“Clay.” Miles groans but I keep my eyes locked on Tucker’s.
“I don’t want your wife, and I think it’s probably about time that you came to terms with the fact that maybe you don’t want her either.”
“Fuck you, man, you live your life uncommitted to everything and everyone. You don’t know shit about marriage or relationships.”
“I’ve never been married but I know that the person you choose to be with is someone you should actually want to fucking be with.”
“You don’t know shit.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I know you’re miserable, I know you make a lot of excuses for your wife’s behavior, and I know that you’re taking that bullshit out on the wrong person.” I let out a deep breath. “Now I’m gonna shower.” I leave my brothers in my living room without a backwards glance and walk into my room with Skye at my side. I strip out of my clothes as I head for the shower knowing one thing for sure, nothing good is going to come from that confrontation and if anything, it just caused more of a rift between Tucker and me.
FUCK!
Chapter 3
Willow
“AND NEXT THING I know he’s kissing me,” I say, watching my best friend and roommate’s eyes widen as I tell her about what happened with Clay.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“Did you kiss him back?”
“Absolutely not.” I wave my hand out and her eyes scan my face.
“Your mouth is saying you didn’t, but your face is saying something else.”
“My mouth and face are both saying the same thing.”
“Okay.” She presses her lips together. “So, what happened after that?”
“He goes to my car and for obvious reasons I’m like, ‘what are you doing?’ Then he pulled out a tracker from under the back bumper.”
“What?” she gasps, and I cringe. “Why would there be a tracker on your car?”
“I don’t know, I called my dad, and he showed up with some guys and get this…” I wait for a little flare. “One of them was that guy Clay’s brother.”
“Are you living in a movie?”
“It felt like it.” I hop up on the counter next to where she’s cooking some kind of fancy pasta dish that will no doubt be amazing. “So anyways the guys looked at the metal thing then said they couldn’t be sure that it was a tracker for me or just for my car.”
“For your car?” She frowns.
“I guess that there’s been some car thefts recently and they use the tracker to find the car later.” I shrug. “I looked it up online and it’s happening in lots of big cities.”
“You do have a nice car.”
“I do.” I agree because my Audi is top of the line and the only thing in my life that I have ever splurged on. It took me months to finally decide to purchase it and that was only after about a dozen pro/con lists. To say I have a difficult time making long-term decisions is an understatement. But to be fair, I never want to regret anything, so I always take time to make sure that what I’m doing is the right thing.
“So, are you safe?”
“Yeah, I mean I’ve been keeping an eye out and haven’t noticed anything strange or anyone following me.”
“Good,” she says quietly, then meets my gaze and asks, “so you and Alec are done?”
“Yes.”
“And how long before he turns into one of your best friends that you dog sit for and try to match up with someone you think would be perfect for him?”
“Very funny.” I roll my eyes.
“It’s a serious question. You date all these guys then find a reason to break up with them only to befriend them in the end. You have to admit it’s a little odd.”
“Did you miss the part where I was trapped in a bathroom forever and instead of him coming to find out if I was okay, he had dinner by himself?”
“Okay, I can admit that sounds bad.”
“Exactly, and it’s not odd that I’m friends with my exes, they’re nice guys, they’re just not the guys for me.”
“I’m just saying you’re the only woman I know who is not only on speaking terms with all of her ex-boyfriends but actually friends with them.”
“And again, they are all nice guys.” I shrug. “Really It’s easy being friends with them, I mean I hooked up with them, yes, but I didn’t have sex with all of them so it’s not really awkward.”
“I still don’t understand how you are still a virgin.”
“I’m not a virgin.” I laugh.
“Okay a reincarnated virgin then.”
“That’s not a thing.” I smile. “And you know why I’m not going there again.” I remind her and her face softens in sympathy.
“Not all guys are like he who shall not be named.”
“I know but there are some who are, and I’d rather not find out that what I thought was something special was just some guy telling me everything I wanted to hear so he could get in my pants.”
“Do you think you’ve actually given any of the guys you’ve dated over the last few years the chance to prove that?”
“Yes, I mean I don’t think it’s too much to ask a guy to actually show up, to be present and to make me a priority. I don’t need to be the most important thing in his life, but I do need to be in the top three.” Okay, that last part might be a lie. I do want to be the most important thing to the guy I fall in love with, then again, I think that desire comes from seeing my parents’ relationship along with all the other couples I know. A girl can wish right?
“You’re right you deserve that.” She gives me a soft smile.
“And so do you,” I remind her, then hop down off the counter when my cell starts to ring. When I see that it’s Carly, a friend of mine from work, calling, I slide my finger across the screen and put my phone to my ear.
“Hey.”
“Hey, what are you doing tonight?” she asks, and I look at Leah.
“Leah and I are getting ready to eat dinner, and veg out on the couch with a show.”
“Oh.” She sounds a little disappointed.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just this guy I met online asked me to meet him at a bar and I want to go but don’t want to go alone because he’s going to have friends there.”
“Hold on a sec.” I pull my phone away from my ear after she says okay then put it on mute and wave my hand out to get Leah’s attention.
“Do you feel up to going to a bar tonight? Carly is supposed to meet some guy, but she doesn’t want to go alone.”
“Sure,” she shrugs, and I shake my head because I know she doesn’t really want to go but is agreeing because I’m asking.
“We don’t have to, we can stay here and hang out like we planned.”
“I honestly don’t mind going out for a while, but I can’t stay out late since I have to work early.”
“Okay.” I click the phone off mute and put it back to my ear. “All right me and Leah will meet you there.”