I move to toss my phone aside, but it lights up with another message.
Dammit.
Why won't she just stop? I said I wasn't coming, that should have been enough. But then Hayvin's words and Charlie's actions echo in my mind.
Jerica won't quit because I never gave her a reason to. I always ran to her and David when they needed me because they were all I had before Charlie and Hayvin. I never broke that habit, and by the time I realized what it meant for Hayvin, it was too late.
I curse under my breath and shove my chair away from the desk.
Son of a bitch.
I rip my tie off and toss it onto my jacket, pacing the office as tangled thoughts race through my head.
Memories from the past three years crash over me, coming one after another in a dizzying flurry. The one that stands out is the cookout at Charlie and Keaton's. Before the others arrived, I walked in on them fighting, pain and anger thick in the air. There was only one thing it could be about.
His unfaithfulness was a brutal reminder of how love can lie. Even now, years later, Charlie still carries the scars.
When the others showed up, I fell back into old patterns, focusing on them. Only now do I see how that left Hayvin on the outside, doubting her place in my life.
Maybe that's why the sex that night was some of the best we'd ever had.
That night, I wrestled with my feelings for Hayvin and what it would mean to let them in. Despite everything, she was still reaching for me.
She never needed to try. I've been hers since the moment we met, even when I was running scared.
How could she know that, though? All I've done is make her feel second to someone she was never competing with. Hayvin always had my heart.
Fuck.
I stop when I'm behind my desk again and scrub my hands through my hair.
Hayvin will never believe it unless I prove it to her.
I sink into my chair and pick up my phone.
JERI
Why can’t you? Come on, Alek!
ME
Bc I don’t fucking want to. If I wanted to spend time with you, I would. End of.
The message must have been clear enough, because I didn't hear from her for the rest of the day.
Now it's on me to figure out how to make things right with the woman I hurt and the love I nearly destroyed.
***
Drawing in a steadying breath, I tap softly on the door and wait. When it swings open, the woman greets me with a silent sigh, then eases the door wider, inviting me inside.
"How did I know your pathetic mug was gonna show up here?" Charlie asks.
I let the jab hang in the air, choosing silence as my answer, and trail her into the living room. Keaton lounges in a recliner, a handful of M&M's halfway to his mouth.
Charlie climbs into his arms, melting into the warmth of his chest. "Looks like someone’s come knocking for our help, Kea."
He drops a kiss on top of her head before glancing at me. "That true?"
