Stone reached down to pick up his jeans. “I need—”
Stevie lost it. She bounded off the bed, racing over to him. She grabbed his jeans before he could and flung them in the opposite direction.
“You don’t get to run,” she hissed.
He stood tall. “I need a minute, Stevie. I wasn’t goin’ to leave.”
“Liar!” She wasn’t sure what came over her, but her anger and frustration gripped her by the throat. The next thing she knew, she was hitting his chest with her fists. He didn’t stop her, and he still didn’t stop her. She wished he would because she couldn’t stop herself. Her anger, her hurt … it was a living, breathing thing inside her. She didn’t want to love this man, but it seemed no matter how hard she tried not to, she was succumbing to it.
“Stevie,” Nico barked from behind her.
“I hate you,” she told Stone, realizing that tears were streaming down her face.
His tormented expression broke her heart.
She hit him one more time, then fell forward, pressing her face to his chest. His arms came around her, holding her tight.
“I don’t want to love you,” she sobbed, sliding her arms around him. “It’s easier to hate you.”
“I know,” he whispered near her ear. “I’ve hated myself for a long time.”
She believed him. And that was one of the reasons she loved him.
***
Nico had known from the moment helearned that Stone was back in town that this inevitable collision was coming.
Stevie was good at pretending she didn’t feel anything, that Stone’s reappearance hadn’t affected her, but she was only fooling herself. Nico knew better. She would end up processing it in some way that didn’t involve pretending she didn’t care. This was it. This was her coming to terms with the fact her life had come full circle.
He wasn’t sure what to say, so he kept his mouth shut. The moment was lost, but that was okay because this was more important. Stevie needed to get it out so they had a chance of moving forward. He knew deep down she wanted this as much as he did, but as he’d told her before, he didn’t harbor the same animosity toward Stone as she did. Yeah, he’d been disappointed when Stone left town, but they’d shared exactly one night together. His life had been altered, but not the way hers had.
“I’m gonna give you two a minute,” he told them, grabbing his sweatpants off the floor.
Stevie pulled back. “Don’t go.”
“I’m gonna get some water and check on Jäger,” he assured her. “I’ll be right back.”
Nico met Stone’s eyes as he pulled on his pants. He saw more emotion in those glittering brown-green depths than he’d ever seen before. Stone was tormented by what he’d done because he’d hurt Stevie. It was evident that walking away from her was something he’d spent the past fifteen years regretting.
As Nico walked past them, Stone reached out and grabbed his arm. Nico stopped, looking down at where Stone’s big fingers curled around his forearm. Stone’s thumb brushed back and forth over his skin, and Nico didn’t realize how much he needed that small reassurance.
“I’ll be back,” he promised, then slipped out of the room.
Jäger was in his crate, head lifted, eyes widely curious. Figuring he might need some attention after hearing raised voices coming from the back of the house, Nico got him out and took him out to the yard. It was cool but not cold—too much humidity to allow for that—and since he was half-dressed, he appreciated it.
While the puppy sniffed the grass around the patio, Nico sat down and waited. His chest felt oddly tight because he was on edge. Not from the argument but from the concern that Stevie and Stone might not be able to reconcile their differences the way Nico hoped.
He wished he could help them. Wished he knew how to put the past behind them. It was far easier said than done, though, which meant he had to let it play out however it was going to.
Jäger bounded over, tail wagging. He looked almost proud of himself for doing his business in the yard versus the house. It was enough to make Nico laugh as he got to his feet and led the way inside. He offered Jäger a treat, which he gleefully took, before putting the puppy back in his crate. Jäger snuggled right into the blanket, obviously appeased that all would be okay.
Nico wished he could be as sure.
Still, he headed for his bedroom, not sure what he would find.
He paused in the doorway. Stone was sitting on the bed, Stevie standing in front of him, both of them still naked. Stone’s big hands rested on her hips while hers teased his hair.
Stone noticed him first, jerking his chin in the signal for him to join them.
