. I scrubbed a hand over my face.

What the hell had I been thinking? That I wanted her so damn bad, that’s what. And having her even consider being with another guy had driven me insane.

Though I’d been shitfaced, I’d been determined to have her no matter the cost. At least I had the presence of mind to do the right thing by her. Only, it hadn’t been the right thing, had it? We couldn’t stay married.

I was barely surviving as it was. Between school, studying, and working, I had no time for distractions. And Jilly was a damn appealing distraction.