“Don’t even go there, Kar.”
She stood up quickly, shooting me an irritated look. “What? You were at lunch with Jillian while I was helping Isa plan Joselyn’s birthday party and getting pictures of you and Jillian sent to me. Sorry if I forgot to take time out to tell you about the little interruption in my day.”
I took a drink of the cool liquid, watching her over the top of the bottle. Her eyes darted around the room, her phone clutched in her hands. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth.
But what, exactly, is she worried about? What did that asshole say to her? Did he get in her head?
“What did he have to say?” I asked.
“Nothing, really.”
“You want me to believe that? That the man youagreed to marrycalls you after however long and he hadnothingto say. I’m not stupid.” The longer we debated it, the madder I got.
Why won’t she just tell me!?
“I don’t know why you’re acting like I insulted you by not telling you!” she shouted.
I kicked back a drink, feeling the fizz slip smoothly down my throat. “You want to know why I’m a little insulted as to why you didn’t tell me that the guy you were engaged to, were pregnant by, the guy you told all your secrets to called you?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Oh, sweetheart, it is. Think about it from my perspective for a second. I had to make a fool out of myself to get you to move in with me. You won’t marry me. You won’t tell me things about you. But Blaine—you got engaged to. You were gonna move across the damn country with him! You told him all the things I had to find out by pure happenstance. Then he calls you and I’m supposed to not be at all irked by that? Nah, sweetheart. Fuck that.”
Her jaw dropped.
I took another long pull of my beer.
The things that had begun to take root in my mind when I walked in the house were getting watered. Blaine was back...the love of her life was back.
“I can’t believe you just said that to me,” she breathed out.
“I love ya, Kar. I’ve loved you for a long time, probably since the first time I saw ya. But I’m starting to wonder if this is a one-sided thing, if I’m not some fill-in for Blaine because he walked away and I hate that. Ihatethat.”
A little gasp escaped her lips. “I can’t believe you’d ever think that.”
“What am I supposed to think?” I asked quietly. I didn’t want her to cry, but I didn’t want to be second best to some other guy, either. “I’ve had to fight tooth and nail to get us where we are now. And then I see that you handed everything over to someone else. And now he’s back and...” I pulled the lid of my hat down over my eyes.
“And what? You think I want him? I can’t stand him! I wish he’d fall off the face of the planet. Don’t you see that?”
I tilted my head back and looked at her. She was perfection if I’d ever seen it. A cute button nose. High cheekbones and an olive complexion. Lips I wanted to kiss ‘til the end of time.
“I see someone I love that I hope loves me the same. I’ve never given you a reason to not trust me. I’ve never given you any inclination that I’d walk away but you hold back from me. That is what hurts, Kari. Not that he called you. None of that shit. The fact that you don’t trust me. You won’t give me your heart.Like you did him.” I shook my head slowly. “That. Fucking. Hurts.”
She ran up the stairs and, for the first time, I didn’t chase her.
TWENTY-THREE
MAX
I was sitting on the couch, watching some guy go on and on about college football on ESPN. I didn’t really care about who was ranked number one, but I didn’t know what else to do with myself, either. I didn’t know whether to go upstairs to Kari or give her time to think about what I said.
I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life. But I needed to know she wanted me, too—that she wanted me for me and not because she couldn’t have Blaine.
Or maybe she can have Blaine now.
An hour or so later, she came downstairs with a bag in her hand. “Cane just called and wants me to go stay with Jada tonight. He said he’s leaving in a little bit for Payson because he has an appointment with someone there tomorrow and he doesn’t want Jada alone.”
Cane has an appointment in Payson?I scratched my chin.The only person he has in Payson is his attorney. That can’t be good.
