“You mean, to my ex’s place? That’s what became of my home.”
“I guess. I’m sorry that happened. I always think about my situation and the kids being with me mostly full time. I don’t think they feel their dad’s place is home, but I suspect your situation is different.”
“It doesn’t matter right now. They’re staying at my dad’s place with the nanny. Denise will drop them with Cass after school, if she’s sober enough to keep them. Another big secret in a long line of family secrets.”
“That’s a lot of shuffling back and forth for them.”
Aston nodded, looking defeated. When my drink was slid across the bar, he picked it up and carried it to a corner table with his.
“It’s not ideal, but Denise is about the only constant they have. She’s been watching them occasionally since they were born, when I traveled or worked late. Cass has made her way through a parade of daytime nannies, who all ended up hating her. When the police showed up at my door, Denise was right behind them to take the kids for me.”
“That’s odd.” I took a sip of my drink, the liquid burning my throat, a welcome discomfort compared to the pain in my heart.
“Maybe they alerted my dad to what was about to happen. I don’t know. It was such a blur. But thank God for Denise. The kids were set to spend the weekend in Carson City with me, which meant Cass was off the grid. Literally and figuratively.”
Silence filled the air around us, along with the whoosh of the espresso machine frothing milk and the scent of freshly ground beans.
“They’re fine for now. It’s not them I’m worried about. They’re both strong little creatures, and resilient. What I need is to talk with you, explain a few things, although my explanations will never be enough.”
“What do you want to say?”
“I assume Mike told you I had someone looking after you?” Aston cut to the chase, his hands settling on the table in front of him. He didn’t flinch or fidget, just asked with no remorse.
“You betcha. I wouldn’t exactly call it looking after. Maybe spying? Stalking?”
My body was burning hot, my heart beating through my bra and delicate tank, despite the chilly conversation. Sitting across from Aston brought my body to life, no matter what we discussed, but this was unacceptable. My cheeks blazing, I slid my cardigan off my shoulders and hung it on the back of my chair.
“You didn’t seem yourself at the wedding, and Mike told me how you slept in his hotel room, on the bathroom floor, sick as a dog. After that, he swore he’d never tell me anything else about you, so my hands were tied. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Um, you did have a choice. You chose to give me up, remember?” I said, not afraid of the man in front of me, despite his larger-than-life frame and squinting eyes. “It still seems a bit off to me. After all, you ended it. Younevercalled me after Mike’s engagement party. It was all you, and pardon me for saying it for the millionth time, but you’re being accused of something criminal. So, why now? Don’t you have more important things to worry about?”
“Because I don’t really care what’s going on. I’ve wanted you back since that night, at Mike and Milly’s party. Look, I’m going to do right now by you and ... for everything.”
“I’m sorry.” I closed my eyes as the apology floated in the air between us, and he took my hand.
“For what?”
“For not waiting,” I murmured, waving the white flag, admitting defeat way before I was supposed to. “I went and made a big mess.”
The hard part was, Aston didn’t know the half of it.
My eyes were still squeezed shut at the prospect of coming clean. As little electric waves coated my nerves, I could sense him rise to his feet and stand next to me.
“Come with me.” His hand tugged on mine. “Open your eyes and come with me. I’m not going to hurt you. Come on, you know that.”
I wanted to believe him, even though I knew I shouldn’t listen to him. My head at war with my heart, the latter won, and I went with him. After all, hadn’t I just sat in the window waiting for him only a couple of weeks ago?
“Leave the cup. They’ll get it,” Aston said as he handed me my cardigan, then led me out of the back door of the Beanery as I slid it back on. In the alley, he stopped and turned to me. “Bexley, I know I’ve done a bang-up job of ruining everything, but I’m going to make it right,” he said with confidence oozing from his words. “I swear to you.”
Before I could respond, his lips came down hard on mine. He’d backed me into a brick wall—literally and figuratively—and took over my soul with one touch of his lips.
With the brick biting into my spine and his mouth assaulting mine, I hadn’t been this hot for years. Never with Seth. Maybe halfway with my own hand and memories from long ago.
“I made so many mistakes,” he said into my mouth. “But you were never a mistake.”
His tongue swept through theOmy mouth had formed, and his hand slid up my side, his thumb caressing my breast over my bra. A shiver ran the length of my body, despite my cardigan.
His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, under my hair, his thumb continuing to caress my nape. Back and forth and back and forth, the pad of his finger moved. My back arched and my pelvis rocked forward, both desperate for contact.
