“There a reason you’re still here?” I ask once he has the window down a couple of inches.
His jaw clenches and his hands wring the steering wheel. “There are no rooms available at any of the hotels in this fucking town.”
I don’t doubt him. This town has two hotels, and every year, from the beginning of fishing season until the end, every single one of them gets booked. People reserve rooms a year in advance, if not more.
“Don’t know what to tell you. Guess you should have thought about that before you flew your ass all the way out here.” I shrug, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Fuck,” he groans, leaning his head back.
“Exactly what did you think was going to happen when you got here? You gave her up, fucked around on her, and then you come here when her mom dies, and expect what?” I growl, wanting to put my hands around his neck. His teeth grind and he pulls his eyes from me to look through the windshield. That’s when I catch the look in his eyes, one I’m all too familiar with. Longing.
“Think whatever you want, but you can’t even begin to comprehend how it feels loving someone, when they’re in love with someone else, when you’re there just to fill a void that is so gaping that you never even stood a chance. Don’t think I didn’t love her.”
“The difference between me and you, man, is I wouldn’t have stepped out on her. I would have fought for us, even if that meant loving her enough for the both of us.”
“You have no idea what I tried,” he snaps.
“Doesn’t matter now.” I shrug and take a step back. “She’s home and she’s mine. Another difference between me and you, even if she wanted to get away from me, I would never let her.” And with that, I step back and tap the roof of his car. “You need to get off the property or I’m calling the sheriff.”
He glares at me, but the car starts up and he backs out of the driveway. I stand there with my arms crossed over my chest, watching until he’s gone.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Lea says as I step back on the front porch.
“Did you want him to stay here?” I ask, raising a brow, and her lips turn downward.
“Well, no, but I could have told him myself to get lost.”
“Yeah, you could have, but I did it for you.” A fire I haven’t seen in a while lights her eyes and her hands ball into fists.
“Well don’t,” she growls then stomps back into the house, letting the screen door bang hard behind her.
“Get your seatbelt on, babe. Looks like shit’s about to get real,” Ben says, wrapping his arms around Rhonda’s waist, resting his hand on her stomach.
“Is it wrong that I’m actually excited to see what’s going to happen? It’s like watching The Notebook, only it’s real life,” she stage-whispers.
“Jesus,” I groan, running my hand over my beard.
“Well, it is.” She frowns then smiles. “Only you’re a lot hotter than Ryan Gosling.”
“Did you just call Austin hot?” Ben growls into her neck, making her laugh.
“You’re still hotter, honey,” she says on a grin then looks at me, concern transforming her features. “What changed?” she asks straight out.
“You know I was going there,” I replied.
“I know, but after what happened this afternoon, I just thought you weren’t sure anymore,” she says softly, looking into the house.
“It’s not that, Ro,” I tell her quietly.
“I know you’re a good guy, Austin, and I know you won’t hurt her on purpose, but tread lightly.”
I lift my chin, not willing to talk about this shit with her. I have a feeling if she knew my plan, she wouldn’t like it much, but I’m not gonna turn back. I will deal with shit as it happens and pray everything works out in the end.
“Go on in, babe,” Ben tells her, and she turns her head to look over her shoulder, placing a kiss on the underside of his jaw before opening the screen door and heading inside.
“So, what’s the plan?” he asks, turning and resting his forearms on the rail of the porch.
“Don’t really have one,” I mumble.
“I can’t believe her ex showed up here.”
“I can. Fifteen years have gone by, and in that time, I’ve had more women than I care to admit, but none of them even came close to giving me what she did, and I know that no one ever will.” I run my hands over my face then turn to look through the screen door. Lea is standing in the living room with her hands on Rhonda’s belly and a smile on her face that notches her beauty up tenfold. “He fucked up, and I’m not excusing what he’s done, but he took a shot at coming here and being her shoulder to cry on, thinking she didn’t have anyone, hoping he could somehow fill the void that runs deep inside her.”
“Still, total dick move,” he rumbles, but my eyes are still on Lea as she smiles, roaming her hands over Rhonda’s stomach.
“Yeah.” It was a dick move, but I got it. Sometimes in life, you’re only given the shot at something beautiful once, and when you have it in your grasp, you’ll do anything to keep it, even if you
end up crushing it in the process. Watching Lea in this moment, I know this is where she is supposed to be. I hate we had fifteen years stolen from us, but know that if things go my way, we’ll have sixty to make up for it.
Chapter 9
Lea
Lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling, as the light from outside shines in through the window, casting shadows on the bumpy surface I pray for sleep. Even though it’s after one in the morning, the night looks more like dusk. If I’m going to stay here, I’ll need to buy darker curtains and blinds, because I’m used to sleeping in pitch black and the light, along with my brain that never seems to shut off, is leaving me exhausted. I guess right now I have a good reason to not fall asleep.
My ex-husband is in town—well, I guess he actually isn’t my ex. Then, Austin…I have no idea what is going on with him. Something has changed; I don’t know when, but I can feel it in his touch and see it in the way he looks at me. And that scares me more than anything has in a very long time.
I roll to my side to face away from the window then hear a light tap, tap, tap coming from the front door. I frown then hear it again. Ben and Rhonda left around nine, and Austin stayed until ten only leaving then because he had to get up at four for an opener. When I walked him to the door he gave me a long hug and a kiss to my forehead then whispered his lips over mine before walking to his truck leaving me wanting more. Running my fingers over my lips absently I get up, turn on the light, and pull my oversized cashmere sweater off the back of the chair. Quietly going to the front window in the living room and peeking out through the blinds, seeing the car that Ken had driven here earlier today is parked out front.
“Goddammit,” I hissed under my breath, looking at the door again when the tapping starts back up.
“Lea, I know I shouldn’t have shown up. I know I should have signed those papers. I’m sorry, Peaches, but I really have nowhere to go. The hotels are all booked, and there are no available flights until Sunday. Can I please come in? I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“This cannot be happening,” I mutter. There is no way I want to be in the same state as my ex-husband, let alone under the same roof, but I do know he is probably telling the truth about the hotels and the flights, so I feel conflicted and wish for once I didn’t have a conscience.