there is a knock. I lean against the door. There is another knock. I peer through the peephole.
It is Braden. A very pissed-off-looking Braden.
“Open the door, Emma,” he calls.
I crack the door. “Braden, it’s late.”
“Can we talk?”
“It’s late,” I remind him.
His face warms, no longer looking pissed. He pushes his way into the apartment. God, he is always so bossy and intrusive.
“Braden, it’s late.”
He nods. “I know. You keep saying that, but what we need is to talk about what you saw earlier.”
I don’t want to talk about what I saw earlier. What I saw earlier is not something I want to revisit.
“No, we really don’t. It was none of my business.”
His brows draw together and he counters, “Yes, we really do.”
“I’m tired and I need to be up early in the morning. I have a busy day. We can talk tomorrow night at work.”
His head dips down to me, his arms circle my hips, and his lips twitch. “No, I think we really need to talk now.”
“There’s nothing to say, Braden. You don’t owe me any explanations. I shouldn’t have just shown up expecting you to keep me company—“
“Em, just let me talk.” Now he sounds annoyed.
I shake my head. “Braden, I really need to go to bed. I have to be up early. I have a ton of shit to do.”
“What you saw tonight wasn’t what you thought it was,” he tells me.
I shake my head again. “You don’t owe me any explanations,” I repeat.
“Just listen to me.”
“I’ll call you next time or shoot you a text to warn you that I may be coming up for a beer.”
“Baby, Tara and I used to date. Well, if you call it that. It was more like we used to sleep together.”
Oh, that's all? Kick to the gut.
If that wasn’t bad enough, he goes on to say, “It was after you and me. We broke up. I waited a coupla months before I met Tara. She was convenient. No expectations on my part or hers.”
My face drops and my belly twists. I knew not to expect him to never move on. I figured he had, but now there was knowledge of the fact that he had and it makes me physically sick to my stomach. He was the first thing on my mind when I woke up and the last thing on my mind when I went to sleep—and he was sleeping with Tara.
His face drops. “Baby,” Braden whispers.
I step out of his hold and walk back to the door. When I open it, I say, “Goodnight, Braden.”
“Em.”
“Goodnight.”
Braden walks to me, tips my chin up with the crook of his finger, and looks down at me. “We aren’t finished talking about this, but I’ll give you tonight.” He lightly touches his lips to mine.
My stomach jumps.
“What I had with Tara was a mistake. I was pissed off after our breakup, but every day that we were apart, it was you I thought about. It was you I wanted in my bed. Day and night. I made myself sick with grief thinking that we were never going to have that again. But now I know better. We will have that again. I’m not going to let you push me away again. That shit’s not going to happen.”
He kisses my forehead. There goes that belly flip once more.
I nod because I can’t seem to form words anymore. Nothing comprehendible, that is.
Braden walks through the door and turns to me. “If you even think about running again, don't bother. Nothing will keep me from winning you back. Your days of fleeing are over.”
My eyes grow wide, he laughs out a low chuckle, and he walks down the hall. I close the door, lock it, and go to my room.
I change my clothes, do my evening ritual, and slide into bed.
I lie there staring into the dark room, thinking about the things Braden said before he left, and my mind focuses on him and Tara.
There is that kick to the gut again. Damn, that is painful. It is all my fault. I pushed him into another woman’s bed. I can’t blame him for trying to get over me, but it hurts all the
It is Braden. A very pissed-off-looking Braden.
“Open the door, Emma,” he calls.
I crack the door. “Braden, it’s late.”
“Can we talk?”
“It’s late,” I remind him.
His face warms, no longer looking pissed. He pushes his way into the apartment. God, he is always so bossy and intrusive.
“Braden, it’s late.”
He nods. “I know. You keep saying that, but what we need is to talk about what you saw earlier.”
I don’t want to talk about what I saw earlier. What I saw earlier is not something I want to revisit.
“No, we really don’t. It was none of my business.”
His brows draw together and he counters, “Yes, we really do.”
“I’m tired and I need to be up early in the morning. I have a busy day. We can talk tomorrow night at work.”
His head dips down to me, his arms circle my hips, and his lips twitch. “No, I think we really need to talk now.”
“There’s nothing to say, Braden. You don’t owe me any explanations. I shouldn’t have just shown up expecting you to keep me company—“
“Em, just let me talk.” Now he sounds annoyed.
I shake my head. “Braden, I really need to go to bed. I have to be up early. I have a ton of shit to do.”
“What you saw tonight wasn’t what you thought it was,” he tells me.
I shake my head again. “You don’t owe me any explanations,” I repeat.
“Just listen to me.”
“I’ll call you next time or shoot you a text to warn you that I may be coming up for a beer.”
“Baby, Tara and I used to date. Well, if you call it that. It was more like we used to sleep together.”
Oh, that's all? Kick to the gut.
If that wasn’t bad enough, he goes on to say, “It was after you and me. We broke up. I waited a coupla months before I met Tara. She was convenient. No expectations on my part or hers.”
My face drops and my belly twists. I knew not to expect him to never move on. I figured he had, but now there was knowledge of the fact that he had and it makes me physically sick to my stomach. He was the first thing on my mind when I woke up and the last thing on my mind when I went to sleep—and he was sleeping with Tara.
His face drops. “Baby,” Braden whispers.
I step out of his hold and walk back to the door. When I open it, I say, “Goodnight, Braden.”
“Em.”
“Goodnight.”
Braden walks to me, tips my chin up with the crook of his finger, and looks down at me. “We aren’t finished talking about this, but I’ll give you tonight.” He lightly touches his lips to mine.
My stomach jumps.
“What I had with Tara was a mistake. I was pissed off after our breakup, but every day that we were apart, it was you I thought about. It was you I wanted in my bed. Day and night. I made myself sick with grief thinking that we were never going to have that again. But now I know better. We will have that again. I’m not going to let you push me away again. That shit’s not going to happen.”
He kisses my forehead. There goes that belly flip once more.
I nod because I can’t seem to form words anymore. Nothing comprehendible, that is.
Braden walks through the door and turns to me. “If you even think about running again, don't bother. Nothing will keep me from winning you back. Your days of fleeing are over.”
My eyes grow wide, he laughs out a low chuckle, and he walks down the hall. I close the door, lock it, and go to my room.
I change my clothes, do my evening ritual, and slide into bed.
I lie there staring into the dark room, thinking about the things Braden said before he left, and my mind focuses on him and Tara.
There is that kick to the gut again. Damn, that is painful. It is all my fault. I pushed him into another woman’s bed. I can’t blame him for trying to get over me, but it hurts all the
Similar Books
