Her eyes widened, and he half expected them to pop out of her face and grow bigger, like they did in those cartoons he had watched as a kid.
“Who?”
“Does it matter?”
“Does Stevie know?” she shot back.
“Does she know what?”
“That you’re in love with … a man.” The distaste practically dripped off her tongue.
“She knows.”
Her nostrils flared. “And she’s okay with that?”
Nico didn’t want to get into this. Explaining it wouldn’t change the outcome, and right now, he had far more important things to address than Melanie's confusion over his sexuality.
Forcing himself to stand, he peered down at the woman he’d once asked to marry him. He’d often wondered if he would feel anything if he ever saw her again. At the very least, he expected to be plagued with guilt and remorse. Sadly, he didn’t feel a thing. The only reason that disappointed him was that he’d spent so long trying to make a life with this woman but looking back, he knew it had all been a lie he told himself in order to find a sliver of happiness when he doubted there was any to be had.
“I need to talk to Stevie,” he told Melanie now.
It took her a moment to realize that was his subtle way of telling her to leave. She stood slowly, swiping her hand down her blouse, her chin tipping up.
“Why did you really break up with me?” she asked when they neared the front door. “Because you wanted to be with her?”
Nico looked her in the eye so she could see his sincerity. “No. And I didn’t cheat on you.”
She clearly didn’t believe him. “Then why? I know it wasn’t me,” she amended. “I did everything I could to make you happy.”
“But I wasn’t.” He felt his resolve soften. “And neither were you.”
“That’s not—”
He cut her off. “I was lyin’ to myself, Mel. About a lot of things. I couldn’t keep doin’ it.”
Her eyes were glassy. “We were good together, Nico.”
He shook his head. She was rewriting history, but part of him understood that. It was easier that way.
“We weren’t. Maybe we could’ve been. In a different life.”
That obviously wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but in true Melanie fashion, she squared her shoulders and turned toward the door. “If things don’t work out…”
Nico exhaled with a sigh.
Melanie turned to look up at him. “I’m just saying.”
“I’m in love with two people, Melanie, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it work.”
“Too bad you never felt the same about me.”
He nodded, just a gentle bob of his head. “I’m sorry.”
To his surprise, she didn’t blast him with reasons he should be before she turned and walked out the door.
He wasn’t sure why she’d felt the need to drop by. Maybe she was hoping for reconciliation. More than likely, she was seeking closure.
Oddly enough, that was what this felt like.
