I spun, nearly slamming into him a second time as he closed in on me, caging his body around mine. My breathing turned ragged as his masculine scent wrapped around me, reminding me of what it was like to be in his arms.
“No,” I whispered, fighting back against every instinct that begged me to fall into his arms and pick up where we left off.
“No, what?”
“I’m not doing this.” Pushing against his chest as hard as I could, he stumbled back a step, but still didn’t give in.
“Just tell me what you need!”
“I need more than a man to fuck me at night!” I shouted. My voice quivered, matching the full-on body shakes that were wracking my body.
People were starting to stare, and I was once again becoming a spectacle.
“I gave you that and so much more,” he hissed. “I was there for you?—”
“You were there for me, but you never truly gave your friendship to me,” I retorted, keeping my voice low. “Friendship goes both ways, and it’s clear to me now that as much as youhave no problem being there for me, you don’t want anyone invading your carefully crafted space.”
“I’m giving you everything!”
“Except the one thing I need,” I answered softly.
It didn’t matter anyway. Things were never going to change, and as long as he refused to give even an ounce of himself to me, I would be nothing more than a plaything.
“Ellie, I’ve given you more than I could give anyone else,” he said earnestly. “We had something good.”
“We did,” I agreed. “And if you weren’t so stubborn, I might even be willing to give it another shot. But I can see now that you’ll never change. It’s a pity,” I chuckled. “We really were good together.”
Turning, I yanked on the door and got inside before I could draw even more attention to myself. And as I backed out of the parking spot, I refused to look at the man who had the ability to devastate me. Falling for him was the worst thing I could have ever done.
30
RYDER
“Just relax,”I told Michael as we stood outside the courtroom, waiting for the final decision. “It’ll be okay.”
“You don’t know that,” he sighed. “Those lawyers presented a pretty damning case.”
“So did Marie. She was damn good in that courtroom. You have a real shot of this going your way.”
Blake pulled him into her arms, trying to reassure him while we waited for our turn in the courtroom. The week since the hearing had been hell, but it was the perfect distraction from the mess of my non-relationship with Ellie. Trying to prepare for the hearing was the only thing that kept me sane.
Then I spent the past week with Marie, working out appeals in case things didn’t go our way. She had some great contacts that gave us advice on how to proceed, and we were prepared in case things didn’t go our way.
But in the end, it wasn’t my life on the line.
Not right now, anyway.
The moment they called us into the courtroom, my focus was one hundred percent on my clients. Marie handled everything like a pro, keeping Blake and Michael calm as the judge asked us to stand.
“I’ve spent the better part of a week going over all the documentation of this case. After reviewing all the evidence, my initial gut feeling is to return Wesley to his grandparents.”
Blake’s shoulders fell and Michael looked like he was about to storm the bench. I squeezed his shoulder. This wasn’t over yet.
“But upon further contemplation, I couldn’t help wonder why it took so long for Mr. and Mrs. Simmons to intervene when their grandchild had been so clearly neglected. I admit that Mr. and Mrs. Parker have their flaws. Involving a minor in a case, whether by accident or on purpose, was not a smart idea,” the judge said, eyeing Blake and Parker with harsh criticism.
“However, since that time, it seems Wesley is well cared for, has been attending school regularly, holding down an after-school job, and hasn’t had a single incident with anyone in town since he’s been in the Parkers’ care.”
The judge sighed, looking at both parties again.
