The rumble of the garage door opening makes my stomach twist.
I set my wineglass down on the dining table and take a deep breath.
Rhys walks in a minute later, looking like he’s been through a war, exhaustion stamped on every line of his face.
“Hey.” He drops his keys and coat at the door and comes closer, brushes his lips against mine.
“You need a shower?” I ask bluntly.
He frowns. “What?”
“Ah…if you need a shower, go ahead and take it.”
“Baby, what’s going on?”
What am I doing? This isn’t calm and rational. This is me being batshit weird.
I swallow. “I have something to tell you.”
He sets a chair at an angle beside mine and lowers himself into it, the air between us as tense as a courtroom before the verdict.
I cross my arms. “How’s Tory?”
He blinks. “What?”
“Tory.” I enunciate every syllable. “How is she?”
His jaw tightens. “Jayne?—”
“Did she comfort you today? Tell you how misunderstood you are?”
“What’s this about?”
The hell if I know!
“You know, you told me how you told her what she was doing was inappropriate?”
He nods hesitantly. “Yeah.”
“The way you said it was like you thought you deserved a medal for it.”
What is wrong with me? This is not what I want to say. Why are these words coming out of my mouth?
His eyes flash. “I told you because I wanted to be honest. I didn’t have to tell you?—”
“But you did,” I cut in. “Like you’re some kind of hero.”
I can’t believe the venom pouring out of me. I’m picking a fight. All my hopes of having a cool, calm conversation are out the window. What do they say,hurt people hurt people?
Well, shit, I’m a gaping wound.
He exhales, long and shaky. “Baby….”
I didn’t even know this Tory business was brewing inside of me, building to this point. But there are so many things that are issues between us that it’s a pick-and-choose smorgasbord.
“You told her things about us that you’ve never said to me. You gave her pieces of our marriage like they were scraps you didn’t need.”
“Jayne, you’re not being fair.”
