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“Stopping to grab some food but I don’t have any plans after that. Why? What’s up?”
“My brother is a drag racer and has a competition today. You should come. But fair warning, my dad might be in attendance as well.”
“Nyx Love, are you extending an official invitation to meet your family?”
“Don’t get too excited; it isn’t the whole family. My mother never comes. She says worrying about my brother gives her anxiety and her heart can’t take it. I couldn’t imagine ever being so dramatic.”
“Right,” I snorted. “But I’m down. Just send me the details and I’ll see you then.”
“Alright. I’ll talk to you later.”
“See you in a few.”
It was nothing but fate that my call with Nyx ended there. Because no sooner had I pushed open the restaurant door did I run smack dab into the last person I’d ever expected to see.
“Shit,” Kinsley huffed as we collided, and from the way her face transformed when she looked up and realized it was me, she was just as caught off guard as I was. “Jamie?”
The moment was awkward enough without me making it weirder by trying to avoid it, so I faced the bullshit head-on. “What’s up, Kins?”
“I—um. Sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
“Nah, that’s on me. I was distracted and wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“Cool, cool,” Kins rocked from her toes to her heels. Something she did whenever she was nervous. “Well, I should probably—.”
“Actually,” I scratched the back of my head. “Do you have a minute? I want to talk to you about something.”
“About what?” she frowned. “Are you planning on accusing me of being a whore again?”
“Now you know damn well that word never left my mouth,” I frowned.
Despite the awkwardness, Kins delivered a tiny smile. “Might as well have.”
Stepping out of the way so I wasn’t blocking the door, I rubbed the back of my neck. “Look, I’ll just jump right into it and say, I’m sorry. I never should have jumped to conclusions or spoken to you that way. Seeing you with someone else so quickly after our separation took a hit at my ego and I didn’t handle it correctly. For that, I apologize.”
She tucked her lip briefly before releasing it. “I appreciate that. You’ve always been adamant about accountability, so it’s not shocking you apologized, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it.”
“I wasn’t expecting to give it,” I admitted. “And my reaction had almost nothing to do with you. It was more about me spiraling internally after you called it quits.”
“So,” hurt flashed in her eyes. “You felt nothing about our relationship ending?”
To date, this was likely one of the hardest conversations I’d ever had. Hurting Kinsley’s feelings was the last thing I ever wanted to do. But, neither of us could move forward until we owned our truths. She’d spoken hers while turning down my proposal. Now, it was my turn.
“Kins, we spent entirely too much time together for me to not have feelings for you. But, after sitting back and thoroughly exploring our dynamic, you were right to turn me down when I asked you to marry me. I was nothing near what you needed and damn sure not what you deserved. As much as I didn’t want to face it, providing for a woman isn’t always the beginning or end of what she needs.”
Crossing her arms, she looked at me weirdly. “I’m sorry, who are you, and what have you done with my ex-boyfriend? This can’t be the man I spent the last three years of my life with.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” I chuckled. “I see you got jokes, but it’s cool. I deserve it.”
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you but,” she paused, touching my arm. “I can for sure say I see a difference. You look happy and relaxed. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Do I want to know what brought about such a drastic shift?”
“Probably not,” I replied honestly. “But if you insist, I don’t mind sharing.”
“Nope,” Kins plugged her ears. “You’re right, I don’t want any parts of it. Keep it to yourself. Please.”
