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“What the fuck?” Lucas barks, pushing his way past me and slamming the door closed. Merida barks once, then twice, but stops when his head swings to her. He pins her with a look that says, “Stop,” so she does. And sits.
“Lucas?” I look from him to the door.
“Yeah, Lucas. The guy you’re seeing? The one who’s been calling you all fucking day and is worried sick because you haven’t answered or returned any of his messages? Glad to know you remember me.”
“I . . .”
“What the fuck?” he questions again before I can get a word in edgewise.
“I . . . I fell asleep.” I leave out the part about drinking in an attempt to get the thought of him and his ex sleeping under the same roof and having dinner together out of my head.
“It’s not even six. Are you sick?”
“No . . .” I shake my head, then ask, “Where’s Maddi?”
“With my brother and his wife. I’ve been worried about you, so I asked them to keep an eye on her while I came to see if you were okay.”
“What?”
“Did you miss the part where I said I’ve been calling you all day, and you haven’t called me back or replied to any of my messages?”
“I . . .” I wrap my arms around my waist. “Well, I know you’re having dinner with Eva and Maddi tonight. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Disturb me?” His eyes narrow.
“Yeah,” I whisper.
Suddenly his expression changes, and his features soften along with his voice as he says, “Talk to me.”
“What?”
I take a step back without thinking, then stop myself before I take another. I don’t want to tell him that in my mind he and his ex are going to work things out and I will be left alone again.
“Talk about what?” I play dumb.
“Are you worried about me having dinner with Eva?”
God, even thinking about him and her in the same room makes me want to be sick, but I can’t let him know that.
“No,” I lie once more.
“Good. You shouldn’t be. She and I are done. We were done probably before we even started, baby.” He takes a step toward me but stops before he’s within touching distance. “She stayed last night because she couldn’t get ahold of her friend. The only reason I agreed to dinner is because Maddi hasn’t been around Eva much, and I don’t want her freaked out now that her mother has moved back to the city.”
I close my eyes and drop my head forward.
Of course he would want to make sure that Maddi is okay. Of course he would insist on seeing to that himself.
“I’m an idiot.”
“You’re not an idiot. I don’t think I’d be any happier about the idea of you spending time with your ex-husband.”
I lift my head and look into his eyes.
“Is that why you haven’t answered my calls?”
“I had a drink at lunch.”
He raises a brow.
“Abby and I shared a bottle of wine. Well, Abby had one glass from the bottle, I had the rest. When you didn’t text me back this morning, and then when I saw your message . . .” My words taper off.
“You were worried?”
“Yes. I know, it’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid, but I’m not your ex, baby. I wouldn’t cheat on you. I understand that it’s going to take some time for you to realize that, but I need you to try to trust me.”
“I’m trying,” I say quietly. “I just . . . Well, I just like you a lot, and it scares me. What Tom did hurt, but with you I—”
My words end on a gasp, because the next thing I know I’m in his arms and his mouth is crushed against mine for a hard, possessive kiss.
“I won’t ever do that to you,” he states when he pulls his mouth from mine. He keeps his face so close that he’s all I can see. “He’s a coward. He should have ended things with you. He should have been a man and told you that he wanted something different before he stepped out on you.” His hold on me tightens. “I don’t know where we are going, but I do know that I would never hurt you like that. I would never step out on you the way he did.”
“I believe you,” I say, looking into his eyes. “I’m sorry about not answering your calls or messaging you back.”
“I want to say it’s okay, but it’s not. I’ve been a mess all day, worried about you.”
He’s been a mess, worried about me?
My body melts deeper into his. He says, “I’ve never felt this way before.” His hand wraps around the side of my neck, then his fingers slide up into my hair. “I didn’t like not being able to reach you. The idea of—” He shakes his head, cutting off his own words. “Just, from now on, if you have concerns or worries, promise you’ll talk to me before you cut me out?”
