Malice: What’s meant for you will find a way…no chasing needed
Me: The fuck? She’s the one. There isn’t anyone else
Malice: When one door closes, an entire mall is still open
Me: Mal shut the fuck up
Malice: If one match fizzles, there’s still a whole box
Me: Do you wanna die today?
Malice: Romance is like Wi-Fi, another signal will pop up
Me: You had better fucking hide Mal and pick a god to pray to
Chaos: Both of you shut up. Sin, get the fuck home. She’s off the market, leave her alone
Yeah,that’s not an option. I pocket my phone, the buzzes continuing to go off as I ignore them. I start my truck, pulling out of the parking lot and heading back to Amberwood, leaving my heart firmly with the woman who’s stolen it from me.My love. Hell, what I wouldn’t give to take her out right now, my hand on her thigh, the windows down, her hair blowing in the wind. I want to give her that connection and peace she wants. I want to give her everything she wants.
As soon as Kendra arrived, she let us out of the storage closet, and I got to work, silently cleaning the kennels from top to bottom, wanting to do it well for the animals and for Bristol. Even though I only caught glimpses of her after that, I was still there, in her space, contributing to something we both care so much about.
With my mind fully on Bristol, her hazel eyes, that sexy-as-hell curvy body, her sweet voice, I don’t realize I’ve driven onautopilot to arguably the one place I need to go. With a smile on my face, I jump out of my truck, slamming the door. I haven’t made it three steps before the front door opens. A smile greets me that makes me feel like a young boy coming home after a shitty day at school, to her warm, comforting hugs.
“Hey, Momma. How was your day?”
“It’s better now. What did I do to deserve this unexpected visit from my favorite son?”
“I’m your only son, and pretty sure pushing my gigantic ass out of your body means you deserve whatever you want for eternity,” I tell her as I bend to drop a kiss to the top of her head. She holds the door open for us, and we walk inside, her scent filling my nose, all floral and jasmine.
“Are you here for dinner?”
“If you’ll have me, how about I cook for us? Grill still working?”
“I haven’t messed with the thing since last time you were here, so you’d have to tell me. Now, tell me what’s wrong and do us both a favor and skip the part where you say ‘nothing,’ and let’s just get on with it.”
“I met someone.”
“Rhys!” my mom gasps, putting her hand over her heart.
“She’s everything. All goodness and light, she’s kind, and her heart is too huge for her own good, and my god, she’s beautiful. The moment I met her, I knew she was it for me. She’s all-consuming. I can’t stop thinking about everything we’ll be.”
“Rhys. She sounds wonderful. When can I meet her?”
“There’s just a small detail that’s a bit of an issue.”
“Okay . . .”
“She’s engaged to another man.”
“Rhys Michael Hudson. What the fuck are you thinking? If you’re sleeping with a woman who’s?—”
“Mom, Mom, I promise, I haven’t touched her. We’re . . . we’re friends. The chemistry is all there; we both feel it, it’s electric, like neither of us can think straight when we’re together, it’s the easiest thing in the world to be in her presence. But I promise, I’ve never touched a taken woman.”
“I raised you better than that, and especially after you witnessed?—”
“—I know, Mom. I don’t know what to do. I can’t walk away from her.”
“Then you be her friend. You let life play out the way it’s supposed to. I believe things work out the way they’re supposed to in the end.”
