Page 10 of Gray’s Surrender

“That’s not what I said.”

“You’re removing me from your house before either of us gets a say in what happens next.”

“I’m protecting my daughter.”

“From a woman keeping the commitment she made?”

“From believing people stay because they say they will.” Meg sits back. The sentence sounds wrong after it leaves me. Not false. Worse than false.

“People can’t guarantee forever,” she says.

“Exactly.”

“You expect people to leave, so you never let them get close enough to prove you wrong.”

“This isn’t about me.”

“It’s entirely about you.” Her voice remains level. “You can take a hit. What you can’t stand is the idea of Ruby taking one, so you keep everybody at arm’s length.”

“Don’t tell me what I can survive.”

“Then stop telling me where I can stand.”

Silence settles between us with edges. Meg can’t promise this will last forever. I can’t erase what my ex taught Ruby about people leaving. Meg sees the fear and refuses to let me use it as an order.

“I’m not applying to replace her mom,” she says. “I offered to help during a two-week school closure. I care about Ruby, but my attraction to you has nothing to do with packed lunches or a ready-made home.”

“Never said it did.”

“You’re making my access to you depend on my role with her. I don’t need to walk through this kitchen to want you.” Heat moves low despite the fight.

“Meg.”

“I can handle honest fear. I won’t let you make every call for both of us and call it protection.”

I stand. Staying at the table means saying something sharper to force the outcome. I know that trick. King, my old president, built a reign from it. I leave through the side door and cross the drive to the garage. Meg follows, because of course she does. My Harley stands beside the workbench, black paint catching the strip of light from the narrow window, and I stop at the workbench with both hands against the wood.

“You don’t get to walk out halfway through,” she says.

“I’m trying not to make this worse.”

“By hiding beside your bike?”

“It doesn’t argue back at me.”

“Maybe because it knows you won’t listen anyway.”

I look at her, and that almost gets a smile from me. Meg notices and grows angrier.

“You kissed me last night like you wanted to leave marks. This morning, you looked at Ruby’s calendar and tried to shut the whole thing down.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Then tell me what you want.”

“You, okay? Just you.” The words crack across the garage, stilling Meg’s anger.

“I want you in my kitchen. I want you in my bed. I want to know what you sound like when there’s no hallway behind me and no reason left to stop.” I push away from the bench. “I also see Ruby watching the door waiting for you, and it scares the shit out of me.”