My chest constricted and I nearly cried. How could she think I wouldn’t believe her? Did she really think there was no trust between us? Of course she did. I broke that trust when I didn’t trust her enough to work through our newfound relationship after Gianna dropped this bombshell on me. On top of that, she thought I was rubbing Gianna in her face. No wonder she refused to see me or answer my calls. My mind was racing, so the rest of what Aiden said fell on deaf ears.
“What?” I asked when I saw him looking at me expectantly. He was holding his phone up, his finger hovering above the screen.
“I said, ‘do you want to hear the recording?’” There was no way I’d ever want to hear it. It was bad enough getting it second-hand. “Taylor sent it to me, and-”
“Shit. Taylor!” I said in a panic. “I have to talk to her. I have to fix this.” I headed for the door but didn’t get very far. Aiden grabbed me and I spun on him, breaking his hold on my upper arm.
“I don’t think so.”
“Why the hell not?”
“I don’t want you anywhere near her after everything you put her through. You had one chance with her and you blew it.”
“I’m not ready to give up on her.”
“I’m warning you, James, stay away from her.” He’d warned me before and I obeyed, and it cost me years of happiness with a woman I loved with a desperation I’d never experienced before.
The woman I loved.
Until now, I hadn’t realized that was what this feeling was. It wasn’t just chemistry or attraction or companionship. I loved her. And I knew with every fiber of my being I would do anything to be with her, even if it meant going against my best friend. I respected his wishes back then and look where that got me.
“I’m sorry, Aiden, but I don’t give a fuck about your warnings anymore. Nothing will keep me from being with her. That is, if she’ll still have me.”
“If you hurt her again, I’ll break both your legs.”
“Then I’ll beg her forgiveness from my wheelchair.” The corner of his lip quirked up and he nodded his head. “Lock up on your way out,” I instructed, grabbing my keys and heading out the door. I needed to win her back. I’d worry about the rest in the morning.
Taylor
My glass of wine was so full, I had to take a few little sips as I carried it from the kitchen to the family room so I wouldn’t spill any. I had my remote, a chilled bottle of Riesling, and a stack of rom coms. I was ready for a cozy night at home. My parents were at a dinner party and Aiden appeared to be gone for the evening, so I had the place to myself. I was halfway through Wedding Crashers when there was a knock at the door. I hit pause and set my glass on the end table, ensuring it was on a coaster. My mom would freak if she came home and discovered I wasn’t using one. God forbid I put a ring on her fancy end table that no one was allowed to actually use.
I made my way to the door, pulling my slouchy, open-front sweater closed and straightening my lounge pants. I’d been a slob since I came home this evening. My bra was the first thing to go, then my curled hair went into a bun. The stretchy pants and camisole were all I needed for my solo Vince Vaughn marathon. There was no one here to impress.
I glanced through the peephole and took a step back. Dalton was standing on my front porch. Why was he here? I looked again just to be sure I wasn’t imagining things, and sure enough there he was, running his fingers through that glorious dark hair. He reached up and knocked again, startling me.
“Taylor, answer the door. I know you’re in there. Your brother said you were home.”
Aiden told him I was here? That meant he must have told Dalton about Gianna. Was he here to make up with me now that he knew about her lies? Screw that! I wouldn’t be his second choice. I would never be someone’s second choice or a dirty little secret ever again. If I couldn’t be somebody’s number one, I wouldn’t be their anything.
I steeled myself against his charms and flipped the lock, opening the door to a distraught-looking Dalton.
“Thank God,” he said, stepping up to me. I took a step back to keep a little distance between us. I couldn’t think straight with him so close to me.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to thank you,” he began, “and to apologize.” I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest, waiting for him to continue. “Can I come in?” he asked sheepishly, unsure of himself. He was usually so confident, it was satisfying to see him like this. I stepped aside and motioned for him to come in.
“Taylor, I-” he began, but stalled. “I have no words. There’s so much I want to say, but I don’t know where to begin.” I remained silent. I wouldn’t make this easier for him.
“I’m so sorry. I made a huge mistake in Seattle. Gianna flew out there and surprised me at my hotel.”
“Ugh, I can’t listen to this.” Disgusted, I turned to walk away. He grabbed my arm, but I pulled out of his grasp. “Don’t touch me,” I warned, tears threatening to spring free at any moment.
“That’s… I didn’t mean it like that. I didn’t… We didn’t... Shit, I’m screwing this up.”
“You can say that again,” I huffed and rolled my eyes, crossing my arms obstinately.
“She’d been calling and texting and wouldn’t leave me alone. She insisted we needed to talk, and when I told her I would probably be out of town for a couple weeks, she flew out there to tell me she was pregnant.”
“What day was that?” Pain flashed in his eyes, which was all the answer I needed. He’d given me the cold shoulder after that, then called it quits on me.
Instead of answering, he added, “I never wanted us to be over. I just had to put it on hold for a while until I figured things out with Gianna.”
“So, you wanted me to just sit around and pine after you while you played house with her?”
“No, I never wanted you to pine after me. I wanted to get to a point where I could be in my kid’s life and have an amicable relationship with its mother. I didn’t want you in the middle of it. I felt like it was something I needed to have a good handle on before we could even think about having a serious relationship.”
“Are you sleeping with her?” I knew what her friends had said about him keeping her at arm’s length, but I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant. Was he holding her off emotionally, physically, or both?
“No,” he declared adamantly. “We’re not even together.”
“Then why did you come to the place where I worked, knowing I would see you two together?”
“I didn’t know that’s where you were working. I thought you worked at Exeter.” He stepped closer to me as he spoke, and this time I didn’t back up. “I never would have brought her there if I’d known.”
“Why did you think I worked at Exeter?”
“You never told me where you got a job. I just assumed, since you mentioned wanting to work there before, that’s where you’d interviewed.”
“But why were you there with her if you aren’t together? It looked like a date.”